Seven interceptions carry Corner Canyon past Mountain Ridge 34-28 into the 6A final

SALT LAKE CITY — Corner Canyon beat Mountain Ridge 34-28 in a 6A football semifinal on Thursday at Rice-Eccles Stadium, according to the UHSAA score board, which lists the 2:30 p.m. game as Corner Canyon 34 and Mountain Ridge 28 1.

The Chargers intercepted Mountain Ridge quarterback Jaxon Hunt seven times, the Deseret News reported, with Josh Harris and Laken Abilla taking two apiece 2.

The Deseret News reported that Harris picked Hunt off on the first play from scrimmage. After Corner Canyon scored a touchdown, Abilla intercepted Hunt again and returned it to the 15-yard line; within two minutes the Chargers had two interceptions and two touchdowns, and both scoring drives covered less than 35 yards 2.

"We all knew that they're a passing team, and we saw it as an opportunity to come out and show up," Abilla said, according to the Deseret News. "We all trusted our DBs and our (cornerbacks), and it showed because we had those seven picks" 2.

Mountain Ridge found its offense anyway. The Sentinels opened their scoring on a 42-yard touchdown pass from Hunt to Jordan Classen and scored again after a three-and-out, cutting the lead to 17-14 by halftime despite three first-half interceptions 2.

The game turned again in the fourth quarter. Corner Canyon led by three points and Mountain Ridge had forced a fumble at midfield when Chargers defensive lineman Wyatt Warner tipped a pass and Brody Allred intercepted it and returned it 46 yards for a 31-21 lead 2.

"I just saw the ball up in the air, and I just decided it was mine," Allred said, according to the newspaper. "As soon as I caught it, I knew I wasn't going to get chased down" 2.

Mountain Ridge's defense kept the game within reach. Isaac Otuafi made Corner Canyon's seventh interception with about nine minutes left, and the Sentinels then held the Chargers to a 29-yard field goal, keeping the margin within two possessions 2. Mountain Ridge drove for a touchdown to close to 34-28 and had just over a minute to try to win it, and Corner Canyon's defense sealed the semifinal with pass breakups rather than another turnover 2.

Corner Canyon, the No. 3 seed, took a 10-2 record into the semifinal; Mountain Ridge, the No. 2 seed and Herriman's school at 14100 S. Sentinel Ridge Blvd., came in 12-0 and had allowed 10.3 points a game, the fewest in 6A 3. The two programs had met three times since 2023, all Corner Canyon wins, including 59-20 in last year's semifinal at the same stadium 3.

The Chargers meet Skyridge in the 6A championship. Skyridge beat Herriman 35-34 in Thursday's first semifinal at Rice-Eccles 4, and it beat Corner Canyon 37-27 earlier this season 2.

A win would give Corner Canyon a fourth straight state title, the longest streak in program history 2. Casey Sutera is in his first season as head coach after Eric Kjar left for Weber State 3.

"It's awesome to be in position to be able to do that," Sutera said, according to the Deseret News. "I'm just on cloud nine, but we'll celebrate for tonight and then we've got to get working towards the state championship" 2.