It was a bittersweet day for fans of Carbon Dinos Football on Friday, Oct. 11, as the program honored 24 seniors who were about to play their last regular season home game for the team. Facing the Dinos on the field was the Juab Wasps, who entered the game looking to move above .500 on the year. The Wasps would score in bursts, pulling away in the first half and defeating Carbon 48-6.

Juab would strike on their first drive of the game, which started with a squib kick from the Dinos that set the Wasps up near midfield. Taking advantage of this, Juab would methodically work their way downfield, when junior quarterback Beau Halvorsen found junior running back Jaden Heap on a screen pass, which he would maneuver through Carbon’s defense and into the end zone for a touchdown. A successful point after gave Juab the early 7-0 lead.

With less than one minute left in the first quarter, Juab would put the pedal to the metal offensively, scoring three touchdowns in the final minute. The barrage started when junior running back Brock Richards would rumble and tumble 15 yards to the house for another Wasp score. A successful extra point made it 14-0.

On the ensuing kickoff, Juab would opt to go for an onside kick, which they successfully recovered. On the next play from scrimmage, Halvorsen would bomb the ball 36 yards downfield to sophomore wide receiver Quinten Robinson, who pulled the ball in right as he crossed the goal line. Again the Wasps would convert on the PAT and increase their lead to 21-0.

The final blow came when the Dinos fumbled on their 20-yard line and gave Juab the ball in the red zone. Running an up-tempo offense with only 20 seconds left, Richards would score his second touchdown on a 17-yard scamper to the end zone. The point-after attempt was powered through the uprights and made it a daunting 28-0 advantage at the end of one.

In the second quarter, the Wasps would pick up where they left off, this time with the defense getting the party started.  The Dinos would be picked off by senior defensive back Ashton Dudley who then raced 19 yards to the house for another Juab Score. Senior kicker Ethan Roundy would continue his perfect day on the extra point and raise the score to 35-0.

The Wasps would score once more in the half, again coming from the duo of Halvorsen and Heap, who connected again on a 17-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone. The difference this time, however, would be a botched kick that soared wide right. 41-0 Juab.

Carbon would get on the board before the end of the half, however, with both scores coming courtesy of the golden leg of Luke Brady. When a drive stalled out in Wasp territory, Head Coach Braden Rushton called upon Brady, who trotted out and nailed a 41-yard field goal to cut into the lead 41-3.

Brady would do it again just minutes later. Facing near-identical circumstances, Brady would line up his shot, walk back, and drill the kick through the uprights from 43 yards away and make it 41-6 going into the halftime break.

Offense would come at a premium in the second half, with both teams struggling to find any forward momentum. The lone score of the half was in favor of Juab when freshman quarterback Clayton Pay would turn a broken play into a 21-yard dash to the house. Once more Roundy would convert the extra point and push the final score to 48-6.

Speaking on the impact of the senior class, Coach Rushton shared,” They stepped up big time and picked up everything we were putting down and did everything we’ve asked them to. And they’ve shown up this last year and have given us everything we could ask for in a group of guys.”

The Dinos (3-6, 0-4 3a South) now face one more test in the regular season when they travel to Cedar City, Utah, for a showdown with the Canyon View Falcons (4-5, 1-3 3a South). This game carries massive playoff implications, as currently, the teams sit at eight and nine respectively in the Utah High School Athletic Association RPI. The eighth seed guarantees a home playoff game in the first round for the team that holds the spot.

Live play-by-play action for this showdown will start at 6:30 p.m. on KRPX 95.3 the Peak with the Landon’s Diesel pregame show and kickoff following at 7 p.m. Due to the Carbon School District’s fall break, this game will be held on Thursday, Oct. 18.