Hawks shut out Rams in high scoring 52-0 game
By Matt Harris
Staff Writer
9/4/2019
MT. PLEASANT—In an all-around dominating performance, North Sanpete football cruised past the visiting South Sevier Rams, 52-0, last Friday for the largest single-game scoring output of Coach Rhett Bird’s career.
While the offense managed just 255 yards of total offense, the defense forced several turnovers and held South Sevier to just 74 yards of offense. North Sanpete only had one drive start behind their own 30-yard line. The combined effort turned into the most lopsided victory for the Hawks since 2005.
Sophomore quarterback Landon Bowles made a few more youthful mistakes, but finished with a solid day, completing 11 of 16 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Senior fullback Connor Jorgensen was efficient in the run game, rushing for 66 yards on six attempts. The Hawks had 12 different ball carriers and six different receivers get a touch in the game.
By halftime, North Sanpete had already forced refs to run the game clock continually per the Utah High School Activities Association’s mercy rule policy. Bowles remained in the game after the half. Coach Bird reported that he wanted to give the young star as much field time as he could get.
Bowles threw an interception on the Hawks first drive for the second consecutive game, but he countered it quickly on the next possession with a needle-threading touchdown pass to Jorgensen for 25 yards on a long third down.
Besides Bowles, North Sanpete dominated in the run game, scoring five touchdowns on the ground. The final touchdown of the game came near the end of the third quarter when sophomore back Xander Shelley ran it in from four yards for his second consecutive touchdown as a varsity player.
Not all was well throughout the game. In the second quarter, senior Trevin Morley was banged up on a defensive possession.
The Hawks are 3-0 on the season for the first time since 2003. A win next week will give them their best starting record since their undefeated 2002 regular season.
North Sanpete will start their region play on the road this Friday by matching up against Richfield. The Wildcats are 2-1 on the season after losing to Payson last week, 17-7. Coverage is available on CentraCom’s streaming local10.tv channel at 7 p.m.
