| Carbon’s Colton Howes gets taken down during a play in the Juan Diego game a couple of weeks ago, as a crush of players move in on him. |
Last week Carbon coach Lane Herrick said that his team was in charge of its own fate as far as getting a chance to play Morgan in the state playoffs. The Dinos, alone in fourth place in Region 8 with only two games to go could have wrapped it up in Mount Pleasant on Thursday night, but instead they were the ones that got wrapped.
The Hawks, proving they could very well be one of the teams to beat for the 3A championship this year crushed the Dinos dreams of a game against Emery with no pressure by besting the boys from Price 61-0.
“There is no question that North Sanpete is a great ball team and that they will at least make it to the semi-finals,” said Herrick on Monday morning. “All I can say is that we survived.”
In Herrick’s terms that is a victory because he has no real injuries to contend with in the short turn around time the team has this week before they play Emery on Wednesday night. That game will determine who will go to the first round of state and who will stay home. It’s been four long years since a Carbon team went into the state playoffs and the team is itching to make it.
A loss by Emery last Thursday could have made it even more interesting for the Dinos, but alas the Spartans downed hapless Granite 57-6, whipping the Farmers in a similar fashion to what Carbon did earlier this season.
The North Sanpete game proved that a young team (the Dinos with only a few seniors starting) is generally no match for a upper classman laden team with something to prove.
| Carbon quarterback Brandon Wilson. |
“We were just outmanned,” said Herrick. “We had two seniors to their team with 15-20.”
The largest part of the damage was done by a young man named Tyson Church. He had only 11 carries, but in that under a dozen times to touch the ball he amassed 220 yards. He scored three of North Sanpetes touchdowns.
Now Carbon and Emery have identical 1-3 league records and 1-8 overall records. Granite, which is 0-4 and out of the running for a state berth also managed a 1-8 record overall.
The Wednesday night game comes because of the UEA break in which schools will be closed Thursday and Friday. It appears both teams are fairly evenly matched when records and scores against common opponents are matched.
So the home field advantage could play a big factor in this game.
It’s either win or start practicing for basketball season for both teams.
That should make the rivalry even hotter than normal.