| Number 8, Dave Justice gets a little protection as he heads down field for the only Spartan score in the game. The Spardettes and the cheerleaders perform at halftime. |
Eagles claw Spartans 34-8
The Juan Diego Soaring Eagles made last Friday night miserable for the hometown Emery Spartans as they used their size and speed to defeat the Spartans 34-8 in Region 8 play in Castle Dale.
The undersized Spartans kept the game close in the first quarter as they battled their opponent to almost a standoff. A 60-yard run by Mychal Robinson was the key play that allowed the Eagles to lead 7-0 after the first period.
The second quarter was a disaster for the Spartans offensively as they had a fumble by Dave Justice and an interception thrown by quarterback Dempsey Jeffs that were quickly converted into scores by the visiting team.
Juan Diego started the first two scoring drives of the second quarter at the Emery 13 yard line and the Emery 26 yard line. Robinson then finished off the second quarter scoring with a 73-yard run. Juan Diego led 27-0.
Coach Jimmy Jones talked about the Eagles after the game, “They are really good and they are so big and so physical along both the offensive and defensive lines. They were quicker than us and Robinson is the fastest back I’ve seen this year. Juan Diego is the best team we have seen this year.”
Jones also complimented his own team, “We played really well in the first quarter. The game got away from us in the second quarter with the turnovers and the quick scores but we continued to play hard through the end of the game. Our effort continued to improve even though you did not see it on the scoreboard.” Jones continued, “They have really big, physical seniors on the line and we have really physical juniors. We more than held our own, especially considering how big they are. Our kids played hard all game.”
Emery’s only score came on a Justice run and he then scored on a 2-point conversion to give Emery their 8 points. Juan Diego had a single touchdown in the second half, with it coming in the third quarter.
Justice finished the day with 105 yards on 22 carries and he caught two passes for 20 yards. Jeffs completed six passes in 12 attempts for 37 yards and ran the ball four times for 14 yards. Dave Acosta ran the ball 10 times for 50 yards and Kade Jones had two receptions for 15 yards. Emery finished the game with 211 total yards of offense and Juan Diego finished with 311 yards.
Emery now plays two games on the road as they travel to Delta this Friday night, and Delta has never been a hospitable place to go, and then a week later they travel to North Sanpete to close out region play.