Returning home following a dominant 68-6 victory over the Grand Red Devils, the Carbon Dinos faced a familiar foe in the Ogden Tigers. With a chance to move to 3-0 for the first time since 2014, the Dinos were overpowered by a stifling Tiger defense and potent offensive attack.
Ogden struck first in the contest, facing a third-and-19, quarterback Blake Weston would launch a bomb downfield to a wide-open Jack Thompson for a 90-yard score. A successful extra point elevated Ogden to an early 7-0 advantage.
Both teams would stall the remainder of the first quarter. In the second, the Tigers exploded for three unanswered touchdowns to claim a daunting 29-0 lead midway through the frame. Two scores came courtesy of a connection between Weston and tight-end Nash Bockwoldt.
Carbon would find some momentum with less than four minutes remaining in the half, with Jordan Nicholas receiving a kick at the 10-yard line, slicing and dicing through a sea of Ogden defenders en route to a 90-yard special teams score. The kick was pure on the point after and helped Carbon cut into the Ogden advantage 29-7 heading into the half.
“It was the biggest relief,” said Head Coach Nick Milovich. “Jordan finding a seam and having enough confidence to just really turn on the jets. That was quite the tightrope he ran on the sideline.”
Ogden received the second-half kickoff and immediately whittled their way down the field. This opening drive was capped off by a four-yard run courtesy of junior back Anderson Curry for six.
Ogden would score just two minutes later following a blocked Dino punt, which gave Ogden positioning at their 15-yard line. One play later, senior running back Keen Crowther would bulldoze his way into the promised land for a 17-yard score, elevating the Tigers to a 43-7 advantage.
A running clock throughout the remainder of the game limited opportunities for both squads, resulting in a scoreless fourth quarter and Ogden claiming the 43-7 victory.
“We need to be able to respond,” said Milovich of the team’s mentality following the loss. “This will not define us; we need to be able to learn how to deal with adversity when things don’t go our way. By no means are we calling it or packing it in because there are seven more games plus state, and we have to be able to answer that call.”
Turnovers plagued the Dinos throughout the game, giving the Tigers the ball three times while only coming away with a single takeaway on defense.
With the loss, the Dinos move to 2-1 on the season as they enter region play. Up next for Carbon is another home showdown against the Canyon View Falcons on Friday, Sept. 5.
Pregame coverage for the contest begins at 6:30 p.m. with the Landon’s Diesel Service Pregame show, with kickoff following at 7 p.m. Live coverage of the game is hosted on KRPX 95.3 the Peak in addition to a video stream on Castle Country Radio- Carbon on YouTube.