Against a team from Hawaii playing its third game this season, Skyview was tougher when the heat was on.
The Storm scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to rally for a 34-27 win over Radford of Honolulu on Friday at Kiggins Bowl.
On a night where temperatures surpassed 80 degrees despite the 8 p.m. kickoff, fitness figured to be an issue for any team playing its season opener.
It wasn’t for Skyview. The Storm were simply the more physical team the longer the game went.
“The summer workouts, blood, sweat and tears,” said senior quarterback James “Doogie” Poindexter. “We just never gave up. We never took a rep off. We 100 percent stayed true to ourselves.”
Poindexter threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns, completing 15 of 23 passes. None was bigger than a 21-yard strike to Micah Robison on fourth and 11 on Skyview’s late go-ahead drive.
Robison’s catch set up Skyview at the 5 yard line. Three plays later, Levi Webb carried in from 2 yards to put Skyview ahead 34-27 with 1:21 to play.
Robison also caught the game-tying touchdown, a 48-yard strike with 10:47 to play. He had a 60-yard touchdown in the second quarter to finish with 134 yards on just four catches.
One of Robison’s biggest plays came on defense, the senior safety jarred loose a would-be catch that would have given Radford a first down in Skyview territory inside in game’s final minute.
Skyview went on to force a turnover on downs with a sack on fourth and six.
While Robison came up clutch in the fourth quarter, Gavin Packer electrified the game early. The senior Boise State commit had 128 of his 159 receiving yards in the first quarter, including touchdown catches of 22 and 58 yards.
Packer also had two touchdowns nullified by penalties – a 90-yard punt return and 95-yard kickoff return.
“Him. Simply Him,” Poindexter said about Packer.
Poindexter’s first varsity start was a long time in the making.
I’ve been preparing for that moment since freshman year,” he said. “I always put extra training in, at night, whenever I could. So I felt really comfortable back there.”
Some credit for that goes to Packer and Robison. Twelve of Poindexter’s 15 completions went to those two.
“We expected this from him,” Robison said. “We knew he’d be able to come in and sling the rock.”
Radford (2-1) rushed the ball 43 times, gaining 183 yards and controlling the time of possession in the first three quarters. Quarterback Afi Togafau rushed for 67 yards while also passing for 198 yards.
But the Rams couldn’t get the tough yards in the fourth quarter. Skyview stuffed Radford on fourth and two to force a turnover at the Storm’s 35 yard line, setting up the eventual game-winning drive.
Things don’t get easier for Skyview. The Storm next play Class 4A state runner-up Graham-Kapowsin, one of five 2023 playoff teams Skyview will face in six non-league games.
Skyview will run that gauntlet with a boost of confidence after passing Friday’s gutsy test.
“We just made a really big statement to the whole state,” Poindexter said. “No matter what the score is at the quarter, we’re going to come out and finish on top.”
Radford 6 210 0—27
Skyview 14 6 0 14—34
First quarter
S – Gavin Packer 22 pass from Doogie Poindexter (Lawrence Tang kick)
R – Zeke Schulz 5 run (pass failed)
S – Packer 58 pass from Poindexter (Tang kick)
Second quarter
R – Afi Togafau 1 run (pass failed)
S – Micah Robison 60 pass from Poindexter (kick failed)
R – Michael Robinson 90 kickoff return (Kaniela Ha’o-Hose pass from Togafau)
R –Jacob Barner 5 pass from Togafau (Schulz kick)
Fourth quarter
S – Robison 48 pass from Poindexter (Tang kick)
S – Webb 2 run (Tang kick)
INDIVDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Skyview: Levi Webb 12-70, Rex Allinger 7-33, Doogie Poindexter 2-2, Gavin Packer 1-36.
PASSING – Skyview: Doogie Poindexter 15-23-0-301.
RECEIVING – Skyview: Gavin Packer 8-159, Toren Baker 1-2, Emmett Stein 2-6, Micah Robison 4-134.
