Corner Canyon ends regular season by defeating Lehi 56-3 to capture Region 3 title

Six different Chargers scored in Corner Canyon’s 56-3 onslaught of Lehi Wednesday evening, spoiling the Pioneer’s senior night — a night that the home school would like to soon forget. 

“(I) just liked the way we played overall,” Corner Canyon head coach Eric Kjar said after his team’s emphatic win. “I thought we played really hard. I thought we competed. We kind of challenged our guys to do that and try to be tough.”

The Chargers proved to be tough all evening for the Pioneers. The visitors scored on their first drive and nearly every drive thereafter, turning the ball over just once and never punting.

“We had some big third down conversions and then our offensive line, I thought, was really the key,” Kjar said about his offense’s stellar evening. “We ran the ball really well, which is what we wanted to start with against them and then we were able to play-action pass off of that and do some other stuff in our pass game. And we mixed our run game up pretty well too. … Our linemen did a really, really good job establishing that up front.”

Senior wideout Kai Meza led the way for Corner Canyon in the first half, catching two touchdown passes from senior quarterback Helaman Casuga en route to a 28-3 halftime advantage. 

“He’s so quick in and out of his breaks … he’s got good vertical speed, but he’s just so shifty in and out of his breaks,” Kjar said of Meza. “He’s a big time player and does a great job for us.”

The only thing that changed for the Chargers in the second half was some different players scoring touchdowns. Corner Canyon needed just 34 seconds to score on the opening possession of the half, with Casuga connecting with senior wide receiver Isaiah Morris for a 46 yard touchdown pass. 

The win moves the Chargers to 8-1 to close out the season and clinches the Region 3 title for the school – their lone loss of the year perplexingly coming against a Lone Peak squad that finished region play 1-3 and on the opposite end of the standings. 

Lehi entered the contest having won its last two contests by more than three touchdowns each, while only giving up nine points over that span. 

“We knew they were good,” Kjar said of the Pioneers. “They were playing hot coming into this game and we knew that. … I think our kids came prepared. They knew the game meant a lot to them.”

Ultimately, Corner Canyon proved too much for Lehi to handle. On a night that began with rain, the Chargers poured things on even after the inclement weather subsided. 

The Region 3 champions defense made its mark too, keeping the Pioneers from scoring a touchdown – the first time that has happened to Lehi since being shutout in an August 2020 loss to American Fork.

Following the defeat, the Pioneers end the regular season at 5-4.

Now the two schools await the final RPI rankings that will ultimately decide their destinations to begin the 6A state tournament.