This past Friday, the Carbon High School Dinos football team played their first home game. Hosting the Payson Lions, the Dinos looked to shrug off their first lost to Manti on the road. Ina his third season at the helm, head coach Joshua Huntsman expressed his confidence in his team’s ability to bounce back saying, “If we lost a ball game, we still know that we worked extremely hard and that we played extremely aggressively.” With this in mind, the Dinos knew they’d be ready for their matchup with Payson.
The first quarter started off with a very promising drive for Carbon High. Running back Nate Olson opened up the game with a 42-yard kickoff return and gave his team great field position to start off. After a few rushes that carried the team into Lions’ territory, the great opening drive was cut short after the Dinos fumbled the ball. This set the stage for a stop and go quarter for both teams, each trading penalties and turnovers that led to a scoreless first.
In the ensuing quarter, the Dinos again started off with great field position, and their first play was a deep completion by quarterback Noah Jones, getting the ball into Payson territory again. However, good defense by the Lions, and an ill-timed penalty forced the Dinos to punt the ball away. Payson started their drive hitting a brick wall as Carbon stood them up in the first couple downs. In a surprising display of offense, the Lions found an opening down the field and converted on a nearly 60-yard play which got them into the end zone; 7-0 Lions.
The rest of the quarter was filled with broken plays and more untimely penalties, leading to a series of scoreless drives by the Dinos. Their defense was the shining light of the half though, and their especially tough play in the latter stages in the second held Payson to a field goal to tack on their seven-point lead.
At the half, the Dinos trailed the Lions by the score of 10-0.
The third quarter wasn’t very favorable to the Dinos, and some might even say it was a self-inflicted mess. The Lions started the half with the football, and were doing a good job of marching the ball down the field initially. Then penalties started to plague both teams again, which slowed the game down and moved the ball back and forth like a game of Pong. Payson broke free with a good run to get them into the red zone, which led to another touchdown. Carbon found themselves in a 17-0 hole, and their response wasn’t very fruitful.
After a succession of failed running plays, Carbon was forced to kick the ball away to the Lions, and things only got rockier from there. Following a missed field goal by Payson, a bad collision between two Carbon teammates resulted in an injury to quarterback Noah Jones. This led to backup QB Jerett Atwood stepping in for Jones and sparked a fire under the Dinos for the remainder of the game.
The struggles in their run game continued for the Dinos and again they had to give the ball away after four downs. Though their previous drive was uneventful, the Dinos found their offense in a fumble by the Lions on first down. Carbon’s strip of the ball landed the team on Payson’s 20-yard line and they capitalized on the flub with a touchdown. They then scored on a two-point conversion to cut the lead to nine, 17-8 Lions. The remainder of the third saw the same defensive prowess that Carbon demonstrated throughout the first half. No matter what the Lions threw at them, the Dinos prevented Payson from making any big plays and held them off the scoreboard when the quarter ended.
The final frame of the football game was a roller-coaster ride of adrenaline and intensity, as both teams were jockeying to end the game with a victory. Payson, however, got the beat on Carbon and scored another touchdown in the early stages of the fourth. Their lead was limited to 23-14 after the Dinos blocked the PAT attempt.
As the Lions kicked the ball off, the Dinos’ Nate Olson found himself with another opportunity to make a splash on the return, and he didn’t disappoint. Olson ran the ball to Payson’s 29, good for a return of 50 yards. The Dinos pushed the ball into the red zone and found themselves five yards from the goal line, but a penalty brought them back 10 yards. With a fourth down and 15 to go, the Carbon coaching staff pulled the trigger and had the team go for it. In a tightly contested play, QB Jerett Atwood managed to sail the football high over the defense of Payson, and running back Ashton Larsen got himself to the corner of the end zone to make an impressive touchdown reception. After a failed two-point conversion, the Dinos appeared to be poised for a comeback, only trailing by nine points.
With just under five minutes left in the game, and a 23-14 lead in their favor, the Lions awaited the kickoff. Another shaky return by their kickoff receiver set up a crucial, but uneventful possession. More strong defense by the Dinos caused the Lions to punt the ball away and gave Carbon one last chance at mounting a comeback. Once again, the team was led down the field by a strong kick return by Olson, and eventually found themselves at the 24-yard line. Just when it seemed as if Carbon was going to score, the Lions sacked Atwood in two consecutive plays and forced a turnover on downs.
The final moments of the game were in the bag, as Payson sat on the ball for the remainder of their plays to run the clock out. Final score: 23-14, Payson wins.
Despite the outcome, there were many high points to the Dinos’ game. The team showed resilience when their backs were against the wall, putting up a strong defense that kept the game close throughout most of the game. Running also proved to be a double-edged sword, and when it was going well, it was monumental. Olson’s kick returns and rushing proved to be what drove the Dinos and got them very close to getting on top in the end.
Next Friday Carbon heads out to Duchesne to face the Eagles and will build upon their successes, while also turning around their misfortunes. “We’ve got to get better each week so we can get to a point where we’re successful,” Coach Huntsman said. With the season still early and the team still going through a transition phase of sorts, there will undoubtedly be more hills and valleys. The one thing that will remain constant, however, is that the Dinos will leave everything they’ve got on the field and will give their fans a quality showing each game.
Despite strong showing, Dinos fall to Payson 24-14
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