Hillcrest holds off late charge by Skyline to remain unbeaten and maintain the top spot in the High Country Conference

IDAHO FALLS – “Do not go gentle into that good night.”

That probably wasn’t the phrase Skyline would have used to sum up Friday’s showdown with Hillcrest.

Maybe something that included the words chaos and unpredictable would be more appropriate.

Anyway, Hillcrest dominated the big conference matchup, winning 25-19 to take the driver’s seat in the High Country Conference. It was a result that will likely also have playoff implications for both teams.

But the score was in no way indicative of the game.

The game was all Hillcrest for 46 minutes, which was close to notching an impressive shutout over the Grizzlies before things got really interesting.

Someone may have mentioned chaos.

Hillcrest’s defense was stellar for most of the game and the offense did its part, taking a 19-0 lead into the half after rushing and passing touchdowns from quarterback Tyson Sweetwood and a couple of field goals by Rylan Borgmann, including a 42-yarder as the half expired.

Sweetwood ran for a 17-yard score late in the fourth and it appeared the 25-0 lead was safe and the shutout would be just the icing on the cake.

But the Grizzlies got on the board when receiver Zyan Crockett pulled up and connected with Dax Clinger for an 8-yard touchdown with 2:17 remaining.

Skyline missed the extra point, but got the ball back after recovering the onside kick.

Crockett, the all-state speedster, had been relatively quiet, but John Giannini III hit him in stride down the left sideline and there was no catching Crockett, whose score pulled Skyline within 25-12.

Skyline again set up for an onside kick and recovered it again.

Starting at the 50, Skyline worked its way downfield and Giannini found Sam DeMott in the back of the end zone for a 35-yard score.

The extra point cut the deficit to 25-19 with 55 seconds left and had the stadium buzzing.

The third time was not the charm, however, as the ensuing onside kick was hauled in by Hillcrest, which took a knee to run out the clock.

“I’m so proud of these guys, they’ve come so far,” Skyline coach Scott Berger said his relatively young lineup. “Coming into this game we’ve had three hard games and we knew this one was going to be a dog fight.”

Skyline’s offense is still a work in progress as junior quarterbacks Cooper Thomas and Giannini III each saw time.

“They both do some good things,” Berger said. “They need to separate themselves and we need to get more consistency. We need to finish plays and finished on drives.”

Hillcrest coach Brennon Mossholder said he was happy to get the win over a rival opponent, but wasn’t happy how the game ended.

“I thought we dominated in all three phases for 46 minutes, but the game is 48 minutes long,” he said. “We have to execute better defensively down the stretch and we have to execute special teams better.”

Skyline’s Giannini finished strong, connecting on seven of eight passes late in the game, including the two touchdowns.

Sweetwood led the Knights in rushing with 117 yards.

Things won’t get any easier for Skyline (3-1, 1-1), which faces Idaho Falls next week in the Emotion Bowl rivalry game.

Hillcrest (4-0, 2-0) is at Shelley.