High school football: Corner Canyon caps off impressive two-year run with a 49-14 win over American Fork in 6A championship game

Box score

SALT LAKE CITY — The raw emotion expressed by Corner Canyon linebacker Josh Wilson perhaps told the story of his team’s historic run better than the game itself.

Few teams have made it look easier than the Chargers, not just for the 2019 season, which they topped off with a resounding 49-14 win over American Fork on Friday, but for two years running. No losses over those two years, coupled with 26 wins and two straight championships over two classifications speaks loudly to the program’s dominance.

Easy, right? Well, not exactly.

“We worked so hard for this. You have no idea,” Wilson said, fighting back the emotions involved with having reached the end of a high school career as the final team standing. “We’re the biggest brotherhood and I’d do anything for (my teammates.) They’re my best friends and my brothers.”

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Indeed, the finished product apparent to all seldom reflects the hard work and anguish involved behind the scenes, with Corner Canyon’s final product proving particularly impressive.

“It’s just so much time and effort on (the player’s) part,” said Corner Canyon coach Eric Kjar. “... To get kids to put the time in to get to this point, ... it’s just special to see high school kids do that, and what they gain long term. It’s just special to see it.”

As for Friday’s win over the Cavemen, it worked as a microcosm for what the Chargers have shown over the past two years.

A complete team effort, together with answering blows taken with even bigger blows dished out, all geared toward getting better and better each step of the way, defines what Corner Canyon does.

On Friday the Chargers didn’t come out guns blazing, but the team did withstand several big early plays made by the Cavemen before building a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter. American Fork answered with an impressive 34-yard touchdown run by Jaxon Gregory to cut the lead to just one score, indicating a tougher final game than most anticipated.

But as the Chargers have done throughout the past two seasons, they squashed any notion of a tightly-contested contest in quick fashion.

Just four plays covered 80 yards on Corner Canyon’s next possession, with quarterback Cole Hagen topping off the scoring drive with a 15-yard touchdown toss to Noah Kjar to extend the lead to 21-7 with 2:25 left in the first half. Dustin Millich upended American Fork’s preceding drive by picking up a pass, with the Chargers putting together a six-play drive covering 65 yards to end the half up 28-7.

Practice makes perfect, and coach Kjar strongly attested to his team’s ability to answer whatever opposing teams throw at them, having been galvanized through a hyper-competitive practice and workout regimen.

“They’re super competitive and it’s crazy,” Kjar said of his player’s work behind the scenes. “Just to have kids compete against each other like they do — day in and day out — is unreal. It gets heated.”

“We worked so hard for this. You have no idea. We’re the biggest brotherhood and I’d do anything for (my teammates.) They’re my best friends and my brothers.” — Corner Canyon linebacker Josh Wilson

Leading the way for the Chargers in the first half was again Hagen, finishing the first 24 minutes of play with 205 yards passing and three touchdowns on top of 65 yards rushing. The senior signal-caller kept it up in the second half, adding another scoring toss and finishing with 349 yards passing and 82 yards on the ground.

“Cole’s amazing,” Wilson said. “I’ve been playing with Cole since I was in sixth grade, so he’s another brother and he’s come a long way with me. I love him and he’s put in so much work. ... He’s an amazing player.”

Hagen, who finished his prep career with a perfect 28-0 record as a starter, was at least as complementary toward Wilson and the Charger defense.

“Our defense is awesome,” Hagen said. “Going against them every day in practice kind of sucks because they kick our butts sometimes, so they’re a great part of our success.”

Corner Canyon owned the second half, opening up a 42-7 lead through three quarters by virtue of a couple of touchdown runs by Dylan Simmons, who filled in effectively for injured starter Austin Bell.

Other standouts for the Chargers were Cody Hagen, who finished with eight receptions for 74 yards, and Noah Kjar, who added 91 yards and three touchdown receptions. Defensively it was Wilson leading the way with 16 total tackles, with Millich contributing two of his team’s four interceptions.

• Watch the replay: Corner Canyon 49, American Fork 14

With Kjar’s special team moving on after this year, there’s a lot to remember, although one specific aspect is what he’ll remember most.

“Just being with them late and doing the different things where you get to know (the players) on a different level more than anything else I do with them,” Kjar said. “For me, that’s probably the most special thing.”