Semifinals Winners

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last Thursday and Friday, we witnessed the top teams in the 5A and 6A classifications face off at Rice Eccles Stadium in four high-stakes showdowns. All the top teams won out but did so in unconventional ways.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lehi Pioneers</strong><br>It was a battle between two undefeated teams when Lehi took on Stansberry. Lehi was coming off their worst performance of the season against Box Elder, so heading into their matchup with the highest-scoring offense in the state, questions persisted that last year's state champion could be had. However, the Pioneers emphatically proved the doubters wrong, forcing four first-half turnovers and leading 35-0 at the break. Linebackers Hema Katoa and Chasen Miller combined for 16 tackles to help Lehi put the Stallions back in the stable 42-0. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='406873' first='Jackson' last='Brousseau'] tossed four touchdowns to lead Lehi back to the state championship game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Corner Canyon Chargers </strong><br>Great teams are great because they can dominate in each phase of the game. That's what Corner Canyon displayed against Farmington. The Chargers offense had turned the ball over four times, allowing the Phoenix to take a 28-24 lead in the third quarter. Right after Farmington took the lead, Bryton Brady took a kickoff 87 yards to the house. Then linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='406868' first='Owen' last='Borg'] blocked a punt and returned it to the house. The Corner Canyon defense shut out the Phoenix the rest of the way for the 45-28 win. Running back Drew Patterson also had another strong game in which he rushed for over 120 yards and scored a touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Timpview Thunderbirds</strong><br>The Thunderbirds battled it out against the Tigers in an intense showdown that was tied 14-10 at the half. Timpview has leaned on their rushing attack all season long, and that didn't change in the second half. The Thunderbirds scored four rushing touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters to help them get a 48-31 win. [player_tooltip player_id='406949' first='Micah' last='Beckstead'] scored four rushing touchdowns, while athlete [player_tooltip player_id='406975' first='Quezon' last='Villa'] had three total touchdowns. The Thunderbird's defense was stout and held Orem to 17 points through the first three quarters. Defensive back Haven Halliday had 10 tackles and an interception in a standout performance. The Thunderbirds got the win 48-31 and now have a chance to capture a state title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Skyridge Falcons </strong><br>The Falcons looked to be in trouble early as they allowed Bingham to grind out yard after yard on the ground, marching it down deep into Skyridge territory on the first possession of the game. But just as it looked like the Falcons were going to start the game trailing, [player_tooltip player_id='406857' first='Smith' last='Snowden'] made the play of the game. Intercepting a pass and taking it 92 yards to the house. After that, the Skyridge defense wouldn't allow any points until the final second of the half, enabling the Falcons to jump out to a 21-7 lead. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='406869' first='McCae' last='Hillstead'] continued to make memorable plays and guided the Falcons to the impressive 45-20 win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->