The Emery Spartans dipped to 0-2 on the season with 35-3 loss to the Summit Academy Bears Friday night in the home opener in Castle Dale.
Locked in a close battle throughout the majority of the first half, Summit Academy pulled away with a 14-0 run in the second quarter that included a defensive touchdown. Despite multiple big plays and drives on offense, the Spartans were unable to cross the goal line in the loss.
“I think you saw in the first half that our kids got smacked in the mouth a little bit and they were intimidated,” said head coach Jon Faimalo following the loss. “We kind of settled down, we made some things happen and it was 7-0 midway through the second quarter. They had a few touchdowns on long plays, but I was encouraged with how we played most of the game.”
Junior quarterback Kyson Stilson completed nine of 15 passes for 77 yards before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with an injury. Sophomore Jaymes Bowman rushed for 26 yards, while accumulating 76 off of four catches through the air. Junior Rance Jensen ran for 44 yards on 19 attempts.
The lone score of the game came from junior Brock Winter on a 23-yard field goal in the third quarter. The field goal is the first of the year for Winter, who is now 1-2 on the season.
Despite the lack of points on the board Emery found success down the field, outside the numbers. As a team Emery posted 155 yards, but committed three turnovers.
“Our offense is about taking advantage of what they give us,” said Faimalo. “We tried to find soft spots in the zone, and at times it worked. We struggled to block on the edge, but at times we looked alright on offense.”
Playing without starting quarterback Hayden Reynolds, who was held out of action by the coaching staff, Summit Academy rolled behind senior backup Cayden Mietchen. Completing seven of 16 passes, Mietchen gathered 105 yards through the air. Senior running back Mitch Hansen found the end zone twice, while running for 107 yards, and adding 48 more through the air.
Still in search of its first win of the season, the Spartans will return to the field on Friday at home against 4A Payson. After stumbling out of the gate in a loss to Timpanogos, Payson recovered this past Friday with a 23-14 win over Carbon.
Friday’s action is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m., with live coverage starting at 6:30 on KOAL 107.3 FM and 750.