Riverton football takes win against cross-town rival Herriman

by Brendan Butterfield

The Riverton Silverwolves (4-3) played host to their cross-town rival the Herriman Mustangs (2-5) Friday night. The Mustangs came into this game looking for a much-needed win to turn their season around, while the Silverwolves looked to build on the momentum of their success in the previous week. 

First Half

Both teams got off to slow starts as there was little offensive flow for both teams early. Riverton shook off the rust and found the endzone first to give them a 7-0 lead heading into the second quarter. 

Riverton found the endzone again in the second quarter as running back Easton Hicks broke free for a 56-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 14. Just when it looked like Herriman had something going late the drive stalled and they were forced to punt. 

Riverton was able to block that punt but couldn’t take advantage of the big play before the end of the half. 

Second Half

Herriman was able to flip momentum early in the third quarter due to a terrible snap on a Riverton punt. Herriman would have as good of a field position as you could dream of, starting just 3 yards out of the endzone. 

A designed run for Mustangs quarterback Frederick Ta’ai cut the lead in half and gave Herriman some life, making it 14-7. 

From then on it was almost all Silverwolves. They added a couple of field goals as well as a voluntary safety from the Mustangs on 4th down to avoid a more disastrous punt blocked for a touchdown. 

Herriman was able to string together a solid drive late as Ta’ai would cap it off with yet another touchdown run. It would prove too little too late, however, as Herriman could not recover the onside kick. 

Riverton improves to 5-3 on the season, while Herriman falls to 2-6. Riverton hosts Mountain Ridge next week, while Herriman will take on Copper Hills on the road.

Featured image via Kristin Murphy, Deseret News