The Carbon Dino football team ended the 2021 campaign on October 22 on the road against the Union Cougars. Finishing the season at 2-8, the Dinos started the regular season with the biggest game of the year, a 28-16 loss against the Emery Spartans. The Dinos would then rattle off back-to-back wins against Cottonwood and American Leadership Academy.

Carbon headed into the off-season knowing that they would be losing 30 seniors to graduation. Coach Phil Howa is looking forward to next season already and the possibilities it will bring. Coach Howa was a recent guest on KOAL’s Drive Time Sports and told us what we can look forward to for next year’s squad.

“We’re going to meet as a coaching staff and try to simplify, maybe six running plays, six passing plays and work to perfection, to where we don’t even have to think about it, we know how they run and we know how to do them. Maybe put different formations in for deception but keep it simple.”

Below is a recap of the season’s games.

 

August 13 – Emery – Loss 28-16

The Carbon and Emery rivalry added another chapter on the football field as the two teams combined for a thrilling season opener that ended in favor of Emery 28-16 Friday night in Price.

Capitalizing on opportunities early in the game, the Spartans captured a 14-0 advantage in the first quarter. Carbon answered by scoring 16 unanswered over the next two quarters to hold a two-point lead in the fourth. The final 12 minutes belonged to Emery as they closed out the game on another 14-0 run to solidify the victory.

“The kids gutted it out and pulled off what we needed them to,” said Emery head coach Jon Faimalo following the win. “Defensively I thought we played well. They got a little bit of momentum and that can carry you a long ways and it did for those guys in the third quarter.”

It took less than two minutes for the Spartans to register the first score of the game. Carbon’s opening possession ended with a blocked punt deep in its own territory that was eventually recovered by Koalton Curtis in the end zone for a touchdown. The Spartans extended the lead to 14 as Ryker Jensen capped off an efficient drive with a quarterback sneak inside the three yard line.

While the Spartans seemed in control of the game the Dinos refused to quit. The first points of the season came for Carbon as a drive stalled out inside the Emery five yard line. Zach Chappell easily converted a 23-yard field goal. The score remained 14-3 heading into the third quarter where the Dinos erupted.

The momentum of the game started to turn as Carbon thwarted a successful Emery drive with an interception in the corner of the end zone. The Dinos quickly made the Spartans pay with an 80-yard drive that ended with senior Davin Moss scoring on a 29-yard run.

Carbon’s defense delivered another successful stand on the ensuing drive. Once again the offense put together a drive and captured the lead for the first time as Keaton Rich scored on a 31-yard quarterback keeper. Chappell’s point after missed left, keeping the Carbon lead at 16-14.

“Our kids just didn’t quit and our defense started hitting a little more,” said Carbon coach Phil Howa. “We took the challenge. Our kids got a little shell shocked. Last year it happened and our kids shutdown, this year that didn’t happen.”

The game once again took a turn as Emery battled from behind in the fourth quarter to take the lead for good. Sophomore Dane Sitterud became the main offensive weapon, putting the ground attack on his shoulders and scoring the go-ahead touchdown from 21-yards out.

Back in control on the scoreboard, the Spartan’s defense forced a three-and-out from Carbon on the ensuing drive. Deep in their own territory, the Dinos elected to punt, but a miss handled snap resulted in Emery taking over at the Carbon six-yard line.

The final blow came from Jensen who walked into the end zone with a quarterback keeper around the left side of the line.

“I think tonight was a great test to see just what we’re made of,” said Faimalo. “The difference of atmosphere on the sideline was night and day from the third and fourth quarter. We tried to tell the kids not to give up and something will happen.”

The final team statistics were nearly even in every major category. Only 11 yards separated the two teams in total yards, while both committed two turnovers. The difference turned out to be plays made on special teams, which heavily benefited the Spartans.

Jensen completed 13-of-24 attempts for 150 yards to lead the Emery offense. On the ground senior Josh Olsen averaged over five yards a carry as he finished with 86 yards on 15 attempts.

Rich was the most potent weapon for Carbon as he accumulated 168 yards through the air and another 126 on the ground. Fellow senior Will Carmichael gathered 114 yards as he hauled in seven catches.

The Dinos will now shift focus to a week two home game against Cottonwood on Friday, Aug. 20. The Spartans will open the home portion of the schedule with a game against North Sanpete.

August 20- Cottonwood- Win 41-34

Senior quarterback Keaton Rich combined for five touchdowns as the Carbon Dinos recovered from an early double-digit deficit to top the Cottonwood Colts 41-34 Friday night in Price.

Trailing 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, the Dinos scored 28 unanswered points between the second and third stanza to capture the lead. Carbon carried a 14 point lead into the fourth and managed to hold off a pesky Cottonwood club to secure the win.

