The Grand County High School football team gave up four passing touchdowns to the Manti Templars en route to a season-ending 35-7 loss. GCHS got the game’s first points on a two-yard touchdown run from senior Bryant Troutt in the first quarter, but Manti scored 35 unanswered after that, putting the game out of the Red Devils’ reach.
“What hurt us most was some of the players we lost,” GCHS football coach Dennis Wells said, alluding to injuries decimating the already-shorthanded Red Devils. “We ran out of depth, especially at cornerback. They had three big pass plays, and that was really the difference in the game.”
GCHS, traditionally a run-heavy offense, employed a much more balanced attack versus the Templars, throwing 29 times, completing 12 for 177 yards with a touchdown and four interceptions. Red Devil senior Brayden Cloud was the leading receiver with four catches for 125 yards and a touchdown.
“We were trying to mix it up more,” Wells said. “I decided that if we’re going to go out, we’re giving it all we’ve got.”
In the running game, Troutt had 142 yards on 28 carries. He currently leads 3A with 1,564 yards.
“Our offense had 360 yards – we were moving the ball, we just couldn’t finish drives,” Wells said.
Defensively for the Red Devils, senior Brayden Troutt had 11 tackles, and leads 3A with 128 for the season. Senior Trea Meyer had two fumble recoveries and senior Morgan Alvey had an interception. Two Red Devil players, Cloud and junior Ryelan Jones, are tied for the lead in 3A with several other players, with four total interceptions.
The Red Devils finished their first season in 3A with a 5-6 overall record, going 3-2 in Region 12 play and finishing 13th in the 3A RPI rankings.
“I was proud of the players we had playing,” Wells said. “I felt like we had a chance to win a couple more games and could have easily been 7-4. I felt like we had a chance against Manti. I was proud of the kids’ effort. It’s just one of those things that wasn’t meant to be.”
GCHS eliminated in state 3A playoffs’ first round
