North Summit blanks Gunnison 47-0, game ends under mercy rule

ByRobert Stevens

COALVILLE—North Summit scored twice in the first quarter and rolled to a 47-0 win over Gunnison Valley Friday in the 1A North opener for both teams.

The game ended after three quarters under the mercy rule. Under the rule, if one team is ahead by 44 points at the end of the third quarter, the game is over. In the North Summit-Gunnison game, North Summit was ahead by 47 points after the third quarter.

North Summit linebacker Kason Richins ran 64 yards for a touchdown at the 11-minute mark of the first quarter and scored again from 4 yards out with 7:43 left in the quarter. Jose Sanchez kicked both extra points for a 14-0 lead.

Quarterback Cru Richins (no relation to Keston) threw three touchdown passes, hitting Grant Wahlin from 17 yards and Tayton Pace from 14 yards in the second quarter, then Talon Stuart from 11 yards in the third. Cru Richins also returned an interception 70 yards for a touchdown with 1:16 left before halftime.

Max Shaw, also a North Summit quarterback, scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter. And Sanchez finished the game with five extra points.

North Summit (4-2, 1-0) led 34-0 at halftime and posted its second shutout of the season, its first since a 45-0 win over Parowan on Sept. 4. The 47 points were a season high for the Braves, who have won three of their last four games.

Their losses came against South Summit, 45-14, on Aug. 21 and at Kanab, 29-24, on Sept. 11.

Gunnison Valley (3-3, 0-1) was shut out for the first time this season and has lost two straight on the road. The Bulldogs opened with a 21-14 loss to Rich, then beat Providence Hall 22-18, Grand County 43-6 and Milford 42-13 before falling 15-7 at Parowan on Sept. 11.

Gunnison Valley has scored 128 points and allowed 120 in six games. The 47 points in the North Summit game were the most the Bulldogs have surrendered this season.

Gunnison Valley travels to Duchesne (5-1, 1-0) on Friday at 7 p.m. for a 1A North game. The Bulldogs’ next home game is Oct. 9 against North Sevier.