“It was a lot of fun down on the field and my coaching staff is amazing,” said head coach Phil Howa after the win. “The kids are playing hard, there is no quit in them, they work hard and they do what we ask them to do. It was just a great overall team win.”

The immediate deficit forced the Carbon offense to work from behind for the second consecutive week. Scoring in each of the final three quarters, the Dinos did just enough to log the win.

Rich completed 14-of-27 passes for 188 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Delivering a well rounded performance, Rich added 157 yards and three touchdowns on the ground in just 17 carries.

Fellow senior Davin Moss complemented the rushing attack as he finished with 32 yards on seven attempts, averaging just over four yards per carry. Through the air he added seven grabs for an additional 57 yards and two touchdowns.

Will Carmichael continued to make an impact on the passing game as he finished with 74 yards on three catches, leading the Dinos in receiving yards for the second consecutive week.

Carmichael’s impact was also felt on the defensive side of the ball as he recorded a game-high 12 tackles to go alone with one interception. As a team the Dinos forced two turnovers.

“We had a couple little errors, but nothing to major,” said Howa. “I feel like we improved and if we played like this last week we are probably 2-0.”

The Dinos will have an opportunity to log consecutive wins for the first time since 2014 when they continue the season Friday on the road against American Leadership Academy. ALA is still in search of their first win after suffering back-to-back losses to Tooele and Hurricane to open the season.

August 27- American Leadership Academy- Win 37-14

The Carbon Dinos have earned back-to-back wins for the first time since 2014 after dominating the American Leadership Academy Eagles 37-14 Friday night in Spanish Fork.

Tied 6-6 at the end of one, the  Dinos outscored ALA 31-8 over the final three quarters, including a 14-0 mark in the second quarter. The win comes despite committing seven turnovers in the process.

Carbon senior tailback Davin Moss delivered his best performance of the season, allowing a balanced offense attack. Averaging 7.7 yards per carry, Moss finished with 115 yards on the ground. Mason Vasquez added 41 yards on four carries and a score, while quarterback Keaton Rich gathered 89 yards and one touchdown. While the offense continued to roll for the second consecutive week, the Carbon defense submitted its most complete performance.

Hayden Tallerico and Brax Tapia both picked off ALA quarterback Tyrell Robertson. Three more fumble recoveries ran the ALA turnover total to five. The Carbon defense also held the ALA offense to 287 total yards.

Carbon’s offense was clicking all night with Rich going for 127 yards through the air bringing his season passing total to 483 yards through three games. Yet another bright spot for the Dinos is senior Nathan Morley who has scored two touchdowns this year coming out of the back field as a full back.

Senior Will Carmichael was all over the field on both sides of the ball being a difference maker for the Dinos. Offensively, he would haul in three receptions for 99 yards and two scores and on the defensive side of the ball he would collect 11 tackles and a fumble recovery.

This game marks a serious turnaround from last season for Carbon. In the first game of the 2020 campaign the Dinos suffered an opening season loss to ALA in Price 38-7.

“It’s just survival mode, they go in that just try to get through the game, it’s kind of what we’ve done at Carbon. Every week, every week, a little less selfish a little more team orientated, believing in themselves. Knowing that now they are seniors, they aren’t sophomores or juniors playing varsity, you know they were survivors, they survived two years and you’ve got to remind them, now it’s your turn. It’s your turn to put a smack on them. And overall that’s my biggest thrill right now is that we’re hitting people, and we’re making people realize that Carbon High wants to play football”, said head coach Phil Howa in a recent interview on Drive Time Sports.

The Dinos will have a bye week this Friday and will be back home on Friday the 10 to face Union who is coming off a loss at the hands of Duchesne 40-0. Union will welcome the Spartans to Roosevelt this week.

September 10- Union- Loss 38-6

After a week off, the Dinos were ready to get back on the field, but the weather had other ideas. Both teams were able to get in one series before there was a lightening delay. When the game resumed it didn’t take Union long to put a score on the board. That would be first of an evening that would end in a 38-6 Union victory and see Carbon slip to 2-2 on the season.

Carbon had last week off and Coach Phil Howa made it clear it was not ideal.

“It hurt us. If we had a game last week, our momentum stays, we lost our momentum. We had a good run at ALA, coming off that one would have been great to put up another win.”

Carbon quarterback Keaton Rich could never find a rhythm in a game where the Union defense seemed to be everywhere the ball was.

He was able to find Will Carmichael for the only Carbon score of the game in the first half.

Carbon did attempt some trickery with the second half kick-off when they successfully executed an onside kick, that caught the Cougars off guard.

For Union, quarterback Boone Latham picked up where he ended last week, a seven touchdown performance against Emery, with a five score game against the Dinos. Latham leaned on his wide receivers to make plays and they answered.

The Dinos are going to put this loss behind them and prepare for next weeks opponent, Manti.

