Herriman marches on to 4-0 start with 35-24 win over Riverton

HERRIMAN — The Herriman Mustangs officially have their first 4-0 start since their second season in existence in 2011.

A 35-24 win over nearby Riverton secured the milestone on Friday night, and the Mustangs hope the solid start can help the team finish the season at Rice-Eccles Stadium since the state semifinals in 2017.

"I felt like we should have done a better job, but we did a good enough job to win the game," Herriman head coach Matt Rickards said. "We've just got to consistently improve every week, and these guys need to understand that's what it takes to be at Rice-Eccles Stadium."

Senior quarterback Tyler Messer was the first to bring up the team's lofty aspirations of "going all the way," but he feels the team has the culture and chemistry to get the job done this season.

Herriman sure looked the part Friday, leading Riverton for all but a couple of minutes in the third quarter when the game was tied 21-21. Messer got some help from running back Filisi Filipe in his first varsity game with the Mustangs, with the junior breaking off a 76-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Messer capped off the first half with a 16-yard run of his own to the pylon for a 21-7 halftime lead in favor of the Mustangs in front of their home crowd.

"We were just pounding them and being more physical at the line," Messer said. "We were outsmarting their linebackers and just running up their throats."

Messer and Filipe each got another rushing touchdown in the second half, squashing a Riverton comeback attempt led by junior quarterback Xander Thayer. After back-to-back touchdowns by the Silverwolves to tie the game at 21-21 with 2:33 left in the third quarter, Messer marched down and ran in his second score just 90 seconds later.

The Herriman defense held Riverton to a single field goal in the fourth quarter, and Filipe walked off the win with a 59-yard rushing touchdown in the final two minutes.

"It was a showcase game (for Filipe) and he did a great job," Rickards said of his new star running back. "The offensive line did a great job, so credit to them, because without them, nobody's running the ball very well."

Herriman looks to match its program-best 5-0 start from 2011 when the Mustangs travel to Bingham next week to take on the Miners. Riverton, who falls to 2-2 after a 2-0 start, returns home for another Region 2 battle against Cedar Valley.

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