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SALT LAKE CITY — McCae Hillstead didn't touch the football once in the first quarter Thursday.
Skyridge's quarterback and the rest of his offense remained on the sideline until the second period of the 6A state football semifinal against Bingham, eagerly awaiting their turn to take the field. For any other team, allowing an opponent to maintain possession for so long would be a nightmare scenario, let alone in the highest-stakes setting of the season.
However, most other teams don't have Smith Snowden.
The defending first team All-State defensive back — who head coach Jon Lehman said "plays his best in the biggest moments when things are toughest" — intercepted an errant Dallen Martinez pass on Bingham's opening possession and returned it for a 95-yard score to put the Falcons on the board and set the tone for a loud 45-20 Skyridge victory.
Hillstead's first opportunity on offense may not have come until the second quarter, but already up by a touchdown allowed the Falcons to run downhill all afternoon en route to five total offensive scores.
"For us to be up 7-0 after a whole quarter where they possessed the ball all the way down the field was critical," Lehman said. "We like to keep our offense on the field, and they were really efficient today."
Hillstead was excellent under center for the Falcons and finished 12-of-18 passing for 210 yards and two touchdowns, with La'akea Kalama and Jace Doman hauling in scores of 45 and 46 yards each, respectively.
"He created a lot for us," Lehman said of Hillstead.
Falcons running back Tate Walker ran wild for 71 yards on 13 carries and earned a hat trick with three rushing touchdowns in the Skyridge rout.
"He really helped our offense today," Lehman said of Walker. "He was really smooth with the ball, he didn't go down on first contact and was really efficient with his cuts."
Bingham, while often overmatched on Thursday, still hung in the game long enough to trail by just two scores early in the fourth quarter; but Skyridge capitalized on a number of Martinez's mistakes and picked off the passer three times and sacked him twice, which set the table for the Falcons offense to bury the Miners.
"I like how this team is playing together, and I like how this team continues to work even when bad things happen in the game," Lehman said. "I like how this team plays with discipline and high character; it gives us a shot."
The Falcons advance to next week's 6A state title game against a Corner Canyon squad they have wanted a shot at all season long.
"We're a confident football team; we know we've got to play our best football and that's what it is in November," Lehman said. "It's gonna be cold and early in the morning, but we've got to know how to handle that and play our best game."
