This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Sandy • It was a night to remember for Alta quarterback Chipper Lucero and might be one Lone Peak quarterback Baron Gajkowski won't remember.
Lucero threw for 319 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Hawks to a resounding 35-17 victory Friday night.
Gajkowski, the Knights' senior signal caller, left the game in the third quarter with what appeared to be a head injury.
"I'm not really sure at this point what he's got," Lone Peak coach Mike Mower said, "I just knew we had to get him out. I don't know if it's a concussion. I've got to check with the doctor."
Gajkowski, who refused to comment after the game, was gang tackled at the end of a 33-yard run midway through the third quarter. He sat for two plays, then returned and weaved his way into the end zone on a 16-yard play that was negated by a holding penalty.
He ran once more for 1 yard, but he spent the rest of the night on the sidelines, replaced by senior Tyler Wray, and later, senior Cole Johnson.
Alta receiver Mack Richards repeatedly burned the Knights' secondary for big gains. He caught 14 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns — 54 and 63 yards. He also dropped a sure touchdown with the Hawks (1-1) trailing 10-0.
"It was some early game jitters," the senior said about the drop. "I was just hoping it wasn't going to cost us the game. I told myself to be mentally tough, and Chipper kept getting me the ball."
Lucero went back to his top target on the same seam pattern late in the second quarter for the Hawks' first score. The senior quarterback also turned a busted play into a 27-yard touchdown on a reverse-field swing pass to tailback Tanner Sansom.
Alta's Zack Moreton left the game in the first quarter with a broken left foot, and Lone Peak (1-1) defensive lineman Jake Fierro left on a stretcher in the closing seconds with what Mower described as a "some kind of heart palpitations."