| Jordan Gee tries to bring in the wet football, but it slips away on the rainy night. |
Emery High, for whatever reason, does not defeat Delta in football very often. As best as can be figured out, the total wins for Emery in this series is two and the losses are many. It is not that the Rabbits are always better than the Spartans; it is just that the Rabbits seem to have the Spartans number and unfortunately, it was no different last Friday night.
With only 15 seconds showing on the game clock, Emery with the 12-7 lead in the rain and Delta looking at fourth and goal at the Emery 29-yard line, here came that ugly fact one more time and the Rabbits scored and Emery had somehow lost one more time.
It was hard to take. It is hard to lose a game you have won. It would have been easier on the mind to have lost big rather than let one slip away that was yours for the taking.
It took me two days before I could even write this story because I still did not believe it had actually ended the way that it did.
Emery had dominated this game. In the second half, after Delta led 7-0 at the half, Emery shut down the Rabbits. Emery had the ball three times in the second half. They scored two touchdowns and on the third drive, the Spartans were driving for another score before a botched handoff ended the drive at the Delta 15-yard line.
The Spartan defense was just as dominating on Delta’s first three drives. Emery’s Cody Allen intercepted a Rabbit pass on the first drive at the Emery 40-yard line. Delta started their second drive at their own 20-yard line and punted from their own 9-yard line a few plays later.
Gatlin Huntington had a great move from his cornerback position on a third down play to bat away a pass attempt. On the third Rabbit series, Delta went from their own 15-yard line to their own 30-yard line where they fumbled and Mike Jones recovered for Emery.
| Colby Snow finishes a run down the sideline with Nico Richetti helping out. |
Spartan fullback Chance Ariotti scored both of the Spartan touchdowns and both came on 2-yard runs up the middle. Chance rushed the ball 14 times for 32 yards in the ballgame.
Because the game was played in almost a constant downpour with occasional gusty winds and very cool temperatures, both teams kept their offensive efforts on the ground with the exception of the two passes that Delta threw that went for scores. Besides that last untimely play, Delta had scored earlier in the game on a 61-yard pass play when a receiver slipped free in the Emery secondary.
Fullback Mike Jones was the leading ground gainer for the game as he ran the ball 19 times for 68 yards. Colby Snow rushed the ball nine times for 45 yards and Jordan Gee rushed the ball 10 times for 40 yards. Leading rusher and leading tackler on the Emery team Ryne Jones missed his second straight game due to a foot injury suffered in the opening quarter against Carbon High.
With Juan Diego having defeated North Sanpete on Friday night, it would have greatly enhanced the Spartan attempt to host a playoff game later this month with a win last Friday night. Now it appears that Juan Diego will win the region football championship and Carbon High will finish fifth in region and miss the playoffs.
Emery, Delta and North Sanpete would finish tied for second with an Emery victory this week as the Spartans host the Hawks in a homecoming game. In the case of a tie, the three teams would have a coin toss to settle playoffs placement.