It was one last regular-season ride for the seniors of Emery High, as the Spartans returned to Spartan Field to close out the season against the Delta Rabbits. Both teams struggled to keep control of the ball, combining for eight turnovers, but a blocked extra point by the Spartans proved the difference maker as Emery escaped with a 7-6 victory.
Delta drew first blood, stringing together a drive on the back of Jett Rawlinson, who plowed the Rabbits forward before breaking away for a 42-yard sprint across the goal line. The Spartans’ special teams unit, however, locked down on the point after, deflecting the kick and keeping the Rabbits’ advantage to 6-0.
Emery answered back to open the second quarter, pushing the ball forward before junior Garrett Conover navigated the defense, found a gap, and shot upfield 59 yards and into the promised land for the equalizing score. Kicker Jadin Atwood clutched up on the PAT, booting it through the uprights to give the Spartans a narrow one-point lead.
“He’s a tough kid,” said Emery Head Coach Jon Fiamalo of Conover. “He runs hard. You hand him the ball, and he can run. That 59-yard play wasn’t an easy one; he creased the middle and finished it off.”
This marked the end of the scoring for both squads through the remainder of the game. Both Emery and Delta had chances in the red zone, but penalties and turnovers plagued both squads.
Delta had a chance to take the lead with .7 seconds left in the contest, but a potent pass-rush from the Spartans forced an incompletion and sealed the 7-6 Emery victory.
Conover led the way for the Spartans, scoring the lone touchdown of the evening and contributing 111 yards rushing. Quarterback Trygg Jensen saw action both on the ground and through the air, passing for 102 yards and adding 49 more on the ground. Jensen’s favorite target was Beau Stilson, who hauled in four passes for 55 yards.
“I was proud of them, proud of the way they played,” said Fiamalo of the team. “They made the plays where they needed to … Let’s hang our hat on our defense, see what we can do, and they did a great job.”
Emery now awaits the release of the Utah High School Activities Association final rankings on Saturday, Oct. 18. These rankings will reveal the bracket for the 2A State Championships on the KSL Sports App at 10 a.m., showing where they will be playing for the opening round of the state playoffs.
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Watch the full game here: