Senior night for the Emery Spartans brought a night of celebration after a 48-0 win over the American Leadership Eagles on Friday. The fifth win of the season moves the Spartans to 5-3 as the team remains among the top 4 in the latest 2A RPI rankings.
Emery started the game hot in the opening minutes of the game after a one-yard touchdown run by junior running back Dane Sitterud. A missed extra point made the early Emery lead 6-0.
Less than two minutes later, with 8:55 left in the first quarter, junior quarterback Wade Stilson found senior wide receiver Sebastian Hennes for a one-yard touchdown pass.
Just after the seven-minute mark passed in the first quarter, Stilson put the Spartans up 20-0 after a 52-yard pass to senior receiver Treg Miller.
The game stalled as the first quarter finished and rolled into the second, but with 2:48 left in the second, Kelby Jones recovered a fumble to score a special teams touchdown and extend the lead to 27-0 for the Spartans.
To end the first half, Stilson rolled out of the pocket, changed directions and heaved a hail mary to the endzone that was caught by fellow junior Creek Sharp for a 66-yard touchdown as time expired. The Spartans entered the locker room with a 34-0 lead over the Eagles at the half.
The second half saw more of the same from the Emery Spartans as Stilson found Miller, once again, for a 41 yard touchdown with 10:45 left in the third quarter. The touchdown gave the Spartans a 41-0 lead and enforced the mercy rule.
The clock ran continuously throughout the rest of the second half, and towards the end of the fourth quarter, sophomore backup quarterback Treven Gilbert found junior Peyton Alton for a two-yard touchdown pass to extend the Emery lead to 48 points.
Quarterback Wade Stilson finished the game 9-15 for 227 yards and 4 touchdowns. Treg Miller finished the game as the leading receiver for the Spartans with 143 yards on three catches and one touchdown. Creek Sharp was not too far behind with three receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown. Running back Dane Sitterud finished the game with 43 yards on six carries and a touchdown. Junior Matt Olsen finished with an extra 31 yards on the ground on four rushes.
