MIDVALE — As the final seconds ticked off the clock at Hillcrest High Friday night, new Olympus coach Mike Smith breathed a sigh of relief.
On the other side of the field, veteran Hillcrest coach Kirk Merhish admitted this one got away.
Stephen Hendriks kicked a 22-yard field goal midway through the final period, and sophomore Cole Benson intercepted a pass in the end zone to help Olympus hold off the Huskies 10-7 in a non-region game.
It was the season opener for both teams, and both coaches felt it might play an important role in where their fortunes go from here.
"I don't know how we score only 10 points with 400 yards of offense," said Smith.
Smith admitted he was kicking himself for two failed fourth-down conversion attempts deep inside Hillcrest territory. Then, facing a fourth down at his own 29 yard-line with less than two minutes to play, he had his team try a fake punt that didn't work.
"We had a chance to win the game … right there," Smith said of the play. "Our defense was playing well. We put our defense in a tight spot."
Hillcrest stuffed Oly's star running back, Terry Isaia, for a 2-yard loss on the play. But two plays later, Huskies' quarterback Tanner Kemp lofted a pass to receiver Bridger Dallimore in the end zone, but Benson stepped in front of it.
In a game that had many key plays, that was probably the biggest.
"It should have cost them the game," said a frustrated Merhish, referring to the failed fake punt. "But it didn't.
"Our offense has got to do more than score just seven points … that's not going to win any games," he added. "I'm proud of our defense. We made some plays, but we didn't produce from those plays."
The same could be said for both teams.
Olympus dominated the line of scrimmage, and Isaia proved himself to be the bruising back coach Smith said he would be. Isaia rushed for 124 yards on 22 carries, and scored Oly's first touchdown on an 11-yard run.
Hillcrest never mounted a serious running attack. The Huskies managed just 31 yards rushing and 186 yards overall. They had one big play when Kemp hit Danny Thompson on a 61-yard touchdown pass late in the first quarter to tie the game, 7-7.
The score stayed that way until late. That's because Hillcrest's defense, led by Thompson and Nick Merhish, gave up some yards but stiffened near the goal line. The Huskies stopped Olympus on a fourth-down play inside the 10-yard line late in the second quarter, and then held again on downs at the goal line in the fourth period.
When you consider the fact that Hendriks' 22-yard field goal would have been good from a lot further, those plays made a big difference in how the game ended up being played.
Olympus escaped, thanks for Isaia's runs, as well as the play of senior quarterback Spencer Harris, who rushed for 99 yards and helped the Titans control the ball in the second half. Olympus ran 32 plays after halftime, compared to Hillcrest's 15.