The Carbon Dinos slipped to 2-4 overall on the season as they suffered a 42-13 loss on the road to the Manti Templars Friday night in the 3A South Region opener.

The first quarter was highly competitive as the two teams were locked in a scoreless tie until the Templars finished a drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kayson Douglas to receiver Reggie Frischknecht with 1:51 on the clock.

Trailing 7-0 entering the second quarter, the Dinos were unable to stop an offensive explosion from the Templars that put the game out of reach.

Douglas would lead four scoring drives, two ending with touchdown passes of 10 or more yards, to go along with two rushing touchdowns. The 28-point second quarter gave the Templars a commanding 35-0 lead entering the second half.

Carbon scored for the first time as Jeremy Smith intercepted a pass from Douglas in the end zone and returned it untouched for a 100-yard touchdown with 5:33 to play in the third quarter. Smith was a bright spot for the Carbon defense as he finished the game with four tackles to go along with his pick-six.

The second score for the Dinos came late in the fourth quarter as Wyatt Falk connected with Brax Tapia on a 10-yard touchdown pass, capping off the team’s most impressive drive of the evening.

Falk posted an efficient night through the air as he completed 17 of his 26 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown. Carbon’s offense was forced to be one dimensional as the team was unable to establish any sort of consistency on the ground.

Ashton Ferguson caught four balls for 57 yards to lead the Carbon receiving core. Mason Vasquez also hauled in four passes as he finished with 55 yards. Tapia ended his night with two catches for 21 yards and a touchdown.

Friday’s loss marks the fourth straight for Carbon as the team dips to 2-4 on the season. Ranked No. 12 in the RPI, the Dinos will next welcome in the No. 5 ranked Richfield Wildcats for homecoming on Friday night.

Live coverage of Friday’s tilt will air live on KRPX 95.3 The Peak beginning at 6:30 p.m. Kick-off will follow at 7:00.

*Stock photo courtesy of Dallin Grant.