Mountain Ridge won its eighth game of the season Friday night against Herriman, but blowing past the Mustangs 45-7 might have meant just a bit more than any other victory for the undefeated Sentinels.
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“It’s always good to beat an in-city rival,” Mountain Ridge head coach Nick Robins said. “You can pretend all you want about this game just being another game, but it’s not.
“I’m just proud of our guys that they were ready to go and we won the game.”
For one quarter it looked like the rivals were in for a close contest, but then the Sentinels exploded for 28 points in the second quarter, essentially putting the game out of reach before halftime.
“They had some stuff that we weren’t ready for on film,” Robins said of the tight first quarter. “We just kind of adjusted to what they were doing.”
The adjustments worked like a charm in a game that seemed pretty evenly matched, as the sides entered the night as the only unbeaten squads in Region 2, tied in the standings with 3-0 records.
But that of course changed quickly, and Mountain Ridge’s win only adds to what has been its best ever record at this point in the season and extended its win streak over the Mustangs to five straight.
The Sentinels got on the board with 8:55 to go in the second quarter on a 4-yard run from junior running back Tyson Dunn in what was only the beginning of a flurry of touchdowns before halftime.
Less than 90 seconds later, Mountain Ridge senior quarterback Jaxon Hunt connected with senior wideout Tytan DeJong on a 39-yard touchdown pass, the BYU commit hauling in his first of two scores on the night.
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“Tytan had to start both ways,” Robins said. “He played almost every down tonight. He always comes up big when his team needs him, and tonight we needed him and he made some plays.”
Playing linebacker along with DeJong, Mountain Ridge senior Cole Uluave shined on the defensive side of the ball for the Sentinels. Moments after DeJong’s 39-yard touchdown catch, Uluave got his first of two interceptions on the night.
Uluave’s first takeaway ultimately turned into an 11-yard touchdown pass from Hunt to senior wide receiver Bennett Neilson.
Mountain Ridge would score again before heading to the locker room, using just 1:47 to go 99 yards and score on a 17-yard pass and catch from Hunt to Dunn right before the break.
Hunt would find DeJong again in the fourth quarter for a 29-yard touchdown pass, while Uluave took his second interception 31 yards for a score of his own as the Sentinels cruised through the second half to victory.
Mountain Ridge beat Herriman in a similar fashion as it has every other Region 2 school so far. No team in the region has been closer than 36 points by game’s end.
The Sentinels will try to keep their dominant undefeated season going when they travel to South Jordan next week to play Bingham. Herriman, meanwhile, will return home for a contest against Copper Hills.
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Both games will begin at 7 p.m. next Friday.