Manti is experiencing a down year on the football field and suffered a 42-0 loss at the hands of Morgan on Friday evening. The Templars will be Carbon’s match-up for homecoming this year. A week that Howa knows brings it’s own challenges.

“It’s going to be homecoming, and any coach will tell you that they hate homecoming, because there are a lot of distractions. I want the kids to enjoy the week, hopefully they’ll put the time in, hopefully they can keep the distractions as minimal as they can and enjoy the week, and maybe come out with a win.”

Homecoming 2021 against the Manti Templars will kick-off at 7:00 on Friday.

September 17- Manti- Loss 43-21

It was Homecoming week at Carbon. A week filled with different celebrations and activities for the students, that all culminated with the football game on Friday night against Manti. The Dinos tried to fight back in the second half but the deficit was too much to overcome as they were handed their third loss this season 43-21.

The Dinos had been preparing for Manti quarterback Kayson Douglas all week and at game time sophomore Britton Keisel, who got the start, but it was  junior Larson Pogroszewski who did most of the damage, passing for three scores.

The defense looked out of sorts all night and were unable to get to fourth down most of the evening.  Manti seems to be figuring things out offensively after starting the season 1-3.

In the first half, the Dinos were able to get a score on the board in the second quarter when Nathan Morley crossed the goal line at the four minute mark to make the score 15-7 Manti.

After the Morley score, Manti would go on an improbable run scoring 21 points in 2:38, taking a 36-7 lead into the half.

Mason Vasquez added some fireworks for the Dinos in the third with an 85 yard punt return for a touchdown, and the Dinos looked to have a little life in them on both sides with the defense holding Manti to zero points in the quarter.

Davin Moss added another score in the fourth with a six yard run putting the score at 36-21, but that is as close as Carbon would get as Manti put one more touchdown on the board pushing the final 43-21.

The Dinos head to Richfield next. The Wildcats got their second win of the season on Friday night with a win over North Sanpete, 15-14.

September 24- Richfield- Loss 30-7

On Friday night the Dinos made the trip to Richfield to take on the Wildcats. This road trip was just the second one of the season, something that will be remedied in the coming weeks. Both teams started out quietly but it was Richfield that found their offense early and often taking the 30-7 win.

The Dinos found out Thursday that they would be without the services of starting quarterback Keaton Rich, giving Wyatt Falk the start.

In the first quarter neither team could find the end zone. The closest Carbon came was a missed 34 yard field goal at the 2:28 mark by Zac Chappell.

Early in the second quarter, quarterback Reggie Hafen found Ethan Vaka for a 46 yard bomb to put the Wildcats on the board. Richfield would find the end zone once again with 4:25 left, pushing the score to 14-0.

Late in the second, the Wildcats would have trouble handling a couple of high snaps that would allow the Dinos to get a turnover on downs, unfortunately the Dinos would turn the ball over on the next play.

In the second half Richfield would only add a field goal in the third quarter, but would put two more scores up in the fourth.

At the 6:51 mark, Falk found Bolden Alderson for a 45 yard touch down pass, for the only Carbon score of the game.

The Dinos drop to 2-4 this season and currently sit in the last place in the RPI at No. 12.

Carbon has three games left on the schedule starting with their final home game of the season on Friday against the Canyon View Falcons. They will follow that up with two road games against Juab (No. 2) and North Sanpete (No. 8).

Canyon View is coming off of a 32-14 loss to Manti and will come in with a record of 1-5 and holds the No. 11 spot.

The game with the Falcons will kick-off at 7 p.m. and it will be Senior Night.

October 1- Canyon View- Loss 26-15

The Carbon Dino football team took to their home field for the last time in the regular season last Friday facing the Canyon View Falcons on Senior Night. Seniors on the football team, drill team and marching band were all honored in a ceremony before the game. The Falcons proved too much for the Dinos and claimed the 26-15 victory.

The first quarter was quiet with neither team finding the end zone.

Canyon View would put the first points on the board in the second when Nick Macias ran the ball in from two yards out.

Keaton Rich and the Dinos would answer back with a 35-yard strike to Davin Moss to tie the score at six.

The Falcons added two more scores, a 45-yard run from Adrian Ward and a 13-yard pass from Macias to Ward taking a 19-6 lead into the locker room at the half.

In the third quarter the Dinos lost starting quarterback Keaton Rich, who left the game due to injury.

Zachary Chappell would put a 37-yard field goal, and Wyatt Falk came in to take over for Rich and found Mason Vasquez for a 60-yard score through the air, putting the final score at 26-25 in favor of the Falcons ending the game and handing the Dinos their third straight loss.

The Falcons ground game was too much for the Dinos as Canyon View rushed for 423 total yards.

For the Dinos Rich threw for 112 yards and ran for another 17. Falk went 2-of-6 for 49 yards and ran for another eight.

On the ground, Davin Moss rushed the ball 10 times for 40 yards.

