Tied 7-7 at the end of the first half, the Emery Spartans were unable to keep pace with the North Sanpete Hawks, falling 28-14 Friday night in a non-region showdown in Mount Pleasant.
Defensively the Spartans shined in the second tilt of the season, forcing two North Sanpete turnovers, and preventing the Hawks from finishing multiple drives on short fields. Offensively Emery was unable to match the consistency and fell off pace as the Hawks scored two touchdowns in the game's final quarter.
North Sanpete captured the lead on its opening drive of the game. The Hawks capitalized on stellar field position as PJ Cook found the end zone on a three-yard touchdown run. The score would remain 7-0 until the final minutes of the first half.
The Spartans finally found a rhythm offensively, and a well-established drive ended as junior Dane Sitterud punched in the team’s first score on a five-yard run. A Koalton Curtis extra point tied the game going into half time.
An even third quarter finally moved into North Sanpete’s favor on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Allan to Keegan Strickland. The touchdown gave the Hawks a seven-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Early in the final period Allan connected with Beau Jacobson on a 37-yard touchdown pass to create a 14-point spread.
Sitterud led the Emery offense as he gathered 81 of the team’s 94 rushing yards, while reaching the end zone twice, the second coming midway through the fourth quarter. Averaging over five yards per carry, Sitterud managed to finish Emery’s two trips to the red zone with scores.
Emery quarterback Wade Stilson completed 13-of-31 attempts through the air, finishing with 195 yards. Creek Sharp ended as Stilson’s top target as he gathered 67 yards on two catches, while Treg Miller also caught two passes for 62 yards.
North Sanpete’s Allan managed to overcome two costly interceptions to complete 26-34 attempts for 233 yards and two touchdowns. Jacobson hauled in five catches for 89 yards and a touchdown, while Cook led a steady rushing attack with 77 yards.
