The Emery Spartans football season came to an end following a 47-14 loss to the Grantsville Cowboys in the opening round of the 3A State Championship Tournament Friday night in Grantsville.
A competitive first quarter left Emery well within striking distance as they trailed 13-0 heading into the second. The deficit continued to grow as Grantsville carried a 33-7 lead into half time. The Cowboys put the game out of reach by outscoring the Spartans 14-0 in the third quarter.
Junior quarterback Ryker Jensen led the Emery offense that was forced to throw the ball often as he completed 24-of-47 passes for 225 yards. Jensen’s favorite target throughout the game was Jace Mangum, who delivered a career day by catching 12 passes for 106 yards, while rushing the ball one time for a touchdown.
Emery controlled the opening possession of the game, taking just over four minutes off of the clock as the offense marched the ball down to the Grantsville 23-yard-line. Faced with third and short, Jensen’s throw to the end zone was intercepted.
Grantsville would flip the field position and finish an effective drive with a 19-yard run from Blake Thomas to give the Cowboys the lead.
Emery’s offense continued to show flashes, but could not convert inside the 20-yard-line. The red zone issues plagued them throughout the game as they visited three times without any points.
Trailing 26-0 in the second quarter, the Emery defense breathed new life into a potential comeback. Senior linebacker Luke Stilson dropped into coverage and intercepted Grantsville quarterback Caleb Sullivan’s pass. Stilson returned it 20-yards for a score, chopping the Cowboy’s advantage to 19.
While Emery had fought to steal the momentum, Grantsville would answer back with a touchdown before the end of the first half.
Despite more success offensively in the second half, the Spartans were only able to cross the goal line once as Mangum capped off a brilliant day with a one-yard touchdown. With the mercy rule in affect, the Cowboys cruised through the final quarter for the win.
Sullivan led the Grantsville charge as he completed 9-of-14 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 132 yards on 10 attempts. Thomas added another 106 yards on 14 carries for three touchdowns.
Following a 5-5 record over the regular season, the Spartans entered the state playoffs at the No. 11 seed. Grantsville, who also finished 5-5 entered as the No. 6 seed.
With marked improvement, the Emery football season comes to a close as the team claimed four more wins than in 2019.
Stay tuned to Castle Country Radio for a complete season recap.