A rematch of last year’s semifinals turned one sided as the Emery Spartans were unable to keep pace with the potent San Juan offense in a 53-13 loss Friday night in Blanding.
It took just over one minute for the Broncos to capture the lead as quarterback Parker Snyder connected with Javen Montella for a 42-yard touchdown. The score was the first of four for Snyder as San Juan opened a 27-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.
San Juan gashed the Spartans for 566 total yards of offense. While the Emery defense struggled to contain the high-octane Broncos, the offense showed signs of effectiveness throughout the game.
Emery found success on drives between the 30-yard lines, but the issue became finishing drives off. Limited to one turnover in the contest, the Spartans found the endzone twice off the legs of senior Dane Sitterud.
Wade Stilson completed 21-of-31 passes for 192 yards, with no interceptions for the second consecutive game. The longest play from scrimmage came on a 46-yard connection with Porter Hurdsman late in the second half. Stilson completed a pass to six receivers in the loss.
Hurdsman finished the contest with three grabs for 65 yards, leading all Emery receivers. Deacon Mangum caught a team-high five receptions for 62 yards, while Mason Stilson finished with four catches for 36 yards.
Sitterud helped establish the Emery rushing attack early as he started the game with four carries for 13 yards. The San Juan front seven stiffened up, limiting Sitterud to 33 yards for the game, including two touchdowns on two-yard runs.
Friday’s loss drops Emery to 3-3 on the season and 0-1 in region play. Now ranked No. 5 in the latest RPI, the Spartans will head into a bye week before entering the final three-game stretch of the season.
Faced with a road heavy schedule throughout the first six weeks of the season, two of the final three games of the regular season will be played at home. Next will be a home contest with South Sevier on Friday, Sept. 29. A road game with Grand will follow before the regular season finale against Delta.