Up next for Carbon is a road contest in Nephi against Juab, last years 3A Champions and sitting in the No. 2 spot in the state RPI with a record of 7-1.

October 8- Juab- Loss 44-6

It was a cold and rainy night on Friday when the Dinos faced the defending 3A State Champion Juab Wasps on their home turf in Nephi. With back-up quarterback Wyatt Falk at the helm the Dinos could not find a way around the Juab defense and dropped their sixth game of the season 44-6.

The Dinos knew that starting quarterback Keaton Rich would be unavailable to them so the had spent the week getting Falk ready for the Wasps, unfortunately, Juab’s defense was ready for everything that Carbon tried, swarming around and flying to the ball at every opportunity.

Juab jumped out quickly, scoring 23 points in the first quarter. The first coming at the seven minute mark when quarterback Alex Johnson found Carter Lynn for a 50 yard pass . Two more short passes for touchdowns and a safety would end the first quarter scoring assault for the Wasps.

In the second quarter, Juab found the end zone three more times, a 27 yard run from Ryan Robison and two passing touchdowns as well to take a 44-0 lead into the locker room at the half.

Coming out in the second half the Dinos still struggled once again to move the ball rushing for 62 yards and passing for another 65. Carbon was able to find the end zone on the final play of the game, a Falk pass for 54 yards to Cole Cripps.

Nate Morley led the way on the ground for the Dinos with 48 yards on seven carries. Davin Moss added 19 on six.

The Dinos fall to 2-6 this season and sit in the final No. 12 spot in the state RPI.

Next week in the season finale they will once again be on the road in Mount Pleasant to face the North Sanpete Hawks on Wednesday night.  The Hawks are coming off a tough loss to Canyon View 28-27 and despite their 3-6 record sit at No.6.

October 13- North Sanpete- Loss 49-6

The Carbon Dinos completed the regular season Wednesday night in Mount Pleasant, falling to the North Sanpete Hawks 49-6 in a 3A South matchup.

Looking to end a five-game losing skid, the Dinos fell in a quick hole after an early turnover gave North Sanpete the ball on the two-yard line. Carbon was forced to play from behind the entire game as the Hawks gathered a 35-0 lead heading into half time.

Offensively the Dinos split time at the quarterback spot between senior Keaton Rich and junior Wyatt Falk. Rich completed 2-of-6 passes for 43 yards and a touchdown, connecting with Jonathan Lenzi on a 37-yard pass for the team’s only score.

Carbon was held to just 73 yards of total offense as they gained eight first downs throughout the evening. North Sanpete gained 290 yards, 176 of which came on the ground, as they took advantage of several short fields.

North Sanpete quarterback Landon Bowles finished 8-12 through the air for 114 yards and three touchdowns. Dakoda Harward helped balance the offense as he carried the ball 14 times for 74 yards and two scores.

Playing on Wednesday instead of the traditional Friday, the teams had just two days of preparation for the regular season finale. Both teams will now await the release of the final UHSAA RPI to determine who and where they will play in the opening round of the 3A State Championship Tournament.

Carbon ends the regular season with a 2-7 record and a 0-5 mark in the 3A South. North Sanpete on the other hand wraps up the season with a 4-6 mark while going 2-3 in league play.

October 22- Union- Loss 37-0

Opening Round of the 3A State Playoffs

The 2021 season came to an end for the Carbon Dinos on Friday night in Roosevelt against the Union Cougars. The Dinos could not stop the offensive out put by the Cougars all evening as Union stepped away from their normal starting quaterback Boone Latham and went with junior Jackson Rasmussen. Back on September 10, the Cougars visited Price taking the 38-6 loss, Friday night Union claimed a 37-0 win, moving on into the next round.

Senior Keaton Rich led the Dinos in a game that seemed like Carbon could never get a handle on. Rich passed for just 52 yards and rushed for 50, leading the Dinos in both categories.  Junior Mason Vasquez added 16 receiving yards for Carbon in the loss.

Defensively the Dinos struggled trying to contain Union throughout the evening. Latham has thrown for over 1500 yards this season and also leads the team with 455 yards rushing but, tonight Rasmussen got the start and Latham lined up at wide receiver.

Rasmussen was 15/24 for 300 yards and two touchdowns. Latham still did his damage, even though he did start as quarterback, to the tune of 132 yards receiving, which led the team. He also rushed for 40 and a touchdown.

Union will go on to face the Grantsville Cowboys next week on the road. On October 7, the teams faced each other in Roosevelt with the Cowboys taking a 39-0 win.

The Dinos end the season with a 2-8 record, 0-5 in Region 12 play and were ranked No.11 in the RPI rankings at the end of the regular season.

They will lose some key players to graduation like Rich, Hayden Tallerico, Davin Moss and Will Carmichael who are just four of over 30 seniors on the team.