The Emery Spartans ended their season with a 54-14 loss to the Juab Wasps in the opening round of the 3A State Championship Tournament Wednesday night at Juab High School.

Unable to find a rhythm on either side of the ball, the Spartans sat in a 30-0 hole by the end of the first quarter. The lead grew to 40-6 at half time, making the final two quarters a formality in the win-or-go-home situation.

Juab quarterback Easton Wright delivered a near perfect first quarter performance that included a 10-yard touchdown pass to Brigham Perry on the game’s opening drive. Juab would go on to score touchdowns on five consecutive tries.

While the Wasps continued to chew up chunks of grass during a stellar first half, the Spartans struggled to take care of the football.

A fumble on the team’s opening drive gave Juab a short field and Emery would turn the ball over on the ensuing drive with an interception. The next two drives were halted early and led to punts.

Emery senior quarterback Kyson Stilson delivered two touchdowns passes in his final game in a Spartan uniform.

Midway through the second quarter Stilson found fellow senior Rance Jensen in the flats for a six yard score. Stilson delivered another strike in the third quarter, this time to sophomore Jeremy Brannon on a 36-yard touchdown pass.

With Wednesday’s loss the Spartans finish 1-9 for the second consecutive year. The season comes to an end on a five game losing skid after winning the region opener 28-21 on the road against Judge Memorial.

Stay tuned to Castle Country Radio for a complete recap of the 2018 season in the coming days.