Skyridge junior quarterback Jagger Fountaine scored four touchdowns Thursday, Sept. 17, to lead the Falcons past Lehi 28-20 in the Region 3 opener at Lehi High School.

The cross-town rivalry game, televised on KJZZ, was tied 14-14 at halftime. Skyridge pulled away in the second half behind two long scoring strikes from Fountaine, as reported by the Deseret News.

Fountaine opened the scoring with a quarterback keeper, then connected with wide receiver Omarian Sanders on a 54-yard touchdown pass. But Lehi answered without its offense touching the ball. Senior linebacker Paul Unga jumped a Fountaine pass and returned the interception 30 yards for a pick-six. Minutes later, senior wide receiver Cam Wren took a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown, knotting the score at 14.

Lehi's offense never found the end zone in the first half. Skyridge drove to the Pioneer 5-yard line before halftime, but Lehi's defense held.

A lightning delay cleared the stadium during the game. Brighton Gardner, president of the Lehi drill team, was recognized as Homecoming Queen at halftime.

The Pioneers got within striking distance in the second half when junior running back Cam Bryce punched in a rushing touchdown. The extra point was bobbled, though, and Skyridge stopped the conversion run.

That missed point loomed large.

Skyridge's defense then locked down, piling up sacks, tackles for loss and pass breakups to keep Lehi quarterback Briggs Jensen and the Pioneer offense off the scoreboard through the fourth quarter.

Fountaine sealed the win with a 54-yard touchdown pass to Malosi Shepard late in the fourth quarter. He was not sacked once all night despite playing through an ankle injury.

"O-line had a great night. I was kind of dealing with an ankle (injury), and these guys protected me," Fountaine said after the game. He credited his receivers and linemen, adding that the team told each other at halftime not to panic and that the big plays would come.

Skyridge head coach Justin Hemm credited both teams' defenses. He said Lehi came out extremely prepared and that Pioneers head coach Andy Hadfield had his players ready.

Hemm pointed to the two non-offensive touchdowns by Lehi and said his own defense forced third-and-long situations all night.

The win extends Skyridge's streak to five consecutive victories after a 41-26 season-opening loss to Mountain Ridge on Aug. 14. Four of those five wins have been one-possession games. Hemm said the close contests have built trust within the team.

Lehi entered the game off a 28-14 win over Weber on Sept. 11. After that game, Hadfield challenged his skill players to finish drives. "Our playmakers have to make plays," Hadfield said Sept. 16. "Our defense is good enough to keep us in any game, but we just have to finish our chances."

That warning proved accurate. Lehi's defense kept the Pioneers in the rivalry game, but the offense could not generate enough points to overcome Fountaine and the Falcons.

Skyridge was ranked second and Lehi fifth in the Region 3 preseason coaches poll. Region 3 has produced the 6A state champion in each of the past seven seasons, according to the Deseret News preseason preview.

After the final whistle, Skyridge linebacker Rex Caswell held the rivalry trophy as teammates gathered around him to celebrate.