It was all Hawks for North Sanpete High’s homecoming game as ALA goes down, 48-0
By Matt Harris
Staff writer
9-26-2019
MT. PLEASANT—North Sanpete football team made its homecoming alumni proud last week with another dominating victory, crushing American Leadership Academy, 48-0.
The visiting Eagles entered the game sporting the top scoring offense in 3A football up until last week, but the Hawks’ elite defense and disruptive front seven gave ALA’s quarterback nightmares all game long, forcing several turnovers and numerous third-down stops.
On the offensive side, sophomore quarterback Landon Bowles threw for two touchdowns, and senior Payton Clawson scored in three different ways.
North Sanpete first got on the board by capping off a long drive from inside their own 20-yard line with a four-yard rushing touchdown from senior fullback Connor Jorgensen. The drive included a screen pass to Jorgensen where he evaded several blockers for a first down, then a fake punt where he broke through for a monster run.
After an interception by the Eagles’ defense, ALA looked ready to charge downfield. Electing to go for it on a fourth down, ALA completed a pass that would have been for a first down in Hawk territory, but the receiver fumbled the ball on the run. As the ball bounced towards the sideline, Clawson scooped it up and a voided an initial tackle. Finding himself in the midst of a five-man blocking shield, Clawson stormed through several tackles en route to a 65-yard defensive score, making it 14-0 just before the end of the first quarter.
From the first play of the second quarter, North Sanpete ushered in domination. Senior Jaxton Langschwager caught a 15-yard touchdown on the first play, and the Hawk defense forced another fumble on the ensuing possession. Clawson attacked again, this time running in a 20-yard score on third-and-short.
The defense forced another fumble, and Clawson attacked again. Bowles hit Clawson on fourth-and-goal for a short pass, which he ran in for a five-yard touchdown.
As the half winded to a close, a few critical penalties and a late interception kept the Hawks from putting in one score.
After another long drive, Jorgensen found the endzone for the second time of the night with a two-yard dive through the pile.
The Hawks tacked on one more in the fourth quarter as senior Brayden ran in a one-yard score for his second touchdown of the season.
The Hawks are now 6-0 on the season and are outscoring opponents by 29.5 points per game. They have won three of their last four games by over 30 points. Their latest win pushed them up in the RPI rankings to No. 3 in 3A, up from No. 4 last week.
Up next, the Hawks get another imposing test this Friday. They will travel to Nephi to face historic rival Juab, who sit at No. 5 in the 3A RPI rankings. The Wasps were the preseason pick by Deseret News to win the region this year, and they currently sit at 5-1, their only loss against 4A powerhouse Salem Hills. Juab holds a three-game winning streak over the Hawks, one for every year of Bird’s tenure.
