Bountiful • The Viewmont Vikings and Skyridge Falcons had their fans on the edge of their seats throughout Friday night’s battle of unbeatens.
And that is exactly how Skyridge coach Jon Lehman wanted it.
“I loved the situation we were in late,” he said following his team’s 21-17 win over the Vikings to move to 4-0.
Lehman needed his defense to come up big twice in the final quarter. And the Falcons’ defense passed with flying colors.
The first came as Skyridge, which was nursing a 21-14 lead, took a major gamble going for it on a fourth-and-short situation at its own 40-yard line. A pass from quarterback Jackson Barber to Baden Stambaugh was broken up by the Vikings to end the drive.
“We had been running the ball really well,” Lehman said about the decision to go for it. “We have a lot of confidence in our O-line and defense.”
SKYRIDGE 21, VIEWMONT 17 <br>•The Falcons improve to 4-0 in only their second year of competition. <br>• Junior running back Ma’a Notoa runs for two scores in the second half. <br>• Lucas Bushey catches two TD passes for the Vikings, who suffer their first loss of the season.
Viewmont couldn’t full advantage as its ensuing possession stalled at the Skyridge 10. The Vikings settled for a 20-yard field goal to trim their deficit to 21-17.
But Skyridge’s biggest defensive stand came on the final possession. The Vikings took over at their own 8 following a punt. Viewmont senior quarterback Davis Weir, marched the ball down to the Falcons 15 before turning it over on downs.
“It’s about your guys believing in the system,” Lehman said.
Skyridge got a big boost from junior running back Ma’a Notoa after trailing 7-0 at halftime. Notoa scored on runs of 69 and 15 yards to give the Falcons the lead for good.
“I’m happy for our team,” Notoa said. “Trust me, I’m excited. But we got to get back to work next week.”
After being limited to 35 yards rushing on eight carries before the intermission, Notoa did most of his damage in the second half. He finished with 169 yards on 15 carries.
Notoa said the difference in the second half came down to one thing.
“Energy,” he said. “We were maintaining it on the sideline.”
Lehman said: “Our offensive line was getting off the ball and getting a push.”
Viewmont’s Lucas Bushey caught a 24-yard touchdown pass in the opening quarter and scored on a 61-yard pass play in the third.
“It’s huge,” Lehman said about the win. “For us to overcome some adversity and close late, you can’t say more.”