Emery High football played their last game of the season at the first round of the state tournament in Richfield. The Spartans went down by a score of 21-7 with the only score coming from a Kyson Stilson pass to Jaymes Bowman in the end zone late in the game.
It looked to the Emery fans that they also scored at the end of the first half when Easton Gordon crossed the goal line, but the referees thought otherwise as the Spartans went into half time without any points on the board. A holding call by the refs on the one yard line was also questionable.
Just as the season began 10 weeks ago, the Emery High football team traveled to Richfield, played the Wildcats and returned home with a loss. Richfield defeated Emery in this first round game by the score of 21-7 and the Wildcats will now travel to Morgan to face the Trojans in the second round later this week.
Sometimes things just do not go your way and that is the way it was for the Spartans last Thursday afternoon. Opening kickoff for example, Jared Snow returns the ball into Wildcat territory but the play is negated by a block in the back penalty. One could argue that the flag should never have been thrown. Emery starts that first drive at their 30-yard line instead of Richfield’s and they march down the field to score none-the-less except they didn’t because of another penalty and then they fumble the ball away, the first of six turnovers in this game by Emery.
Richfield recovers that fumble and goes 85 yards in 11 plays and scores the lone touchdown of the first half and the Wildcats lead 7-0 at the half. Richfield punts in their other two possessions of the first half as they go three and out both times. Emery fumbles the ball away on their next possession, punts on their third and on the final possession of the first half the Spartans start a drive on their 39-yard line and pick up a yard on a carry by Rance Jensen, gain 13 yards on a pass play from Kyson Stilson to Jaymes Bowman, lose 10 yards because of a penalty, gain it right back on a 12-yard pass play from Stilson to Jensen, gain 17 yards on a pass to Easton Gordon, lose a yard on a run, gain 13 yards on a pass play to Snow, gain another 11 on another pass to Gordon, lose yardage via penalty and then time expires with Emery knocking at the door.
Emery had two first half scoring attempts, got inside the five-yard line each time but came away empty-handed each time. Sometimes you can’t catch a break. Emery punted once in their first four possessions of the second half and in each of the other possessions, the Spartans threw an interception. The Spartans also mishandled a punt coming their way, Richfield recovered and scored one play later.
On Richfield’s final drive of the game, Gordon came up with an interception and Emery scored five plays later on a pass from Stilson to Bowman that covered 18 yards.
After Brock Winter kicked the extra point, Winter then kicked off by kicking a perfect onside kick which Jensen recovered and the Spartans drove to the six-yard line before time expired on an incomplete pass.
Despite the turnovers, Emery had opportunities to win the game but things just didn’t go their way.
Stilson completed 21 passes out of 34 attempts for 308 yards and five different players had a reception. Gordon had 8 for 88 yards, Bowman had 4 for 57 yards and Colton Willson, Snow and Jensen each had 3 receptions.
Jensen carried the ball 17 times for 56 yards. Emery netted 26 yards on the ground in the game.
Emery will lose just nine seniors off this team and will return a lot of underclassmen that received a whole lot of experience this season.
Spartans lose to Wildcats in first round of state tourney
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