Sandy • One by one, the Corner Canyon Chargers have been challenged by the powers-that-be that reside in their own region.
The latest for the top-ranked team in Class 5A was traditionally powerful Alta, which had home-field advantage Thursday and a chance to force a three-way tie atop the Region 7 standings.
No dice, Hawks.
In a classic case of the final score not being indicative of how much separation the visitors had achieved, Alta scored a pair of late touchdowns before ultimately falling 38-21.
Even with their quarterback, Boise State-bound Zach Wilson, on the sideline nursing an injured ankle, the Chargers rolled to a 38-0 halftime lead and stayed perfect on the 2017 season.
“We all grew up playing football together, so it’s kind of fun to go out and play against our childhood friends,” said Corner Canyon running back Tai Gonzales of the game between the primary schools in Sandy and neighboring Draper. “It’s a fun rivalry.”
Gonzales took on a bigger role than he normally would with Wilson on the field and ran for 95 yards.
In the first half, he scored on a 7-yard run to finish the initial drive for Corner Canyon (8-0, 4-0). By the time intermission rolled around, Gonzales had hit pay dirt two more times on running plays.
“We definitely implemented more of a run game,” he said. “But we tried to stick to the original game plan. I’m happy with the way we handled the ball.”
Things went south right away for Alta (4-4, 2-2), which did not gain a first down in the first quarter.
Hawks quarterback Will Dana ultimately would throw for 200 yards, including two 1-yard TD passes to Zach Engstrom in the last six minutes, but the initial three-and-outs repeatedly gave Corner Canyon short fields to work with to start the game.
And sophomore backup quarterback Cole Hagen was up to the challenge.
Hagen threw for 169 yards in the game and got his first passing touchdown when he found Jon Mitchell for a 24-yard score with 3:16 left in the first.
That gave Corner Canyon a 14-0 lead. Before the period was over, Hagen connected with Mitchell for a 46-yard pass down the right sideline and that set up a 6-yard touchdown rush for Gonzales.
“They played offense. The way we started the game, the way they played that first half, you couldn’t ask for a better start,” Corner Canyon coach Eric Kjar said.