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NORTH LOGAN — Ridgeline heard the noise.
Outside of a Week 3 close call, Green Canyon had shut out every team on its schedule en route to a 4-0 start to the season. Could Ridgeline — a rival just 10 miles south — be the next victim?
The defense that managed three shutouts was certainly going to be up for a rivalry test at home against Ridgeline on homecoming night.
Except quarterback Nate Dahle and Ridgeline's offense had other plans.
The RiverHawks dictated the momentum early to control an 18-0 lead before halftime on the road, and then pulled away for a 39-21 win Friday night. There would be no shutout.
"It feels like every time we play Green Canyon they're undefeated coming in, so it kind of feels like that every year we get them coming in pretty hot," Ridgeline head coach Travis Cox said. "We had heard plenty all week that they had shut out three teams. We try to preach every week's the same, and that's what we did. But, obviously, it's a pretty big game, so I thought we played well in a big game."
The shutout didn't last long as Dahle connected with Cooper Clark on a 7-yard touchdown toss with just over eight minutes left in the first quarter, and then found wide receiver Graham Livingston in the second quarter down field for a 70-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead — Ridgeline failed to convert on back-to-back 2-point attempts.
The RiverHawks added a pair of field goals to the scoreboard before halftime, and the defense held firm to control an 18-0 first-half shutout — ah, how the tables have turned.
But Green Canyon refused to go into the locker room at the break without some points on the board. With 30 seconds left in the first half, quarterback Payton Wilson connected with Hayden Schramm for a 25-yard touchdown, cutting the lead to 18-7.
The Wolves added to the momentum when Wilson connected on a deep pass on third-and-6 to Cody Edelmayer, who went 76 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter to make it a 4-point game.
Suddenly, it was a battle.
And then when Green Canyon held Ridgeline at midfield and stopped a third-down conversion, the atmosphere of the game looked like it was turning for the home team.
But Ridgeline locked in on defense and pinned Green Canyon down near their own end zone. Green Canyon caught a break after Ridgeline was called for a facemask penalty, giving the Wolves a new set of downs and a little more room to work with.
But the RiverHawks would not be denied and broke into the backfield to push the home team back again. Add that to several offensive penalties and Green Canyon was going nowhere fast.
After a near safety on the previous play, Green Canyon managed to get off a punt, but it went short and set up Ridgeline on the Wolves' 33-yard line.
And like clockwork, Ridgeline attacked.
Dahle eventually found the end zone on a 6-yard scramble after a broken play to add to the score, and the Green Canyon comeback came to a screeching halt.
It was further slowed on the next Ridgeline possession when Dahle executed a great fake to running back TJ White and then hit Livingston in stride on a wheel route down the sidelines.
Livingston went untouched and reeled off a 76-yard touchdown in a race to the end zone.
"I like those because we were able to run the ball. We tried to throw on the downs that seemed like we're gonna run it, and so I really think those plays were all set up through how we ran the ball so effectively," Cox said. "But then Graham just came down with a heck of a catch, and then a run after catch. Great ball by Nate, so just a very, very well executed kind of night from all of our guys."
The two teams traded one more touchdown apiece on the night, but the damage was done when Ridgeline's defense kept Green Canyon from building on its momentum midway through the third quarter.
"I thought the defense played phenomenal tonight — a lot of negative yardage plays. ... I thought our defense played really physical tonight, played hard. (Wilson's) a really good player for them, and I thought we did a really good job of getting to the ball, getting to him, get some pressure on him, and so I'm really proud of just our team as a whole," Cox said.
