Following their first loss of the season last week, the Carbon High School Dinos looked to get back on track against the Union High School Cougars. What started as a slow offensive game for the Dinos quickly turned into a blowout courtesy of senior running back Tony Wilson’s 199 rushing yard game, ending 34-7 in favor of Carbon.
The first quarter was a defensive one, with neither team being able to gain any ground on the other. This scoreless streak was broken by the Cougars when Senior running back Kylar Hackford delivered a powerful seven-yard run through the Dino’s defense for a touchdown. A successful extra point gave Union the early 7-0 lead.
Not wanting to fall behind, Carbon took the ensuing drive to grind down the Cougar’s defense. With the passing game not working, the Dinos took to the ground with a vicious thunder-and-lightning duo of Tony Wilson and senior fullback Stetson Poulson. The duo rumbled down the field in a drive that was capped off by a seven-yard rushing touchdown courtesy of Poulson. A high snap resulted in a broken play, but Carbon’s special teams unit remained calm, with senior kicker Luke Brady rushing to the end zone for a two-point conversion making it 8-7 Dinos going into halftime.
The third quarter was all Carbon, starting on the second play from scrimmage when Tony Wilson broke away for a 72-yard run which didn’t stop until the back of the end zone. A successful PAT attempt resulted in a 15-8 advantage for Carbon.
The Dino’s defense would hold strong and force a punt from Union, giving Carbon excellent field position in Cougar territory. The passing game would finally get going for the Dinos, with senior quarterback Stockton Kennedy finding junior tight end Maddux Wilson on an 15-yard pass for another score. An unsuccessful extra point attempt made it a 21-7 ballgame.
Carbon would score once more in the third, again coming from Kennedy. This time, however, Kennedy kept the ball on an option play on the one-yard-line before diving into the end zone. Another failed extra point gave Carbon the 27-7 lead.
In the final frame of action, the Dinos would score once more. This last touchdown came courtesy of the connection shared by Kennedy and junior wide receiver Trace Crespin on a ten-yard pass. Carbon would overcome their special teams woes and convert on the kick, making it 34-7, a lead that the Dinos would hold until the end of the game.
The motor that got the Carbon offense rolling was Tony Wilson, who finished the game with 28 rushing attempts for an otherworldly 199 yards rushing and a touchdown to go along with it. In total, the Dinos accumulated 238 rushing yards. Defensively, Carbon also dominated, forcing four turnovers against the Cougars.
The Dinos (3-1) now look ahead to the highlight of their non-region slate, a game against cross-county rivals the Emery High School Spartans (3-1), who are coming off a 45-7 loss to Manti. Coverage for Carbon will begin at 6:30 p.m. on KRPX 95.3 the Peak with the Landon’s diesel pregame show, and kickoff at 7 p.m.