Rivalry was in the air on Friday, Sept. 13, when the Carbon Dinos traveled to Spartan Stadium to take on the Emery Spartans. Both teams entered the game 3-1 on the season, but the Spartans seized momentum early and cruised to a 49-17 win.

The Dinos would receive the game’s opening kickoff and offensively get rolling early in the game. Marching down the field, Carbon’s drive would be capped off by a touchdown when senior quarterback Stockton Kennedy rolled out of the pocket to evade pressure, and delivered a dime to junior wide receiver Caleb Sorensen. A successful PAT gave the Dinos the early 7-0 lead.

Emery would waste no time striking back; going on an extended drive of their own. The Spartans would find the end zone when senior quarterback Treven Gilbert would find fellow senior Porter Hurdsman on a curl, with Hurdsman taking the pass 27 yards to the house. Emery too would be successful on the extra point knotting the game at seven apiece at the end of the first.

A stout stand from the Spartans defensively would force a punt from Carbon, which rolled into the end zone for a touchback. Starting on their 20-yard line, Gilbert would hand the ball off to senior running back Ty Yost up the middle, who then broke away for an 80-yard touchdown. Another successful kick made it 14-7 Emery.

Emery would again force a punt from Carbon, setting the Spartans up on their 40-yard line. The Dinos’ defense would hold strong, forcing a fourth-down situation. But the hopes of a turnover on downs were dashed when Gilbert rolled out on the fourth down play and delivered a strike to Hurdsman giving Emery a renewed sense of energy. A few plays later, Emery would capitalize on this when senior running back Jaxon Johnson would punch the ball in on a one-yard rush. Following the extra point Emery held a 21-7 lead.

Emery would again score in the second quarter when Gilbert connected with Yost on a 19-yard pass to the back corner of the end zone, giving them both their second touchdown of the evening. With another good kick, the Spartans held the 28-7 lead at the end of the half.

The Spartans would receive the opening kickoff of the second half, and that reception would be all it would take for Emery to score again. Yost would receive the kick on the one-yard line, before following a swarm of blockers and breaking away from the Dinos for a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown. Again the Spartans special teams unit would take care of business and make it a 35-7 ballgame.

A Dinos defensive stand would result in an Emery punt, which set Carbon up on their 27-yard line. A solid drive by the Dinos would stall out on the Emery 25-yard line, but Carbon would still put points on the board when senior kicker Luke Brady would drill a 40-yard field goal to cut into the Emery lead 35-10.

But disaster would again strike on special teams for the Dinos when the kickoff landed in the arms of Yost, who again bobbed and wove through a sea of Carbon defenders and raced into the end zone, traveling 94 yards in the process. Another successful PAT gave Emery a daunting 42-10 advantage.

Emery would score once more when a botched snap set the Spartans up on the Dinos’ one-yard line. Lining up under center, Gilbert would hand the ball off to Johnson, who ran up to the offensive line before rising and dumping the ball to senior receiver Gavin Bernard for another Emery touchdown. The Spartans kick would be good and lift the lead to 49-10.

Carbon however would get the last word. With time expiring in the game, Kennedy would deliver a 50-yard bomb downfield to Brady, who would also kick the extra point. In the end, the Spartans would defeat the Dinos 49-17.

For the Spartans, Yost ended the game with 308 all-purpose yards to go along with a receiving touchdown, a rushing touchdown, and two kick-return touchdowns. Gilbert would end with 213 passing yards and two touchdowns. Johnson would finish with 95 rushing yards and two touchdowns; one passing and one rushing. And Hurdsman ended the game with 93 receiving yards and a touchdown.

For Carbon, Kennedy would end the night with 225 passing yards and two touchdowns. Tony Wilson would end the game with 34 receiving yards and 81 rushing yards. Brady would finish with 50 receiving yards and a touchdown, while also hitting a 40-yard field goal and going a perfect two-for-two on extra points.

Both teams now move on to region play. Carbon (3-2) looks ahead to a showdown with the Manti Templars (4-1) at Manti. Live play-by-play coverage will be on KRPX 95.3 the Peak with pregame at 6:30 p.m. and kickoff at 7 p.m.

For the Spartans, they stay at home to face the reigning three-time state champion San Juan Broncos (4-1). Play-by-play for that game will be on KOAL 107.3FM or 750AM. You can also stream that game live on YouTube. Again, pregame will be at 6:30 p.m. and kickoff will be at 7 p.m.