They played us hard, they played us tough. We wanted to wear them down. We wanted to run it at them. – Aaron Whitehead, Olympus coach
SALT LAKE CITY — The Skyline-Olympus football rivalry has come full circle. The Titans’ 21-0 victory Friday made that apparent.
The Titans, a one-time doormat to their neighborhood opponent 10 blocks up the hill, captured their fifth-straight victory over the Eagles in a Region 7 game that sent the teams in opposite directions.
For Olympus, the win improved its record to 9-1 overall and 5-1 in region. The Titans are having their best season since winning the 4A state title in 1994.
Oly finished the regular season tied for first place with Orem and upstart Corner Canyon. Representatives from those three teams will meet Saturday for a coin flip to decide seeding in the upcoming 4A playoffs.
The loss dropped the Skyline Eagles to 4-6 overall and 2-4 in region. It also ended their season — marking the first time in 28 years the school didn’t make the postseason.
“It’s tough to win when you don’t score,” said Skyline coach Steve Marlowe, who took over for legendary coach Roger Dupaix at the end of last season. “The kids played hard. The defense kept us in it for a long time, but we couldn’t get anything going offensively.”
Oly’s defense was anchored by James Fox and Jeff Faletoi, who combined for four sacks of Skyline quarterback Braxton Chipman. The Eagles, who for years were known for their wishbone offense, scrapped that formation this year with mixed results.
Skyline really only threatened to score early late in the second quarter. With the clock winding down, Zach Adams lined up for a 47-yard field goal that was blocked by Connor Haller. The Titans took that momentum into the locker room and came back energized.
Already leading 7-0, quarterback Chase Manning led the Titans on a quick scoring drive that ended on a 6-yard touchdown run by Cooper Draper.
In the fourth quarter, Draper put the finishing touch on the victory with an 86-yard scoring run.
“They played us hard. They played us tough,” said Oly coach Aaron Whitehead, a Skyline graduate. “We wanted to wear them down. We wanted to run it at them.
“It was famine, famine, feast for us,” he added. “Cooper’s run was a big surprise.”
Draper ended with 112 yards on just five carries. Coleman Meier added 91 yards on 12 carries.
Skyline’s rushing attack, which headlined the team until last year, got a boost from Chris Williams, who returned from injury and had 40 yards on 12 carries. Chipman was the biggest Eagle threat, completing 15 of 24 passes for 162 yards.
Bruce Smith grew up in Boise, Idaho, and is a longtime newspaper sports writer. He writes primarily high-school sports articles for the Deseret News.