North Sanpete shuts out Sevier Rams, 58-0
By Matt Harris
Staff writer
9-3-2020
MONROE—It took three plays in regulation for the North Sanpete football team to let the home team know they had no chance against them.
The Hawks went on the road and absolutely demolished the South Sevier Rams, 58-0, scoring 48 points in the first half in a game that set a few new benchmarks for Coach Rhett Bird and his staff, albeit against a vastly underprepared opponent.
The only obstacle North Sanpete could have faced this game, according to Bird, was complacency. “I would say that we were tested in the fact that we are three weeks into the season now, and things can get repetitive,” Bird said. “We wanted to be able to find some energy and not come out slow. I was proud of the way we handled ourselves during pre-game and the first series to begin the game.”
Junior quarterback Landon Bowles had a golden touch as he finished with nine completions on 14 pass attempts with four touchdowns and no turnovers, averaging over 20 yards per completion. Bowles’s four touchdown passes put him at 14 for the year, which currently leads the entire state.
Senior running back Trevin Morley had a field day, rushing for 104 yards on 12 carries and three touchdowns. Senior running back Jordan Watts took over in the second half and rushed for 34 yards on six carries and one touchdown. North Sanpete’s rushing offense netted 220 total yards.
For the third straight game, Bowles connected with senior Brady Jacobsen on a long touchdown, this time for 81 yards as he led the Hawks in receiving with two catches for 89 yards. Senior Magnus Clawson complemented that with 67 yards on three catches for two touchdowns.
The Hawk defense did whatever they wanted and held South Sevier to a total yardage of -18.
South Sevier had first possession and started their first drive with a few positive rushing plays, but after a penalty set them back to third-and-10, the Rams’ first pass attempt went right into the hands of Jacobsen at linebacker. The Hawks scored on a two-yard run from Morley four plays later.
South Sevier fumbled their next possession to the Hawks right on the goal line. Rather than run it into the middle, Bowles rolled out right and connected in the flat with Morley for a one-yard score.
Morley struck again only minutes later with a 23-yard touchdown run on a left-side sweep to make it 20-0 after only seven minutes of play.
With two minutes remaining, Bowles got his second touchdown on an 18-yard outward slant route.
In the second quarter, South Sevier started to show signs of life on defense, holding North Sanpete to third-and-10 at the 12-yard line, but Bowles deflated the Rams immediately with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Clawson narrowly placed through three defenders.
South Sevier finally managed to get a punt to go long enough to put North Sanpete on their own side of the field on their next drive, and the Hawks graciously rewarded them with an 81-yard touchdown on a screen pass to Jacobsen.
Before the first half ended, Morley capped off his night with a fourth score, this time from 25 yards out.
The second unit ran the rest of the game, and Watts had his moment to shine as he led the Hawks’ opening drive of the second half with a one-yard touchdown.
The final points of the game were scored on a field goal by sophomore backup kicker Beau Jacobsen, who drilled it through in the fourth quarter from 23 yards out.
The Hawks halftime lead was their largest post-2000. North Sanpete currently ranks No. 2 in 3A Deseret News rankings.
The Hawks host a top matchup this Friday as they host Richfield. The Wildcats are 3-0 and ranked fifth in 3A, according to Deseret News. “Nothing will change about how we prepare ourselves for a game,” Bird said. “We are going to take this game just like any other game, but it will be important that we buy into our game plan for the week and execute it. We tell the kids that film is a huge factor in executing a good game plan.”
