Will Black took the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown. Skyline poured it on from there, shutting out Cottonwood 56-0 in a Region 10 game on Friday, Sept. 25.

The Eagles scored eight touchdowns and held Cottonwood off the scoreboard entirely. Three of those scores came on special teams or defensive plays, KSL Sports reported.

Black's return gave Skyline a lead 43 seconds into the game. Quarterback Tate Johnson threw two touchdown passes to Will Finau, covering 36 and 65 yards. Liam Whitworth returned an interception 36 yards for a score, and Veni Mapa scored on a 1-yard fumble recovery. Judah Valle added rushing touchdowns of 6 and 49 yards, and Wes Thornton caught a 6-yard touchdown pass. The Deseret News reported the game was effectively over by the third quarter.

The win moved Skyline to 4-3 overall and 3-0 in Class 4A Region 10, first place in the standings, according to MaxPreps. The Eagles have won two straight after beating Jordan 61-12 on Sept. 18.

The shutout is the latest sign of a defensive unit that head coach Brandon Matich singled out early in the season. After Skyline's Week 2 win over Olympus on Aug. 21, Matich told the Deseret News, "Defense played amazing … Coach Sale Tuitavake called a great game on that side of the football." Tuitavake's group held Cottonwood scoreless five weeks later.

Matich took over the program after 15 seasons as head coach at East High School, where he compiled a 138-60 record and won two state titles. Skyline was picked first in the preseason Region 10 coaches poll. In an Aug. 1 Deseret News preview, Matich said, "Skyline made a lot of strides last year and we hope to build off what Coach Mailei started." A 3-0 region start suggests the Eagles are doing exactly that.

Elsewhere in Region 10 on Friday, Highland (5-1) edged Murray (5-2) 34-29 on Will Bauman's 55-yard interception return with 2:20 left in the fourth quarter. Highland sits one game behind Skyline in the loss column heading into the final three weeks.

Skyline hosts East on Friday, Oct. 2, then travels to Highland on Thursday, Oct. 8, in a matchup that could determine the region champion. The Eagles close the regular season at home against Murray on Wednesday, Oct. 14.