- Ridgeline ended Morgan's 13-game winning streak with a 34-14 victory.
- Quarterback Nate Dahle led with four touchdown passes and one rushing score.
- Ridgeline's defense sacked Morgan's quarterback six times in the second half.
MILLVILLE — It wasn't easy, but the Riverhawks will take it.
Ridgeline began the 2025 season by ending the longest active winning streak in the Beehive State Friday night. Morgan came to the valley having win 13 in a row, including the 3A state title last fall.
The Trojans briefly led in the third quarter, but the Riverhawks got rolling as the game wore on and rolled to a 34-14 victory.
"We had some snap issues early on," Ridgeline head coach Travis Cox said. "We gave up a couple of big plays. They made a couple of good calls and scored on us. I loved how our kids battled through a little adversity. That's why you play a team like Morgan, that is good and physical."
Morgan scored on its first possession of the second half and an extra point was the difference with 9:19 left in the third period as the visitors took a 14-13 lead. Kicking extra points was an issue several times for the hosts.
The Riverhawks trailed for exactly four minutes and 10 seconds.
"In the first half we came out strong, and then struggled a little bit," said Ridgeline quarterback Nate Dahle, who would end passing for four touchdowns and running for another. "We finished strong, so that was good. Then in the second half we came out rolling."
After converting on a fourth-and-2 at the Trojan 43 when Dahle kept the ball for a five-yard gain, the signal caller hit wide receiver Graham Livingston over the middle for an 11-yard TD strike three plays later. That duo would hook up for three scores in the game.
"Graham is a beast; he is committed to BYU for a reason," Dahle said.
Hunter Knighton caught a pass from Dahle on the extra-point attempt to give the Riverhawks a 21-14 lead with 5:09 left in the third. Ridgeline would go on to score twice in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
"I like how we played when we were down by one," Cox said. "We came back and played really well on both sides of the ball. Even thought these kids have played a lot of football, every year is a new identity. You kind of have to find it. I think we found it in that second half. That was good to see."
The Riverhawks dominated the time of possession throughout the contest. After forcing a Morgan punt late in the third, Ridgeline took over and ate up more than seven minutes off the clock, marching 90 yards in 14 plays. Dahle scored from two yards out untouched.
"I love running," said Dahle, who ended up leading the Riverhawks in rushing with 57 yards on 11 carries. "We are going to see it more. Props to the line. They had a great night and picked it up."
Down two scores, the Trojans were forced to pass more and the Riverhawk defense pinned its ears back and put the pressure on. Morgan quarterback Cade Randall was sacked six times, with five of those coming in the second half.
When Randall wasn't getting sacked, he was throwing uncatchable balls in the fourth quarter. Morgan turned the ball over on downs with four minutes to play in its own territory.
Ridgeline took advantage, going 37 yards in five plays. Dahle found Livingston in the corner of the end zone for a 21-yard scoring strike.
"I thought our pressure on defense was the key in the second half," Cox said. "We need to get better. We gave up too many PIs on big downs. We need to clean that up, but the pressure got it done."
Recording sacks for the Riverhawks were Cooper Clark, Landon Perkins, Knighton for two, Coen Richards and a host of Ridgeline players.
Dahle completed 28 of 39 pass attempts for 283 yards and the four TDs. Livingston hauled in 17 passes for 179 yards and three scores.
"They (Dahle and Livingston) made big plays on key downs," Cox said. "That scoring going into half was huge for us. Those two have played a lot of football together. It's good to know when push comes to shove, they can get it done."
Ridgeline scored first, taking the opening kickoff and marching 80 yards in 11 plays. The offense began with Dahle hitting Livingston for an 18-yard gain. Krew Jones picked up four yards on a fourth-and-1 run, and Dahle had all day to roll out and hit wide receiver Owen Leishman in stride for a 14-yard score. Braxton Parry booted the extra point with 6:38 left in the opening quarter.
Morgan evened the score midway through the second quarter when George Thurston got loose for a 9-yard TD scamper around the end.
Ridgeline responded with an 80-yard drive, taking five-and-a-half minutes. The Riverhawks converted a fourth-and-4 (Dahle 8-yard run), a third-and-10 (Livingston making a 14-yard catch) and a fourth-and-9 when Dahle hit Livingston over the middle for what turned into an 18-yard TD when Livingston broke a tackle and used his speed to reach pay dirt just before the break.
"We had the ball a lot in the game," Cox said. "I think we were 4 of 4 on fourth downs. I think that was a key. We scored on every drive that we went for it on fourth and got it. It was good to execute under pressure."
Ridgeline took a 13-7 lead into halftime.
The Riverhawks finished with 410 yards of total offense with 127 of those yards coming on the ground as six different players carried the ball. Five Ridgeline players caught passes. The hosts had 28 first downs.
"This was a great way to start the season," Dahle said. "… Morgan is a great team. We scheduled them for a reason. They are a tough opponent."
Morgan finished with 225 yards. Randall passed for 190 yards on 14 of 26 passing.
Ridgeline travels to Park City next week.
