Bronco girls soccer kicks off season

THE ROUND-UP
by Tad Barton
The San Juan High girls soccer team officially started their 2018 season over the weekend.
The Lady Broncos played a pair of road games, traveling to Manti on Friday, September 7, then taking on North Sanpete on September 8.
Against Manti, San Juan played solid defense during the first half, holding the Templars to just one goal.
In the second half, the Broncos were able to get some shots on goal, but none of those attempts found their way into the net.
The Templars were able to add two more goals in the second half, defeating San Juan 3-0.
In their second game of the season the Broncos came roaring back. Tasiah Little got the scoring going for the Broncos in the eleventh minute.
Four minutes later, Emily Jacobsen scooted past the defense to score San Juan’s second goal of the game.
The rest of the first half was dominated by the Broncos. They made good passes, resulting in Little scoring three more goals, making the score 5-0.
The final goal of the game was scored just before the half by Amari Jones, giving the Broncos a 6-0 victory over the Hawks.
Coach Jay Jones was very happy with the progress his team made from the first game to their second.
He commented, “The girls took what they learned in the first game against Manti and applied it against North Sanpete to get the win.”
X-country
The San Juan cross country teams were both in action this past Thursday, September 5, running in the Red Rock Invitational hosted by Grand County High School.
The Lady Broncos did very well with four runners finishing in the top 20.
Rachel Barton led the way for San Juan, finishing second overall in the girls race with a time of 20:47.
Ella Lyman was the next Bronco to cross the finish line with a time of 21:29, good enough for seventh place and just ahead of teammate Madi Palmer who finished eighth with a time of 21:31.
Lydia Pugh was the next runner from San Juan to finish, completing the course in 23:33, good enough for 17th place.
The boys team was paced by Lymir Benn, who finished in 14th place with a time of 18:01.
Spencer Jensen was the next Bronco to cross the line, with a time of 20:35.
Brandon Walker and Alexander Lott arrived at the finish line with times of 20:49 and 20:50 respectively.
Volleyball
The San Juan Lady Broncos volleyball team started their week off on Tuesday, September 4 when they traveled to Kayenta, AZ to take on the Monument Valley Mustangs.
The Broncos got off to a good start, winning the first game 25-21.
The Mustangs then won games two and three, 25-19 and 25-19.
Down two games to one, San Juan rebounded in game four, defeating Monument Valley 25-17.
In the fifth and final game of the match, the Mustangs edged the Broncos by a score of 15-11 to win the match.
After the tough loss to Monument Valley, San Juan traveled to Mt Pleasant, UT to try to rebound against the North Sanpete Hawks.
The match also marked the first Region 15 game for the Broncos, who entered the match with a 14-4 record.
San Juan started off strong, winning the first game of the match 25-16.
North Sanpete fired back, winning the second game 25-18 and the third game 25-20.
Down two games to one, the Broncos kept fighting but ultimately fell to the Hawks, 26-24. The loss marked the first time this season San Juan had lost back to back games.
In their final match of the week, the Broncos faced off with the Manti Templars.
After losing their last two matches, San Juan came out determined to get back in the win column, and they did just that.
The Broncos came out all guns firing, making short work of the Templars in three games, 25-13, 25-16, 25-14.
The win evened up San Juan’s Region 15 record at 1-1 and improved their overall record to 15-5 on the season.
Up next for San Juan will be the Grand County Red Devils on Wednesday, September 12 in Moab. The match is set to begin at 6:30 p.m.
The Broncos will host the South Sevier Rams on Friday, September 14 at San Juan. That match is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.
Football
The boys of fall were back in action on Friday, September 7 when they welcomed the Delta Rabbits to San Juan.
The Broncos were looking to bounce back after a tough loss to Bayfield, CO last week and they did just that with a 34-16 win over the Rabbits.
After being held scoreless last week, the Broncos came out swinging on offense. Corbin Palmer got things going when he completed a pass on the first play of the game to Carlos Redd for a twelve-yard gain.
Palmer then found Porter Ivins on a screen pass that Ivins turned into a 20-yard gain. San Juan then went to the ground and Landon Pemberton carried the ball 33-yards to the Delta five yardline.
Three plays later, the Broncos found pay dirt, scoring when Corbin Palmer took the snap and followed Tanner Black and Tyson Billsie into the end zone from one yard out. The PAT by Levi Ward was no good, and San Juan led 6-0.
The Bronco defense then forced Delta to punt after just three plays when the Rabbits failed to pick up a first down.
San Juan started their next drive off well, but an incomplete pass, penalty, and sack gave the Broncos a fourth and long, forcing a punt. Despite their quick three and out, San Juan got the ball back when the Rabbits muffed the punt, and the Broncos recovered in great field position.
Once again, a penalty put San Juan behind the sticks, and the Broncos turned the ball over on downs after failing to convert fourth and 13 from the Delta 28-yard line.
The rest of the first quarter and first part of the second quarter saw the Rabbits methodically march down the field, chewing up yardage and time.
With the ball on the seven-yard line and facing fourth and goal, Delta tried to run a play action pass, but Randall Flavel had other ideas.
Flavel corralled the Rabbit quarterback, forcing a bad pass that was intercepted by Elijah Lee and returned 88 yards for the Bronco’s second score of the game. Ward’s PAT attempt was successful, and San Juan led 13-0.
On their next possession, Delta once again began to drive down the field, but the Broncos made another big play when Nielson pulled down a tipped pass for San Juan’s second interception of the game.
After a holding penalty, a short gain on a pass, and a run for no gain, it looked as if the Broncos offense would make a quick exit once more. Instead, on third and 18, Palmer found Nielson behind the defense and put the ball on the money, resulting in an 85-yard touchdown bomb. The PAT by Ward split the uprights, and San Juan led 20-0.
The third quarter was all Delta. They were able to finish off their first two drives of the second half with touchdowns. The Rabbits also picked up a pair of two-point conversions to cut the Bronco lead to four points, 20-16.
If the third quarter belonged to Delta, the fourth quarter was ruled by the Broncos. It was a shaky start which saw the Rabbits drive into Bronco territory before San Juan stopped them on a fourth and seven.
The San Juan offense started their next drive off moving the ball, but were once again forced to punt. That’s when the Bronco defense began to shine.
On Delta’s first play of their next drive, Ryan Imlay batted an option pitch down and then recovered the fumble, solidifying the momentum shift in favor of San Juan.
Three plays later, the Broncos found the end zone again, this time on a 29-yard pass from Palmer to Redd. Ward added the point after, and the Broncos led by eleven, 27-16.
Back on defense San Juan wasn’t done imposing their will on the Rabbits, as Imlay once again forced a fumble, then recovered the ball and returned it for the score.
The point after attempt was good, giving the Broncos a 34-16 lead where it would stay until the end of the game.
San Juan begins their Region schedule this week when they travel to Beaver on Friday, September 14. Both the Varsity and C-team will play. The C-team game begins at 4 p.m. and the varsity game kicks off at 7 p.m.