The Emery Spartans scored 20 unanswered points over the final two quarters to earn a 34-14 win over the North Sanpete Hawks in the season opener Friday night in Mount Pleasant.
Locked in a 14-all tie entering the break, the Spartans kept the North Sanpete offense scoreless over the final half. The win for Emery stops a five-game road losing skid against the Hawks, earning a win in Mount Pleasant since 2009.
“It feels good to get the monkey off our back and win here on this field,” said head coach Jon Faimalo following the game. “This was a good test for us. I knew that coach Tui would have his kids tuned up. I feel like our kids answered better in the second half and we executed well.”
Senior quarterback Treven Gilbert threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Emery offense. Gilbert managed to spread the ball around with ease, connecting with seven different receivers.
“I think overall he took what the defense gave him,” Faimalo said when asked about Gilbert’s debut. “We have a lot of dudes on that outside. We did not run the ball well, but overall, I thought our pass protection was good.”
Senior Boden Christman caught two passes out of the backfield, gathering 59 receiving yards and 24 rushing yards. Deacon Mangum hauled in five passes for 54 yards and Hayden Abrams finished with three grabs for 51 yards, scoring one touchdown on both offense and defense.
While the Emery passing attack delivered throughout the four quarters, it was the defense that set the tempo early on.
North Sanpete marched down the field on the opening possession, getting deep into Emery territory. The Spartans flipped the momentum in a hurry as Abrams picked off North Sanpete quarterback Luke Lee and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown.
The second drive of the game ended with points for North Sanpete as Taualoa Laupapa capped off an impressive offensive statement with a three-yard touchdown run. The game remained tied heading into the second quarter.
Emery’s offense found its rhythm and regained the lead midway through the second quarter. Christman scored on a goal line push from one yard out, leading to a 14-7 Emery advantage.
The Spartans had control and an opportunity to open a two-score lead late in the first half, but North Sanpete responded with a big defensive play, intercepting a pass from Gilbert. The Hawks later found the endzone as Luke connected with Maddex Madsen on a 25-yard touchdown pass with 44 seconds remaining in the first half.
Tied at 14 entering the third quarter, the Spartans captured the lead for good on the opening drive of the half. An offensive stint that lasted 4:55 ended with a fourth down conversion as Gilbert found Porter Hurdsman in the right corner of the end zone for a five-yard touchdown pass.
An opportunistic Emery defense forced two fourth quarter interceptions, leading to two more touchdowns for the Spartans’ offense. In the end, the scoreboard became lopsided as Emery scored the final 20 points to earn the three-touchdown win.
“The most important thing is we got the win,” said Faimalo. “We had a hard time running the ball, committed a few turnovers and still found a way to win on the road.”
Now 1-0 on the season for the second consecutive year, the Spartans will shift focus to next Friday’s home opener against the Union Cougars. Emery has won the last two meetings with the Cougars, including last year’s 28-13 win in Roosevelt.
Live coverage of Friday’s game will air live on KOAL 107.3 FM and 750 AM, beginning with the pre-game show at 6:30 p.m.
Listen to coach Jon Faimalo’s complete postgame interview on KOAL HERE.