High school football: Skyridge locks in during second half to grind out victory over Timpview

Box score

Halftime adjustments made the difference in Skyridge’s 26-14 season-opening win over Timpview Friday night. The Falcons kept the Thunderbirds scoreless in the second half, propelling the school to its first victory of the year.

“Our big emphasis at halftime was just kind of locking in,” newly hired Skyridge head coach Justin Hemm said. “We started to feel in the second quarter (we) kind of lacked some energy as a whole. So coming out with some enthusiasm, some energy, and just kind of playing Skyridge football in the second half (was important). We wanted to establish the run. We wanted to set the tone defensively and I thought in all three phases the guys came out and executed.”

The Falcons entered the contest coming off a 6A state championship — the school’s first ever football title, while the Thunderbirds came into the season hungry after falling in the 5A state championship game a year ago.

Timpview took a 14-13 lead into the break, scoring both touchdowns on drives that started inside its own 20-yard line.

Skyridge set the tone on its first possession of the second half, using a 13-play, 80-yard drive to take the lead back for good. Falcon senior running back Carter Sheffield punched things in from 5 yards out moments after ripping off a 26-yard scamper that got his team into the red zone.

“(Our) O-line … second half just hit a different level,” Sheffield said. “They’re making my job really easy.

“We knew we needed to step up second half. We knew we had to. We were a little flat toward the end of the second half … We knew we had to get the momentum back. I thought we did a great job of that, coming out and scoring (on) our first drive.”

The Falcons’ ground game and defense picked up in the second half, giving Skyridge control of the game. After taking a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter, the school’s defense came up big.

With under five minutes to play, Timpview threatened to cut into Skyridge’s lead on two different occasions, each time driving the ball to the Falcon 4-yard line. However, that would be as close as the Thunderbirds would get as the defending champs forced a turnover on downs and an interception to ultimately seal the victory.

“The players defensively, their preparation and what they do on a week in and week out basis from film, to practice, to scout, to weight room, it’s second to none,” Hemm said when asked about his defense’s resiliency down the stretch. “The preparation has them prepared for any of these moments.”

The Falcons hope this season has more moments like they had in the second half Friday, when their focus and preparation paid off with another victory.

Skyridge will look to extend its win streak, dating back to last season, to nine games when it plays another 5A school in East next Friday. Timpview will play its second Region 3 power in as many weeks on the road again the same day when it faces Lone Peak. Both games will kickoff at 7 p.m.