Late touchdown run lifts Shadow Ridge past Snow Canyon

Shadow Ridge’s football team lost fumbles on four consecutive possessions in the second half of a loss at Highland (Idaho) last week.

It wouldn’t have been a surprise if the Mustangs’ coaches had held their collective breath over the last 4 minutes, 19 seconds of Friday’s game against Snow Canyon (Utah).

Kimani Johnson gave his teammates and coaches reason to exhale, scoring in the final minute to lift Shadow Ridge to a 36-29 home victory.

Johnson’s 10-yard touchdown run with 48 seconds left capped a 10-play, 91-yard drive that broke a 29-all tie.

“I try to tell my teammates don’t think about whats happened in the past, it’s all about right now,” said Johnson, who finished with two touchdowns and 164 all-purpose yards. “I just had to keep my head in the game, I stayed composed. Every time I went on the field, I felt like the score was 0-0, so I went hard every play — 100 percent.”

Johnson also had 115 yards on three kickoff returns, and all of them provided Shadow Ridge with favorable field position on drives that led to touchdowns.

Anthony Wheaton finished with 80 yards on 16 carries, including a game-tying 37-yard touchdown run with 7:58 left in the fourth quarter.

“Anytime you’re able to get the ball past the 35 on any kick return, it’s so beneficial to have the defense’s back against the wall to start,” Mustangs coach Travis Foster said. “They (Johnson and Wheaton) battled back and played such a big role in this win. I’m proud of those two.”

Mustangs quarterback Kody Presser accounted for 131 yards of total offense, including a 34-yard touchdown strike to Kimo Kahanu. Jordan Parker never reached the end zone, but his blue-collar work out of the backfield resulted in 103 yards.

Shadow Ridge’s defense came up big on several occasions, too, and snuffed out a desperation pass on Snow Canyon’s final drive.

Jake Daley led Shadow Ridge with 13 tackles, and Christian Owens and Parker each had an interception.

“It was just a gutsy performance from our kids being able to battle back,” Foster said. “I’m just so proud of our kids.”