Corner Canyon Takes the Ball Away Seven Times, and Casey Sutera Gets the Signature Win of His First Season

SALT LAKE CITY, Rice-Eccles Stadium: Mountain Ridge went and got 536 yards, 30 first downs and 93 plays on Thursday night. It also got a 34-28 loss, which is what happens when you win the box score and the other team had the answer key.

Corner Canyon (11-2), the three-time defending 6A champion, picked off Mountain Ridge (12-1) seven times, turned those takeaways into 24 points and survived a final drive that ended the only way a Hollywood script would allow: a last pass from around the 30 sailing out the back of the end zone as the clock hit zero. The champs will play Skyridge for the state title.

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The box score that makes no sense

If you only read the left-hand column of a stat sheet, Mountain Ridge won this by a mile. Football, thankfully, is not graded on volume.

A signature win for Casey Sutera

This one belongs to first-year head coach Casey Sutera, and it deserves to be framed. He lost a mountain of seniors from last year's champions and is now one win from a state title in his first season. That is a crazy good coaching job if they finish it.

More than that, look at how they did it. Mountain Ridge has the best offense in the state by a wide margin, and Sutera answered it like a defensive minded head coach you would want in your corner: scout it to death, keep it in front of you, win the turnover battle and do just enough on offense to hang on. Corner Canyon looked a step ahead all night. The right personnel were on the field at the right times, the defense seemed to know the down and distance before the huddle broke, and it read like a team that had watched a lot of tape and believed every frame of it.

Here is the number that tells you the game plan worked: Mountain Ridge came into this game having thrown seven interceptions all season. Corner Canyon matched that total in one night. That is not luck. That is a team that opened a book and found the plot.

And now the script writes itself. The title game is Skyridge, the team that beat Corner Canyon 37-27 earlier this season. If you wanted a get-back game with a trophy attached, you got one.

SPIN player of the game: Josh Harris

My player of the game is Corner Canyon's Josh Harris, No. 21, a senior cornerback who also punts, which is the football equivalent of a guy who works the register and also fixes the freezer. The official statistics give him two interceptions, six tackles (four solo) and a pass breakup. He punted six times for 289 yards, a 48.2 average with a long of 68 and three inside the 20. He also saved a bad snap on a punt with a kick that went for a touchback, returned a punt 11 yards and added 34 yards on three kickoff returns.

That is a whole Swiss Army knife, and he used every blade.

The first half: three possessions, three interceptions

Mountain Ridge could not have scripted a worse start. Its quarterback was intercepted on the first play of the game, and Corner Canyon took over and drove to the 4-yard line. On fourth and 1 inside the 1, the Corner Canyon quarterback appeared to score off the right side, but a timeout had been called before the snap, so the touchdown did not count. Corner Canyon simply ran it again, and Levi Hines scored from a yard out around the right side. Carson Burnett's extra point made it 7-0 with 8:40 left in the first.

The second Mountain Ridge possession ended in another interception, a deep ball picked off by Lakin Abilla and returned to the Mountain Ridge 15. Jackson Carruth walked in from the 1 for a 14-0 lead with 6:33 left. The third possession ended in a third interception. Three possessions, three picks. At that point the Mountain Ridge offense was less a machine and more a vending machine that only dispensed the other team's snacks.

Corner Canyon's drive stalled on fourth and 3 at the 10 early in the second quarter, and Burnett kicked a 27-yard field goal. On that drive Corner Canyon had one-on-one coverage in the end zone and its quarterback threw a perfect ball that was dropped. A touchdown there makes it 21-0. It was 17-0 with 10:20 left in the half instead.

Then the best offense in the state showed up. Corner Canyon turned the ball over on a sack-fumble, Mountain Ridge took over around the Corner Canyon 42, and on the next play its quarterback got out of the pocket and hit Jordan Claassen on an over route for a 42-yard touchdown. Will O'Neil's kick made it 17-7 with 6:52 left in the half.

Mountain Ridge got the ball at its own 9 with 2:00 left in the half, out of timeouts. After a swing pass and a run, it took a sack, which put it in third and 3 at its own 16. A short in-breaking route converted it, and Mountain Ridge went to hurry-up mode. Corner Canyon had trouble getting lined up and burned two timeouts. Then came a 15-yard penalty for hitting a defenseless receiver, which in my view was a bad call because the hit was low and not to the head or neck. The flag put the ball at the 9, and Jaxon Hunt scored on a 9-yard run with 30 seconds left to finish a 10-play, 91-yard drive that ate 1:30. The extra point made it 17-14 at the half, and the night had officially become a movie.

Third quarter: two bombs and an easy pick

Corner Canyon got the ball first in the second half. Harris fielded the kickoff and was tackled at about the Corner Canyon 17. Corner Canyon came out in 13 personnel, three tight ends, and Mountain Ridge again played a seven man box. That was the whole game in one picture: if Corner Canyon could not win one on one on the outside, it was not going to beat Mountain Ridge. On the first throw of the half it won one.

Then Corner Canyon hit two big deep passes in a row, covering about 80 yards of field, with just the right amount of touch on both. They were as impressive as any throws we have seen from its quarterback this season. That put the ball at the Mountain Ridge 10, and Corner Canyon called a timeout. It came up empty on its next shot, and Mountain Ridge called a timeout facing third and goal. Then Jaxon Pehrson threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Beckam Coon, a very physical route and a really good throw. The extra point was good, and Corner Canyon led 24-14 with 9:26 left in the quarter.

Mountain Ridge answered with its best drive since the two minute drill. It was in rhythm, with a speed option for 13 yards by Tyson Dunn on a good pitch from Hunt, then a quick out for another 13. That put the ball at the Corner Canyon 12, and Ryce Palepoi sniffed out the same option play on the next down.

Then Mountain Ridge tried a trick play, a reverse that was supposed to turn into a pass. The ball carrier got out of two tackles and stayed with the pass, but Josh Harris was waiting in the end zone for it. In my view it was probably the easiest interception of his life. He took a knee for a touchback and presumably asked for a receipt.

Corner Canyon could not do anything with it. Mountain Ridge sent four rushers on third and 15, and a good play call from the defense kept Corner Canyon from getting the first down. Harris punted, and Mountain Ridge took over around its own 29, picked up a first down on a run and then took a holding penalty that left it at first and 20 from its own 42.

The drive ended in another interception. Lakin Abilla, who also had the first half pick, baited a throw and took it for his second of the game. Corner Canyon took over with 2:34 left in the quarter and stuck with the ground game, then punted. The snap on the punt was bad, but Harris handled it, got the kick off to the opposite side of the field and it went for a touchback. Mountain Ridge's drive from its own 20 went nowhere, and it had second and 12 from its own 18 to start the fourth.

Fourth quarter: the longest 12 minutes in Salt Lake

Mountain Ridge opened the fourth at second and 12 from its own 18 and went to hurry-up mode. It hit a pass at about the Corner Canyon 47 on a free play after Corner Canyon had 12 men on the field, and Hunt got about 18 yards out of it. High school football has no college style substitution rule, so a team can go fast, and Mountain Ridge took advantage of that a couple of times.

This was a must have drive, and Hunt made good decisions. On an RPO against a heavy box he threw outside, and he followed it with a swing pass and a screen for a first down. Corner Canyon sent a blitz and ate up one screen. Then Lakin Abilla made a great read, jumped a route and nearly had a third interception.

On the next down Corner Canyon showed a pressure look and bailed out of it, and Mountain Ridge called a quarterback draw at the perfect time. Hunt ran through a tackle and into the end zone on a 25-yard touchdown run, and the extra point made it 24-21 with 9:50 left. The Corner Canyon lead was suddenly a rumor.

Then the game turned twice in a hurry. Corner Canyon fumbled, and Mountain Ridge's Boston Kojima caused it and recovered it, but it never got anywhere. On an RPO, a Mountain Ridge pass was batted at the line by Corner Canyon's Sam Ord and intercepted by Brody Allred, who took it 46 yards the other way for a touchdown. Corner Canyon led 31-21 with 9:21 left. Allred went from reading the quarterback's eyes to reading the end zone.

