Looking to build off the previous week’s win against the Carbon Dinos, the Emery Spartans returned home for a non-region showdown against the Beaver Beavers. Combining for 13 touchdowns, there was offense aplenty as the two teams dueled, with Beaver eking out a 50-40 victory over the Spartans.
Beaver opened the contest with a preview of what the game would entail, scoring on the first play from scrimmage with an 80-yard sprint to the end zone by Julian De Leon. Emery’s offense wouldn’t be the group to answer back, however, as the Spartans’ defense capitalized on a high-arcing throw turned into a pick-six by sophomore Jesse Drage. Neither team would convert on the point after, setting up a 6-6 ballgame.
Beaver scored once more in the frame, again on a big play; this time coming from Emmett Lurth on a 68-yard scamper to the promised land. This time the kick would be successful, and Beaver ended the first up 13-6.
Emery marched down the field to open the second period, closing an impressive drive with a touchdown when quarterback Ajay Thomas rolled out and dashed 12 yards across the goal line for another Spartan score. The excitement was short-lived for Emery, as just 15 seconds later, De Leon took the ensuing kick 94 yards to the house, bringing Beaver ahead again 20-13
Emery didn’t answer as quickly, but slowly and surely the Spartans worked their way downfield, marching closer and closer to a touchdown. The deed was finally done from the one-yard line, as Hunter Leffler plowed through the line for a Spartan score. Corbyn Ward booted the point-after through the uprights and knotted the game at 20 apiece.
Beaver wouldn’t take this touchdown lying down, scoring twice more before the halftime break. The first came on a 55-yard run from quarterback Davis Carter, and the second on a 25-yard field goal from Lurth. This outburst gave the Beavers a 30-20 lead entering the half.
The third quarter marked a departure from the rest of the game, with only one touchdown being scored between the two sides. Luckily for the Spartans, it was Emery doing the damage. The lone score came when Ajay Thomas scampered seven yards on a scramble into the end zone. Emery opted to go for two, but was unable to convert, setting up a score of 30-26 entering the final frame.
Opening the fourth, both teams traded blows. Beaver threw the first punch, scoring on a six-yard pass from Carter to De Leon – marking the first short-distance touchdown for the Beavers. Lurth’s kick was pure, lifting the score to 37-26. Emery answered back in kind, with Thomas scoring his third rushing touchdown of the evening on a seven-yard sprint. Ward connected on the PAT to cut the deficit to 37-33.
Beaver would ice the game in the ensuing drives, scoring on a 68-yard run from Lurth and a one-yard burst from Trey Bradshaw to build their score to 50. Emery would score a touchdown in the waning moments of the contest, with Thomas connecting with Krae Leroy on a 39-yard dime to the end zone. But it was too little, too late as the Spartans fell 50-40.
Thomas closed the contest with an impressive 306 passing yards and 149 rushing yards for a total of four touchdowns, three rushing, one passing. Leroy was Thomas’s favorite target, making nine catches for 125 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Colton North led the team with eight tackles, with senior Myles Mortensen causing and recovering a fumble, along with three tackles in the game.
The loss moves Emery to 1-2 on the season, with a road test arriving on Friday, Sept. 4, when the Spartans travel to Salt Lake City for a showdown with Judge Memorial. That game will be broadcast live on KOAL 107.3 FM and 750 AM, as well as on YouTube at Castle Country Radio- Emery, starting at 6:30 p.m. with the Landon’s Diesel Service Pregame show.
Watch the full game here: