Emery football picks up first win of season

By Gary Arrington Sports Writer

Last Friday night the Emery High football team traveled to Payson to play the 4-A Payson Lions in a preseason football game. Although the visiting Spartans left town with a 27-14 victory, games like this always makes one apprehensive.
Emery kicked off to start the game and the game remained knotted at 0-0 until midway through the second quarter when the Lions put together a 60 yard drive with most of that yardage coming on a single play and took the first lead of the game at 7-0 after a made extra point. This lead came despite the fact that Spartan Ty Mecham wrestled the ball away from the Lions ball carrier for a Lion turnover on the first series of the game.
Emery’s Easton Gordon intercepted a pass on the Lion’s second drive of the game and returned the ball 16 yards. Emery punted after both of those drives after they stalled against a stout Lion defense. No team likes opportunity to pass it by.
After Payson scored, Emery took the ball sixty five yards in nine plays and with the help of a Lion penalty, Emery scored on a 2-yard run by senior back Logan Cox. Ethan Winter added the extra point. Emery’s final drive of the half ended after the team fumbled after moving the ball forty seven yards to the Payson 13-yard line. The teams were tied 7-7 at the half. Emery’s Kobe Faimalo intercepted a pass late in the first half to end a Lion drive that came into Emery territory.
Emery received the kick-off to start the second half. The kick was returned to the Emery 21-yard line and the team proceeded to march into the Lion endzone on eleven plays with Cox closing out the drive on a 14-yard run. The kick was missed but the Spartans had their first lead of the game at 13-7. Four different Spartans carried the ball on this drive and quaterback Zach Jorgenson completed one of two passes.
After the Spartan kickoff, Emery’s Cox intercepted the pass on the Lions first play and the Spartans went right back on offense. After a 5-yard penalty, Jorgenson completed a 30-yard pass to Easton Gordon, Cox carried the ball for a 12-yard gain and then Kacey Jones ended the drive with a 3-yard run. Emery was unsuccessful on their two-point attempt.
Emery got the ball back for a third time in the third quarter when the Lions had to punt after their drive stalled after four plays. Emery drove the ball to the 2-yard line as the period ended after gaining sixty one yards on six tries. A 24-yard run by Cox and a 22-yard pass completion from Jorgenson to Kolton Butler were the big plays in the drive. Emery scored on the first play of the fourth quarter to get their lead to 27-7 as Tel Gardener went the final 2 yards for the score. A pass from Jorgenson to Kolton added the final two points.
Payson scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter but were then never a threat again. Emery came out of the locker room for the second half ready to play and they did a good job a depriving the Lions from anything they really wanted to do.
Logan Cox led the Emery offense with 165 yards gained rushing as part of a 300-yard night on the ground for the Spartans. Easton Gordon gained 43 yards, Kacey Jones gained 28 yards, Dalton McKee gained 25 yards, Tel Gardener gained 22 yards, Kobe Faimalo gained 12 yards and Zach Jorgenson picked up 5 yards on the ground. Jorgenson was five for eleven passing for 59 yards. Jorgenson completed passes to McKee, Derek Justice, Easton Gordon, Kolton Butler and then the final one to McKee again.
Defensively, Emery had the four take aways, several batted dwon passes and a sack by Cox. Chase Jewkes had 9 tackles to pace the defense while Jared Snow and Ty Mecham were next with 4 tackles each.
Emery will play Delta at home this Friday at 7 p.m.