Senior quarterback Keaton Rich combined for five touchdowns as the Carbon Dinos recovered from an early double-digit deficit to top the Cottonwood Colts 41-34 Friday night in Price.
Trailing 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, the Dinos scored 28 unanswered points between the second and third stanza to capture the lead. Carbon carried a 14 point lead into the fourth and managed to hold off a pesky Cottonwood club to secure the win.
“It was a lot of fun down on the field and my coaching staff is amazing,” said head coach Phil Howa after the win. “The kids are playing hard, there is no quit in them, they work hard and they do what we ask them to do. It was just a great overall team win.”
The immediate deficit forced the Carbon offense to work from behind for the second consecutive week. Scoring in each of the final three quarters, the Dinos did just enough to log the win.
Rich completed 14-of-27 passes for 188 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Delivering a well rounded performance, Rich added 157 yards and three touchdowns on the ground in just 17 carries.
Fellow senior Davin Moss complemented the rushing attack as he finished with 32 yards on seven attempts, averaging just over four yards per carry. Through the air he added seven grabs for an additional 57 yards and two touchdowns.
Will Carmichael continued to make an impact on the passing game as he finished with 74 yards on three catches, leading the Dinos in receiving yards for the second consecutive week.
Carmichael’s impact was also felt on the defensive side of the ball as he recorded a game-high 12 tackles to go alone with one interception. As a team the Dinos forced two turnovers.
“We had a couple little errors, but nothing to major,” said Howa. “I feel like we improved and if we played like this last week we are probably 2-0.”
The Dinos will have an opportunity to log consecutive wins for the first time since 2014 when they continue the season Friday on the road against American Leadership Academy. ALA is still in search of their first win after suffering back-to-back losses to Tooele and Hurricane to open the season.
Live coverage of Friday’s contest will begin at 6:30 p.m. on KRPX 95.3 The Peak. Kickoff will follow at 7:00.