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HOLLADAY — During the rest of the regular season, Olympus football was a 4-5 team.
But in the annual neighborhood rivalry game against Skyline, the Titans continued to rock.
Jackson Godfrey scored on a 6-yard run in the second half, Will Rigby hit two field goals, and Tate Ames and the Olympus defense held Skyline scoreless until the fourth quarter en route to a 13-7 win Thursday night to win the Battle for the Rock for the fifth-straight year.
With the win, Olympus (5-5) evened the all-time series between the programs, which dates back to 1962, to 28-28-1.
And they did it with defense.
The Titans forced three turnovers on downs in the second half, including a pass breakup by Ames on a potential touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone. And Godfrey's touchdown from 6 yards out with 1:20 left in the third quarter gave Olympus a 13-0 lead.
"We knew they were a good team, and we had to come out and show up," Ames said. "That's what we did. We've got a lot of ballers on our team, and we stepped up big time."
Both teams combined for more interceptions (4) than points (3) in the first half until Rigby drilled his second field goal as time expired to give the Titans a 6-0 halftime lead.
Olympus shut out Skyline in the first half by holding the Eagles to two drives that ended in picks, a missed field goal and a punt with 2:08 left in the half that set up Rigby's 46-yard field goal.
Titans JR Tate Ames had an interception and this key PBU in the end zone in the @Olympus_High win. pic.twitter.com/Rz5eayLk2z
— KSL.com Sports (@KSLcomSports) October 14, 2022
James Schlendorf and Ames each had an interception for the Titans, and Ethan Plowman corralled a tipped pass for an interception before Spencer Grant added another pick for the Eagles before halftime.
"Coach Brandon Burt had our defense in place and the kids executed," Olympus coach Aaron Whitehead said. "Offensively, we were able to sustain drives. Special teams stepped up, as well."
Miles Parker got Skyline on the board with 4:16 remaining in the game, but the Eagles could't corral the onside kick; and after a punt, the Titans only had one final stop to keep control of the rivalry trophy.
No problem in the hotly contested rivalry series that includes families who grew up together, even played together on the same pre-high school football teams, for years.
"It means a lot," Ames said of the rivalry. "Each and every year, it's a constant battle. It's historic, it goes way back, and it's fun to come out here and be able to be a part of it.
"It's a great rivalry. We've got a lot of brothers on that team. But on the field, we've got to come out and do what we do against every other team. It's just another football game, but it's a deep relationship off the field with a lot of them."
