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SALEM — Sky View brought its A-game Friday night and took down Salem Hills in a 44-20 win to open up the season.
After a back-and-forth affair in the first half in which the Bobcats controlled a 3-point lead, Sky View opened up its offense in the second half to deliver a blow — and a loss — to the home crowd excited for football's return.
The Skyhawks opened the night with ball, but it was the Bobcats who showed the visiting crowd the work they've put into the offseason. Sky View took command of the game early with the help of quarterback Carson Thatcher and running back Brevin Egbert, who scored the first touchdown of the night.
But the 7-point lead for the Bobcats didn't last long. The Skyhawks fought back with a touchdown of their own before the end of the first quarter to even-up the score.
Both teams had a rocky start to the second quarter, with neither team able to move the ball down the field until Salem Hills picked off Thatcher. It wasn't too long after that the Skyhawks scored their second touchdown to take a 14-7 lead.
The Bobcats wasted little time on the ensuing possession to fight back. Thatcher, who credited his offensive line for his success Friday night, threw a deep pass that resulted in a touchdown for the visiting team.
"I think my line was pretty phenomenal," Thatcher said. "They played out of their mind."
With just under two minutes left in the first half, the Bobcats marched down the field and kicked a field goal to take a 17-14 lead at the halftime break.
Within minutes of the start of the third quarter, Sky View found the end zone two more times before Salem Hills managed its first, and final, score of the second half. But the drama didn't end there; both teams managed interceptions that made the respective fans go wild.
Sky View got the upper hand and finished the quarter on a rushing touchdown by Egbert to give the Bobcats a 38-20 lead. By the fourth quarter, all the first-game jitters were gone, and Sky View came away with two more interceptions and a final touchdown to put the final stamp on a season-opening win.
"We came out and got a fast start in the second half, and I really felt like that was kind of the key," Sky View head coach Christopher Howell said, while adding that both sides of the ball made mistakes Friday night. But the team learned from the mistakes, he said, and put it together in the second half to come away with a win.
"Obviously, there's a thousand things that we have to work on, but at least we can do it with positive momentum," Howell added.
Sky View hopes to keep its winning ways as it welcomes Wasatch to town next Friday.
