Herriman • Special teams made all the difference in the matchup between the Herriman and Riverton.
A blocked punt, a recovered onside kick and deep kickoff returns made things extremely difficult for Riverton as Herriman held on for a 21-9 victory Friday.
Riverton quarterback Cannon Coggins was busy scrambling for his life for 48 minutes as the front seven of Herriman applied constant pressure, which resulted in four sacks. Two blows were delivered by defensive end Carter Pearce, who was flying around the field chasing Coggins and stuffing the Silverwolves’ running game.
“We were just working together, and that’s what it takes,” Pearce said. “If we keep doing what we’re doing, it’s going to be hard to beat us.
“Up front we dominated and were able to make them one-dimensional. I was able to use my hands and speed to put pressure on them.”
Although the Mustangs offense wasn’t spectacular, it was good enough, with quarterback Blake Freeland accounting for two touchdowns. The first occurred when Freeland escaped pressure, stepped up in the pocket and found Ben Fife for a 24-yard strike. Following a Riverton blocked punt, Freeland sneaked the ball in just over the goal line on a 1-yard keeper to extend the lead to 14-0.
PLAYER OF THE GAME <br>Herriman defensive end Carter Pearce was busy chasing Riverton quarterback Cannon Coggins, collecting a pair of sacks. Pearce also was instrumental in stopping Riverton’s running game. The sophomore recorded six additional tackles.
Coggins finally found some rhythm late in the first half, connecting with Stetson Thacker in the corner of the end zone to reduce his team’s deficit to 14-7. That sparked some life into the Silverwolves, as their own special teams unit placed a perfect punt inside the 1-yard line. The Mustangs’ subsequent play resulted in a safety.
However, that was all Riverton was able to accrue in the second half as the Herriman defense, led by Pearce, did the rest.
“We have what it takes to go far,” Pearce said about his team’s playoff hopes.