SALT LAKE CITY — The last time Riverton beat Bingham, Rick Bojak was still the head coach back in 2003 in just the school’s sixth year of existence.
Four head coaches later and after years of frustration, Riverton finally earned another win over over long-time nemesis Bingham.
Riverton forced six turnovers, including one near the goal line in the final minutes, as it edged Bingham 20-17 for its third straight victory. (Box Score)
Here’s the fumble recovery by Riverton that preserved the win? 6 fumbles for Bingham and the Silverwolves beat the Miners for the first time since 2003!
— Dave Fox (@Davefox2) October 3, 2020
20-17#hsfootball pic.twitter.com/2t2GWieEOU
“Heroes. That’s how I want to thank my players, parents, staff and administrators. Thank you for trusting in what we are building at Riverton. I will forever be in debt to the players and community that allowed me to start my head coaching career and understand what values we are teaching young men,” said Riverton coach Jody Morgan.
“Full moon tonight, maybe it was just the night for the Wolves.”
Riverton quarterback Colby Barton threw for a pair of scores in the victory. Riverton sits at 2-0 in region play, but still has tough games remaining the next two weeks against East and Herriman.
Elsewhere in Region 3, after East’s heartbreaking overtime loss to Bingham last week it bounced back with a resounding defensive performance in week 8.
East kept Herriman out of the end zone until the fourth quarter on its way to the 22-10 to keep its region title hopes very much alive. (Box Score)
“Our defense is playing very well right now. I’m proud of these boys... they have overcome a lot this season and continue to get better every week. It’s a resilient group. East and Herriman is always a great game. Coach Pearce and his staff always have their kids ready to play East,” said East coach Brandon Matich.
We said after how their last game ended that East was going to come in ANGRY 😡😡
— Game Night Live Rewind (@GNLRewind) October 3, 2020
Welp...You can't say we didn't warn you...
That Defensive line was absolutely dominate!!@OldEastHighFB @voitunuufi @CoachBMatich@Pasifikisland3r @RickyWolfgramm @VPatetefa @PTafisi pic.twitter.com/tNA7JTUxlN
Down in Region 4, Lone Peak bounced back from last week’s loss to Corner Canyon with a statement win over Skyridge, 37-20. (Box Score)
Jaxson Willits scored on a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns as the Knights pulled away for the win and re-established itself as Corner Canyon’s top challenger in the upcoming 6A playoffs even though it lost to the Chargers last week.
“We’ve got to enjoy it tonight but we’ve got to get back to work tomorrow,” Lone Peak coach Bart Brockbank told the Deseret News after the game. “You can’t take a week off and you have to have a short memory.”
Brockbank was referencing the fact that his team still has two tough Region 4 games remaining against American Fork and Pleasant Grove to close the regular season.
How about this stand for Lone Peak? With Skyridge's high powered offense needing a score to get back in the game late in the 4th, the Knights recorded 5 sacks and then got the pick on one defensive drive! #goodness@LPHSKnights @JohnHenryDaley1 @CKELLEY099 @luke_durfey5 pic.twitter.com/yDsIrYcbrz
— Game Night Live Rewind (@GNLRewind) October 3, 2020
Corner Canyon did what it always seems to do in week 8, put up crazy offensive numbers.
Behind seven touchdown passes from Jaxson Dart, the Chargers rolled to the 56-17 win over Westlake. (Box Score)
Corner Canyon has scored 35-plus points in every games this year, and 50-plus points now for the fourth time.
Quick stats nugget courtesy of George Felt:
— James Edward (@DNewsPreps) October 3, 2020
-- @noahkjar_08 now ranks third all-time in career TD receptions (43)
-- @JaxsonDart jumped to eighth in career TD passes (86)
Dart threw 7 TDs tonight, 3 of them to Kjar
American Fork kept pace in Region 4 with a 41-20 win over Pleasant Grove, and did so without the need for another eye-popping performance from quarterback Maddux Madsen. (Box Score)
Multiple touchdown games have been the norm for Madsen this year, but on Friday it was American Fork’s defense that did the most damage scoring three touchdowns in the first half.
“It was really nice to have our defense and special teams pick us up tonight. Fisher Ingersoll and Brenden Bougious had INTs returned for touchdowns, Fisher had two INTs on the night. Zac Schetselaar had a huge punt block. Parker Jackson had a fumble recovery and Watts Lewis also had an interception,” said American Fork coach Aaron Behm. “It was a true team effort.
Madsen still tossed a pair of touchdown passes in the second half, giving him 32 on the season as the Cavemen thwarted any hope of a Pleasant Grove rally.
In Region 1, Davis was part of another thrilling finish, but once again it came out on the short end in the final minute.
Weber quarterback Jake Lindsay scored on a 12-yard run with 2:36 remaining in the game as his team rallied for the 32-26 victory over Davis. (Box Score)
The two teams each trailed Roy by one game in the Region 1 standings, and with the victory the Warriors now have a shot at earning a share of the region title as they host Roy next Friday.
To even be in such a position is pretty remarkable when you consider that two weeks ago Weber lost stunningly to Layton, 34-15.
“That Layton game was a bad one. Everything that could have went wrong went wrong for us, and we just had to grow from it,” Weber receiver Cannon DeVries told the Deseret News after the game. “It was a good learning experience. We had to rally together and not point fingers because we knew we had to come back stronger.”
In Region 2, West Jordan was just thrilled to be playing after having a game canceled because of COVID-19 last week.
Coach Carson Mund said that even though his team beat Cyprus 23-20 by rallying in the second half, he sensed some carry over with last week’s bye. (Box Score)
“The lay off from last week I think really hurt us. We were really sloppy in the first half and didn’t play at our best until about the fourth quarter. Defense played great, we gave up two plays but other than that they played well and really dialed in after those two big plays,” said Mund.
Cyprus led 20-9 at the half, but West Jordan put things together in the second half as Boston Farmer threw a pair of touchdowns to spark the victory.
“Offensively we got to be more consistent, we were missing some key guys this week (three starters, two on the OL). We finally got things rolling a little bit at the end of the third and fourth quarters. The players battled and never quit and continued to play, and they’re the ones that ended up making plays and pulling out the win.”