| Dave Justice works to get by the Carbon defender and he scores a touchdown in junior varsity action. |
Led by the outstanding play of running back Spencer Cook, the Emery High Spartans defeated region rival Carbon High by two points. Playing the closest thing yet to a complete game, the Spartans played well all night long to win their first game of the season and bring warmth to the spirits of all their fans that showed up on this cold fall night.
For the first time this season, the Spartans had a truly outstanding performance by an offensive player. Spencer Cook, a junior, carried the ball four times during the opening series of the ball game for 44 yards and a touchdown to set the tone for his play all night. He went on to carry the ball 17 more times for a total of 135 yards. Cook also completed a halfback pass to Matt Stucki for 29 yards and another touchdown.
After receiving the opening kick-off, in addition to Cook’s efforts, Bowie Jeffs had a 25-yard quarterback sneak as these Spartans looked sharp in this series. Emery had 254 yards of total offense in this game and they limited the Dinos to 156 yards on the ground and only nine yards through the air. In addition, the Spartans had just a single turnover in the game and that turnover did not lead to any Dino points.
Carbon scored their first touchdown of the game following a failed fake punt late in the first half. Taking over on their own 43 instead of closer to their own goal line, the Dinos marched down the field and scored on a four yard pass with no time left on the clock. The extra point was no good and Emery had their first halftime lead of the season at 7-6.
Carbon’s only other touchdown came right after Emery’s other touchdown. After returning the kick-off out to the 22 yard line, the Dinos ran the ball four times for 23 yards, completed a single pass for four yards and were the recipients of four straight Spartan penalties that totaled 55 yards as it appeared to the Emery fans that these officials wanted us not to win.
With any success for this season hanging in the balance, these Spartans not only defeated their archrival and played a better game; they also extended their season with this victory, as they qualified for the state play-offs. The Spartans play a non-league game tomorrow night, that is Wednesday not Friday, as they host region 10 leader Park City at 7 p.m. on the Spartan Field.
The junior varsity/sophomore team also defeated Carbon on Thursday at Canyon View Junior High by a score of 43-20. Touchdowns were scored by Dave Justice, Mike Blomquist and Josh Eden. Jess Housekeeper scored three touchdowns in this game.