Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SYRACUSE — A sold-out top-five matchup between fifth-ranked Syracuse and second-ranked Corner Canyon seemed primed for blockbuster status when Titan quarterback Jake Hopkins opened the game with a 50-yard bomb to DJ Mayes.
Isaac Wilson and the Chargers had other plans, however.
Wilson avoided an interception on his first play of the game after the ball was dropped by the Syracuse defender and decided to find the end zone with his feet after a pass to Tate Kjar brought Corner Canyon into the red zone just a minute after the Syracuse score.
The Utah commit followed up the opening rushing score with three second-quarter touchdown passes — including two of 40 yards or more — to take a commanding 28-7 halftime lead.
Hopkins and Mayes connected again for Syracuse in the third quarter, but the Chargers defense "made a lot of plays," as head coach Eric Kjar put it, to hold the undefeated Titans to 14 total points in their first loss of a promising season.
One of the big plays from Corner Canyon's defense came on a bizarre sequence of events late in the third quarter. The Chargers offense fumbled on the goal line, but the defense responded on the following play by intercepting a desperation heave from Syracuse in their own end zone for an unconventional score.
"They had to play a lot and stay out on the field a ton," Kjar said of his defense. "I thought our front played well. I thought we got some good pressure at times."
Wilson — the "gunslinger," as Kjar put it — wasted little time on offensive drives, often handing the ball back to Syracuse after a couple of plays and putting the Corner Canyon defense back on the field for long stretches of time as the Titans struggled to put together efficient drives.
Kjar said Wilson has been out of practice a lot recently with a "clean-up" procedure on his knee, but is back fully with the team as they prepare to begin region play against No. 8 Mountain Ridge next week. The Titans will look to get back in the win column next week at Farmington.
"It's a marathon," Kjar said of the season. "We've got to keep hammering the practice and the execution and the effort. We'll be in a good spot if we can continue to do that."
Most recent High School stories
Related topics
Caleb Turner
