High school football: Lone Peak concedes numerous big plays, bows out quietly to Corner Canyon in 6A semifinals

SALT LAKE CITY — For the most part, Lone Peak’s defense had a great performance in Friday’s 6A football semifinal against Corner Canyon.

It forced two turnovers, recorded two sacks and also blocked a field goal in holding the top-ranked Chargers to 185 yards of total offense on 48 plays.

That doesn’t tell the whole story though. Corner Canyon’s offense ran 51 plays not 48, and in those other three plays it scored touchdowns of 80, 57 and 57 yards.

“Defensively we came in with a good plan. We just gave up some simple mistakes.” — Lone Peak safety Nate Ritchie

The 80-yarder came on the opening play of the game, and it was those big plays that ultimately ended the Knights season a week earlier than they hoped.

“Defensively we came in with a good plan. We just gave up some simple mistakes,” said Lone Peak safety Nate Ritchie.

The 80-yard completion put Corner Canyon ahead 6-0, but Lone Peak’s defense settled down the rest of the first half and was still very much in the game. It was the two 57-yard TDs in the second half — one pass and one run — that were the daggers. The latter came on third down and on the very next possession after Lone Peak’s only TD of the game.

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A defensive stop in that situation and perhaps the Knights still had a chance at a comeback, but Corner Canyon wasn’t about to squander a 27-7 fourth-quarter lead.

“We’ll live and die with those guys. That’s who they are and that’s who we are. We’re a defensive team this year that leads out on defense, and then our offense has to score,” said Lone Peak coach Bart Brockbank about the aggressive nature of his defense.

Lone Peak’s offense squandered early opportunities as well to match Corner Canyon.

It turned the ball over on two of its first three drives, including a fumble inside the Corner Canyon 25-yard line that halted a promising nine-play, 56-yard drive.

“Offensively we had a lot of miscues, fumble, pick early. We moved the ball pretty well, I thought, and then we just got bogged down. The kids fought, they fought hard. They’re a really good team. You can’t make a lot of mistakes and beat those guys,” said Brockbank.

• Watch replay: Corner Canyon 34, Lone Peak 7

The seven points scored by Lone Peak was its fewest in a game since the 2014 season.

Lone Peak only had one offensive drive of nine plays or more, and that was its only scoring drive, an 18-play, 80-yard drive that Ritchie capped with 2-yard TD run to make it 20-7 early in the fourth quarter.

Corner Canyon answered back on its very next drive to seal the victory.

“Offense didn’t really get going, all-around not a very good game. It’s all right though, we had a fun season,” said Ritchie, who said he was proud of the way his team handled the adversity of forfeiting games late in the season that dropped it to the No. 20 seed for the 6A state tournament.