It didn’t come by way of the final score or on the football field, but the Emery Spartans officially advanced in the 2A State Football Playoffs following a forfeit by the Grand Red Devils Tuesday afternoon.

Entering the state tournament as the No. 5 seeds, the Spartans were scheduled to meet No. 12 Grand Friday evening in Castle Dale. The Red Devils elected to no play the game, giving Emery a free path to the quarterfinals on Friday, Oct. 29.

The Red Devils completed the regular season without a victory as they finished 0-9. The 2020 season ended in similar fashion as Grand passed on the playoffs after finishing as the last seed in 3A.

The forfeit win places Emery in the quarterfinals against a familiar opponent in the No. 4 ranked Summit Academy Bears. The two teams wrapped up the regular season on Friday as Summit Academy came away with a hard fought 27-14 victory in Castle Dale. The win was enough to propel the Bears to the No. 4 ranking, pushing Emery out of a bye week.

Round two between Emery and Summit Academy will have a venue change as the second meeting will take place in Bluffdale. The Bears earned the right to host their first playoff game by finishing as the higher seed.

Live coverage of next Friday’s contest will air live on KOAL 107.3 FM and 750 AM beginning with pre-game coverage at 5:30 p.m.. Kick-off will follow shortly after at 6:00.