High school football: Frustrated Corner Canyon drubs Skyridge, gets back on track

Corner Canyon felt extra motivation in its 49-14 blowout victory over Skyridge in Draper Friday evening.

The Chargers took out their frustration from last week’s 21-point loss to Lone Peak on the Falcons, quickly turning Friday’s much-anticipated game into nothing more than a formality before halftime even began.

“I thought our kids played really, really hard and did a good job overall … trying to be physical, which is kind of what we felt like we needed to be better with after our game last week,” Corner Canyon head coach Eric Kjar said.

“We didn’t play well last week in a lot of ways, but also I felt like maybe our preparation, as far as on our end coach-wise, … the way we’re holding our kids accountable in practice for their play and their effort needs to be better and I think we did that better this past week, so it was good.”

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One of the things that made the biggest difference between Corner Canyon’s high profile matchup this week compared to last week was the way the team approached it.

“They know what they’re capable of,” Kjar said of his squad. “They knew they needed to be better and they came and showed it in practice on Monday. It was probably one of our best practices we’ve ever had around here, just as far as intense and also our effort.”

That intensity carried over into Friday’s beatdown of Skyridge, starting with the Charger defense. Corner Canyon turned the Falcons over on their first two possessions and ultimately equaled the one touchdown the Skyridge offense mustered in the first half.

Chargers senior defensive end Jayden Pearce did the honors for his school, splitting the game wide open when he snagged a fumbled ball out of the air and returned it 13 yards to give Corner Canyon a 28-7 lead midway through the second quarter.

Pearce’s penetrating score was the third of five turnovers on the night by the Charger defense, and Kjar praised his defense for its impressive outing.

“The No. 1 stat in football is turnovers,” he said. “It killed us last week. It helped us a ton this week.”

If the Charger defense wasn’t already enough for the Falcons to handle, Kjar’s offense made sure the night was a miserable memory for the visitors.

Senior wideout Jaden Allen and junior running back Jackson Carruth accounted for all six Corner Canyon offensive touchdowns, Allen scoring two in the first half through the air while Carruth had four scores on the ground in the middle two quarters.

“He’s awesome,” Kjar said of his running back. “Jackson’s one of those guys that’s really good. He’s kind of been behind the scenes, but he played a ton last year as a sophomore … and I wasn’t surprised (tonight). He’s a really hard runner.”

The game was essentially over long before Carruth’s final points as a hobbled Falcons squad continued to sputter through the second half, sneaking in a second touchdown in the fourth quarter when Corner Canyon may well have been prepping for its game next week.

With the win, the Chargers got a bad taste out of their mouth while earning a statement victory. Corner Canyon will look to build off its momentum when it goes on the road next Friday to face Cedar Valley, while Skyridge will return home for a game against Lone Peak Thursday night.

Both contests are set to start at 7 p.m.