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LEHI — Kaneal Sweetwyne was a part of the Skyridge boy's basketball team that took down a No. 1-ranked Lehi Pioneers team in January.
On a windy Thursday night, he was the quarterback as the Falcons bested their crosstown rivals — again — but on the football field.
Behind an unstoppable rushing attack and a defense that simply would not let the powerful Pioneers offense pass go, Skyridge (5-2, 2-0 Region 3) pulled off a 20-16 upset of No. 1 Lehi (in RPI) in front of a raucous home crowd at Skyridge High.
Behind Oklahoma State-committed quarterback Jett Niu, Lehi (6-1, 1-1 Region 3) came in averaging 34.4 points per game through the first five games, but were held to under 20 points for the first time this season, largely thanks to the Falcons defense.
That defense put up two goal-line stops, forced a turnover on the 1-yard line late in the third quarter, and stuffed vaunted Pioneer tailback DeVaughn Eka on the goal-line on fourth down with under six minutes left in the game.
It was part of a larger defensive performance by Skyridge that limited Lehi's offense to just 10 points off of four Falcons turnovers, and held the Pioneers to just 1-of-5 in red zone scoring of touchdowns.
"We knew this was going to be a tremendous battle and fight," Falcons head coach Justin Hemm said. "It shines a lot of light on our community, too. You look at the city of Lehi and us coming together, I'm so happy for our boys."
The fight also came down to the line of scrimmage, where Skyridge running backs Zaeden Selu and Jacob Iakopo seemingly ran at will all night long, thanks to what Sweetwyne called "the best offensive line in the state," where the shortest of the bunch is 6-foot-3.
Selu punched in the first touchdown of the night on the Falcons' first drive, before Sweetwyne ran in the game-sealing touchdown with under five minutes left to cap off a 99-yard drive.
And that 99-yard drive? It was started by the Skyridge defense keeping the Pioneers out on four consecutive plays on the goal line, including a repeat fourth down after a defensive holding penalty gave Lehi another chance.
"They're definitely a key factor," Sweetwyne said. "They always have my back, so I have to have their back and go down and score."
That defensive-led complementary style of football is what has led Skyridge to three key wins this season: a 41-26 thumping of Nevada power Liberty on the road, a 24-14 upset of Colorado's top-ranked team, Cherry Creek, and now a stunner over one of the best teams in the state.
When asked what has made his team so special this season, Hemm said it was because his team is not only coachable and well-led, but they want to be pushed and want to step outside their comfort zone.
It's what has made the Falcons one of the favorites to potential get to Rice-Eccles Stadium and lift the 6A championship trophy in November.
"We have to keep our composure; we have to move on to the next play," Sweetwyne said. "We have to lock in, especially this coming week against Lone Peak."
