San Juan football team obliterates Grand County for 33rd straight win
by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The San Juan High School football team cruised past local rival Grand County on Friday, September 22 with a 62-7 victory in front of the Bronco home crowd for the final time this regular season.
It was their 33rd win in a row and moves them to 8-0 on the season and 3-0 in 2A South Region play. They also reclaimed the top spot in the 2A RPI standings.
The score could have been much worse. The San Juan starting offense scored every time they had the ball and the defense stifled Grand County every time they had the ball.
The Red Devils never challenged, and the Broncos played their junior varsity for the entire second half with a running clock. It was just the latest in a long line of blowout wins for San Juan this season.
Highlights on the night included Taylor “Yummy” Black scoring the first touchdown of his varsity career.
With the Broncos on the one yard line early in the game, Coach Barkley Christensen put Black in as a fullback. He powered to the goal line and dove over several Red Devil defenders for the score.
Zack Conway scored three touchdowns on the ground, bringing his season total to 21. He carried the ball eight times for 132 yards in the win.
Parker Snyder was a very steady 15 of 17 for 88 percent passing with 292 yards and five touchdowns. Javin Montella caught four passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns.
Brigham Nielson had 72 yards receiving on three catches and a TD. Jake Ivins caught five passes for 50 yards and a touchdown. And Trace Bennett got his second career receiving touchdown in the win.
Sophomore Tripp Palmer registered the Broncos’ only takeaway of the game, an interception in the third quarter. He also continues to be very reliable since taking over as the point-after kicker, with an 8-of-9 night in that department.
San Juan is set for the final game of the regular season this week as they head back out on the road. They’ll face the Delta Rabbits in Delta on Friday, October 6.
Delta is 5-3 on the year, ranked seventh in the 2A standings. Like the Broncos all their wins have been blowouts – over Parowan, North Sanpete, American Leadership Academy, South Sevier, and Grand County.
San Juan fans might remember two seasons ago when the Broncos were heavily favored and had to score back-to-back touchdowns on the Rabbits late in the game to avoid an upset. So San Juan will have to arrive prepared if they want their 34th win in a row.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. this Friday and you can catch the live broadcast on Redrock 92 Radio with streaming video at StreamUtah.live starting at 6:30.