PRICE—After getting trounced the last few games, it was finally the Templars’ turn to do the trouncing.
The Manti High football team got themselves back on track last Friday night with a big win over Carbon on the road, 43-21. The win started the Templars off right in Region 14 with a 1-0 record while moving to 2-3 overall.
“We’ve still got a lot to work on,” Coach Cole Meacham said. “There’s still a lot of things we need to clean up, but overall, we played pretty good.”
The offensive outburst for the Templars was an absolute game changer, being the first time Manti has scored over 20 points in a game this season. It was Manti’s highest-scoring effort in a region game since a 45-point outing against Richfield in 2016.
Junior Larsen Pogroszewski was the leader out of three quarterbacks making an appearance under center for Manti. Pogroszewki threw for 173 yards and 3 touchdowns on 10-24 passing. Freshman quarterback Maison Starkweather made his first varsity appearance and was impressive, completing 3 passes on 4 attempts with two touchdowns, including the first one of the game.
Senior running back A.J. Cox had his first game with multiple touchdowns, rushing for 111 yards on 17 carries with a touchdown while catching another touchdown.
Manti never trailed during the game, getting a 15-0 lead in the first quarter before Carbon answered back late in the second with a long drive culminating in a 2-yard touchdown run up the middle.
Carbon finally scored on a 2-yard midway through the second quarter.
The last two minutes of the first half were a downpour in the Templars’ favor, beginning with a 38-yard touchdown pass to junior Keegan Strickland in the corner of the end zone. After the Manti defense intercepted Carbon shortly thereafter, Pogroszewski found Cox on a 15-yard touchdown pass. Another turnover got Manti the ball one more time, and Starkweather got his second touchdown, connecting with Strickland from 21 yards out.
“I think we’re executing better and improving,” Meacham said. “Carbon’s an improving team, but they’re definitely not on the level of Morgan right now.”
The Templars next host Canyon View this Friday. It will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2016, when the Falcons won, 38-10.