Sophomore quarterback Bryant Troutt rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Red Devils to a 34-7 victory over the Enterprise Wolves in Moab on Friday, Sept. 29.
Troutt was one of four Red Devils with over 70 yards rushing, finishing with a team-leading 134 yards on 19 carries as Grand improved to 7-0 for the first time since 1974, including a 3-0 mark in 2A South play.
Troutt also passed for 112 yards, completing six of nine passes.
Grand football coach Dennis Wells said Troutt played a great game for the Red Devils as he filled in for injured starter Josh Jones.
“He’s got to be more patient in some situations, but overall he did a really good job,” Wells said.
The Red Devils scored 27 unanswered points in the first half, beginning with a 15-yard scoring run from senior Dakota Johnson midway through the first quarter immediately after the Red Devils converted on fourth down, setting an aggressive tone early on. After the Red Devils forced Enterprise to punt just a couple of minutes later, Troutt scored the first of his two touchdowns, squirting free for a 54-yard touchdown run.
The Red Devils forced a turnover on downs and were marching again to begin the second quarter, putting themselves in position to score after a 32-yard pass from Troutt to Johnson. However, the drive sputtered and Grand had to settle for a 28-yard field goal from freshman kicker Dante Wells, putting them up 17-0. After forcing another Enterprise punt, the Red Devils steadily pounded the ball down the field, capping off another touchdown drive with a 20-yard run from junior Trent Elmore that put Grand up 24-0.
The Red Devils took advantage of an Enterprise fumble recovered by senior Nick Downard and tacked on a 31-yard field goal from Wells shortly before halftime to head into the intermission up 27-0.
Enterprise’s A.J. Anderson broke away from Grand’s defense for a 60-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, which Grand matched with a 2-yard run from Troutt in the fourth quarter for the game’s final score of 34-7.
Wells said Enterprise made the Red Devils work a lot harder on offense in the second half.
“(Enterprise) has a good coach,” he said. “He was making things hard on us.”
After scoring on every possession in the first half, the Red Devils had a pair of punts and a missed 48-yard field goal attempt in the second half, which Dennis Wells said was as good as a punt, because even with the miss, the Wolves took over at the 20-yard line. Grand also converted a fake punt for a first down as Wells caught a snap in the third quarter and sprinted 6 yards toward the marker.
“We stalled a little offensively in the second half,” Wells said. “Their middle linebacker was making a lot of plays and I waited too long to make an adjustment and get him blocked.”
Johnson rushed for 92 yards on 12 carries for the Red Devils, while Downard had 74 yards on four carries and Elmore had 70 yards on 11 carries. On a few occasions in the second half, Troutt lined up at quarterback while twin brother Brayden Troutt lined up at running back. Brayden Troutt finished with 16 yards on two carries.
Downard was the key player for the Red Devils on defense as he had eight tackles and an interception, marking his second straight game with a pick.
The Red Devils next face a road game in Beaver on Friday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m., against the defending region and state champs, who this year boast a 6-1 record, having lost only a non-region contest to state runner-up and 2017 undefeated South Summit.
“Watching Beaver, they’re doing the same stuff they always do, but they’re really good at it,” Dennis Wells said.
Dennis Wells said rushing is their strength, so he would like to force the Beavers to pass. Downard had praise for his coach and acknowledged that the Red Devils have their work cut out for them this week.
“Our defense is set up so we can make plays,” Downard said. “We’ve got a really good coach, too.”
The winners of Friday’s game will control their own destiny in the race for the 2A South title and the prime position in the state tournament that comes with it.
“We’ve got to be great on offense and defense,” Downard said. “It’ll be a tough one for sure.”
“Watching Beaver, they’re doing the same stuff they always do, but they’re really good at it.”
Red Devils 7-0 for first time since 1974
2A South
Grand 7-0 (3-0)
Beaver 6-1 (3-0)
San Juan 3-4 (2-1)
North Sevier 4-3 (1-2)
South Sevier 2-5 (0-3)
Enterprise 1-5 (0-3)
2A North
South Summit 7-0 (3-0)
Delta 5-2 (2-1)
Millard 5-2 (2-1)
ALA 2-5 (1-2)
North Summit 2-5 (1-2)
Gunnison 0-7 (0-3)
