It was a white out crowd under Friday night lights awaiting a football battle between the Lone Peak Knights and the Highland Rams. Coming into the game Highland knew it would be a grind. Lone Peak hosts one of the top defenses in the state but they are facing an unpredictable Highland offense famous for their triple option. The Highland side knew they would be backed with the return of starting quarterback Trajan Benson. It was a defensive grind but Highland was able to power over the Knights winning 21-9 marking Highland’s head coach Brody Benson’s 100th career win.

The game went underway as Highland was the returning side. Later in the drive they were forced to punt. The punt went soaring as Lone Peak’s returner was unable to handle it and muffed it. Highland then took over in the red zone ready to score. Not more than a few plays later Highland’s Matthew Lloyd ran it in for 6. On the Knight’s next drive they stormed to Highland’s end zone. They weren’t able to capitalize while senior Ben Nielsen picked off the Knight’s pass. It was a defensive battle from there with Lone Peak able to put up 3 on a field goal. At halftime the Rams lead 7-3.

In the 3rd quarter the score stayed neutral but the defenses from both sides showed off. Bronson Olevao was flying on defense making tackles from everywhere. He racked up 6 tackles with 2 for loss. Both teams struggled in the third to move the chains while only 8-27 total third down conversions were made for both teams. At the end of the third the game was still 7-3 with Highland still in the lead.

The attitude of both sidelines changed with 5:00 left in the game when Highland’s Trajan Benson connected with Bronson Olevao for a 66 yard touchdown. This gave the Rams all of the momentum now leading 14-3 with only a few minutes left. Lone Peak was not able to convert on their next possession leaving Highland with the ball still with a few minutes left. On the Rams drive Trajan Benson was able to run in another touchdown sealing the game off with only a minute to go. In Lone Peak’s last gasps for a miracle they were able to reach the end zone on a 78 yard run. Unfortunately for them the clock had expired leaving the Rams with a great victory.

This game was a stellar performance by the Highland players and coaches being able to knock off a powerful team. “I think we were really underrated…it will make teams really think twice about us in the future,” said Trajan Benson about the team’s performance. It was a great win that left Highland fans and students with a smile.

Next week Highland will face the Murray Spartans at Murray High School.