Mountain Ridge came back with a drive up the middle of the field. Hunt hit Claassen on a 15-yard dig route and then another for 16, big throws made in time. A false start and an offensive pass interference penalty put Mountain Ridge at first and 25 from its own 31, and it later faced fourth and 8 near midfield and went for it. The pass was intercepted by Isaac Otuafi, who returned it along the sideline to the Mountain Ridge 7. Corner Canyon took a holding penalty and a sack and faced fourth and 12, and Burnett kicked a perfect 29-yard field goal for 34-21 with 5:33 left. In my view that was the big stop for Mountain Ridge, because two touchdowns and two extra points would tie it.

That is exactly what it threatened to do. Mountain Ridge got the drive it needed, starting with 5:33 left. Hunt escaped pressure and threw back across his body for a first down, then ran for 8. Corner Canyon had 12 men on the field on a free play, and Hunt threw deep to Tytan Dejong, who made a great catch at the 39 for about 20 yards. Mountain Ridge was quickly down to about the 14, and then it scored on an easy pitch and catch, a 14-yard touchdown pass to Dejong. In my view Corner Canyon played soft coverage on that whole drive, keeping everything in front of it. The extra point made it 34-28 with 3:42 left.

The final drive

Corner Canyon got a straight kickoff, took over at its own 20 and ran the ball. A third and 6 run for a first down forced Mountain Ridge to burn timeouts. Mountain Ridge got its stop, Corner Canyon let the clock run and Josh Harris punted on a clean snap, and the ball went out of bounds at the 21.

The final drive started with 1:20 left, with the ball at the Mountain Ridge 21. Mountain Ridge had no timeouts, and a sack kept the clock running. Then a cramp stopped the clock, which did more for Mountain Ridge than a timeout would have. It reached second and 1 from around the 47. Corner Canyon had a chance at a game clinching interception that did not come down, and the drive went to 24 seconds, then 10, then a pass over the middle that nearly became a great catch. Dejong made a big catch that almost landed inbounds, but he got out of bounds with four seconds left. The last play was a long throw from around the 30 into the end zone. It went out. The official drive chart has the possession at nine plays and 49 yards, and zero points. Roll credits.

Scoring summary

• First quarter, 8:40: Levi Hines 1-yard run, Carson Burnett kick. Corner Canyon 7, Mountain Ridge 0.
• First quarter, 6:33: Jackson Carruth 1-yard run, Burnett kick. Corner Canyon 14, Mountain Ridge 0.
• Second quarter, 10:20: Burnett 27-yard field goal. Corner Canyon 17, Mountain Ridge 0.
• Second quarter, 6:52: Jordan Claassen 42-yard pass from Jaxon Hunt, Will O'Neil kick. Corner Canyon 17, Mountain Ridge 7.
• Second quarter, 0:30: Hunt 9-yard run, O'Neil kick. Corner Canyon 17, Mountain Ridge 14.
• Third quarter, 9:26: Coon 11-yard pass from Jaxon Pehrson, Burnett kick. Corner Canyon 24, Mountain Ridge 14.
• Fourth quarter, 9:50: Hunt 25-yard run, O'Neil kick. Corner Canyon 24, Mountain Ridge 21.
• Fourth quarter, 9:21: Allred 46-yard interception return, Burnett kick. Corner Canyon 31, Mountain Ridge 21.
• Fourth quarter, 5:33: Burnett 29-yard field goal. Corner Canyon 34, Mountain Ridge 21.
• Fourth quarter, 3:42: Tytan Dejong 14-yard pass from Hunt, O'Neil kick. Corner Canyon 34, Mountain Ridge 28.

Final team numbers

From the official final statistics.

Individual leaders: Corner Canyon's Jackson Carruth rushed 28 times for 100 yards and a touchdown. Coon caught four passes for 85 yards and a score. Mountain Ridge's Tytan Dejong caught 11 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown, and Tyson Dunn rushed 17 times for 99 yards. Corner Canyon's Isaac Otuafi returned an interception 63 yards, and No. 6 W. Tenney led the Corner Canyon defense with 14 tackles.

Editorial note from the SPIN desk

This is opinion, not reporting, and it was written at halftime. The SPIN desk thought Corner Canyon was in trouble. It had its chance to put Mountain Ridge away early, up 17-0 with the dropped touchdown that would have made it 21-0, and it did not do it. Mountain Ridge is too good a team to give that chance to. It had weathered the storm, and the desk expected Mountain Ridge to win this game.

The desk would like the record to show that Corner Canyon and Casey Sutera read that note and responded with seven interceptions.