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LEHI — One year ago, Trent Call was pressed into quarterback duty, the backup to now-Utah State freshman McCae Hillstead with the hopes of Skyridge's first state title resting on his arm.
The junior fared well enough, throwing for 1,319 yards and 15 touchdowns with just four interceptions. But when Hillstead returned from an ankle injury, the junior returned the mantle to his senior teammate and took up his "athlete" role once again.
This year, Call's role is a little different: He's catching touchdown passes instead of throwing them.
Same results, though.
Call caught four passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning score for 63 yards, to help top-ranked Skyridge improve to 4-0 with a 35-28 win over Bingham.
"I just like playing football," said Call, who was named the KSL.com BOLD prep football player of the week. "I like playing wherever the coaches put me. I love playing football, and whatever I can do for the team is all I can do."
Having a strong-armed quarterback move to Lehi has helped navigate that decision. And Jackson Stevens, Call's close friend through several rounds of golf, is just that.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound signal caller who transferred from Davis has thrown for 1,388 yards and 14 touchdowns with just one interception through the Falcons' perfect start. That includes back-to-back games without a pick, throwing four touchdowns each against Farmington and Bingham.
From tossing touchdowns a year ago, Call has become one of Stevens' favorite targets.
"The kid definitely deserves it," Stevens said of his wide out who has also played kicker, punter and return specialist. "He works his butt off, week in and week out. ... We've run a lot of routes in the offseason and played a lot of golf. He's my boy, and I love the kid to death."
Call, a 6-foot-3 three-star athlete by 247Sports who also plays basketball, has received recruiting interest from BYU, Utah and Weber State, according to the recruiting service. But playing with Stevens has helped raise the recruiting profile of both seniors.
"They're prepared for these moments," Skyridge first-year head coach Justin Hemm said of his quarterback-receiver combo. "They're in here staying after practice, working routes, and doing their thing."
The hope, of course, is that it also leads the Falcons right back to last year's finish: the 6A championship game.
One year after the departure of a senior class that included Hillstead, the state's top recruit — now-Texas edge rusher Tausili Akana — and others, Skyridge is on track.
The Falcons are ranked No. 1 in both the Deseret News coaches poll and the KSL.com Top 20+1, with an impressive resume of wins over Timpview, East, Farmington and Bingham. They'll head to Riverton this week with a chance to move to 5-0 ahead of a Region 3 opener against Westlake.
That's where the gauntlet begins in what many call the SEC of Utah high school football.
"This was great for our boys to experience some adverse situations," Hemm said, "and help prepare us for region."
If you'd like to nominate a football player to be the KSL.com BOLD player of the week, email us at onlinesports@ksl.com and tell us why.
