San Juan football team overcomes slow start to win by 30 in rematch of 2025 title game

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
It was a highly anticipated matchup on the San Juan High School football field this past Friday, September 11 when the South Summit Wildcats paid a visit to Blanding.
The rematch of the 2025 2A Utah State Championship Game did not disappoint, specifically in the first half when the teams battled it out in a close back-and-forth battle.
For the Broncos it may have been a little too close for comfort in the early stages despite a start San Juan has come to expect.
The Broncos opened the scoring with a convincing drive that culminated with a five-yard touchdown pass from Beau Yeomans to Quincy Singer. But they would lose that lead a few minutes later.
South Summit answered the opening volley with a nice drive late in the first quarter, striking with a one-yard touchdown run by quarterback Ian Mair.
On the ensuing San Juan possession, Brigg Palmer fumbled and the Wildcats recovered. They converted the turnover to points immediately when running back Brody Larsen ripped a 76-yard run down the sideline to the house.
The Broncos found themselves in unfamiliar territory, trailing 14-7 at the end of the first quarter. But the deficit steeled them to not only regain the lead but also take control of the game.
The offense and defense both got in gear and they dominated the second quarter. San Juan pulled to within one point when they finally got Trai Bass the touchdown they’ve wanted to since the first week of the season.
The Broncos ran one of their traditional plays – the counter shuttle pass – and Yeomans hit Bass with the toss in the backfield. Bass proceeded to drive it three yards into the end zone to make the score 14-13.
South Summit drove down the field on their next possession, but fumbled right as they entered the San Juan red zone.
The Broncos quickly took advantage of the turnover. Yeomans hit Randall Black with a 29-yard pass that got them into Wildcat territory.
It was an incredible catch by Black as he was absolutely smoked on a big hit from Kash Atkinson but somehow hung onto the ball at the South Summit 47.
Brigg Palmer took the Broncos down to the Wildcat 20 on a nice option pitch from Yeomans on the sideline that resulted in a 20-yard run for Palmer.
Then, from the 15 yard line Yeomans faked a pitch to Palmer. The Wildcat defense bit on the fake and Yeomans ran untouched into the end zone to give the Broncos their lead back 19-14.
San Juan continued to surge after regaining the lead when the defense forced South Summit into a three-and-out and a punt.
Five plays into their next possession Yeomans aired the ball out, hitting Randall Black on a fly route with a 46-yard touchdown pass, and the Broncos stretched their lead to 25-14.
South Summit shot themselves in the foot at the beginning of their next drive as Mair and Larsen miscued, fumbling the football on a poor exchange.
Brigg Palmer scooped it up for San Juan and would have broken free for a touchdown if Larsen hadn’t gotten his hand off the ball, momentarily knocking it away from Palmer and forcing him to fall on it.
It was another huge play for the Bronco defense, and the offense wasted no time in converting it to points again. On first down Yeomans again ran the ball into the end zone from 15 yards out, this time through a huge hole right up the middle of the field.
After falling behind by a touchdown San Juan had scored four in a row to storm back to a 31-14 lead.
South Summit wasn’t about to tuck their tails and run home though. They did punt on their next possession, but the defense forced a turnover on downs on San Juan’s next drive.
Starting on the San Juan 48 with only 1:39 left in the first half, the Wildcats drove the ball to the 15 where Mair found receiver Jesse Clegg with a pass in the middle of the field. He weaved to the sideline and took the ball into the end zone to make the score 31-21 at halftime.
South Summit was right in the game and was set to receive the opening kickoff to start the second half as well. But the San Juan defense was equal to the task as they stood strong and forced a punt.
That gave the Broncos the ball at the Wildcat 48 where a 25-yard run by Brigg Palmer set them up with a first-and-goal at the seven. He then took a handoff from Yeomans and banged the ball into the end zone, giving the home team a three-TD lead again 38-21.
San Juan increased their lead to 45-21 with Brigg Palmer’s second touchdown run of the game, a 30-yarder with 5:57 left in the third quarter.
South Summit answered with a five-yard TD run from Brody Larsen 1:27 into the fourth quarter to make the score 45-28, but San Juan closed out a 58-28 win with two more fourth quarter touchdowns.
Miken Keith caught a nine-yard pass from Yeomans with 9:30 to go in the game and Thomas Hardin came in late in the game to carry the ball four times for 42 yards, closing the scoring with a one-yard touchdown run, his first of the season.
San Juan Head Coach Barkley Christensen was a little disappointed with his team’s slow start, but impressed at how they responded to rally for the win.
“We didn’t start very hot,” he said, “but I’m proud of our guys for coming back, making adjustments, and then playing San Juan football.”
Despite the missteps in the first half San Juan still finished with a 30-point win and some solid statistics. Beau Yeomans completed 22 of his 35 pass attempts for 279 yards and three touchdowns.
Randall Black was his main target, with nine catches for 143 yards and a TD. Miken Keith had five catches for 55 yards and a touchdown. And the Trai Bass touchdown officially went into the record as a run, but it was a shuttle pass in reality.
Brigg Palmer was dominant In the running game again for the Broncos. He carried the ball 23 times for 214 yards and two touchdowns. Yeomans carried seven times for 77 yards and two touchdowns.
And it was the defense that held San Juan in the game and gave the offense opportunities to battle back when they were down early on.
Four players had nine tackles in the win: Andrew Nielson, Liam Lacy, Brigg Palmer, and Cameron Adair. Thomas Hardin had eight stops and Staley Dandy had seven.
Hardin registered the Broncos’ third sack of the season and Brigg Palmer got his first fumble recovery of the season.
With the win San Juan improved to 4-1 on the year and the team is ranked first in the initial 2A standings that were released this week.
For the second week in a row they’ll take on the team that’s ranked in the second spot as Delta makes the trip to Blanding on Friday, September 18.
The Rabbits have been playing well, with wins over Providence Hall and Summit Academy in their past two games. They beat the Bears 24-14 this past Friday and will also bring a 4-1 record into the matchup with the five-time defending state champions.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. this Friday and you can catch all the action live with video on StreamUtah.Live and the radio broadcast on Redrock 92.