The Grand County High School football team went on the road to defeat the Gunnison Bulldogs 49-35 on Friday, Sept. 11, behind five rushing touchdowns and an interception from senior Joseph Shumway.
The Red Devils and Bulldogs played to a 14-14 tie in the first quarter. Gunnison’s Kyler White began the scoring with a 76-yard run before Shumway scored the first two of his five touchdowns, breaking off scoring runs of 25 yards and 9 yards. He also added the extra point after each score. The Bulldogs tied the game on a pass from Hunter Whitney to Canyon Caldwell.
In the second quarter, Red Devil senior Dalton McElhaney scored on a 3-yard run and Shumway later broke free for a 15-yard score to put Grand ahead 28-14. Whitney connected on a touchdown pass to Layne Jensen to bring the score to 28-21 at halftime.
Shumway added another 15-yard scoring run in the third quarter, and McElhaney scored from 4 yards out later in the frame to give Grand a three-touchdown lead at 42-21. Whitney and White connected on a 64-yard pass to keep Gunnison close at 42-28 heading into the fourth quarter, but Shumway broke free on a 32-yard touchdown run to put the game out of reach at 49-28. Whitney threw another long touchdown pass, this time a 55-yarder to Jensen, for the final score of 49-35.
The Red Devils collectively rushed for 470 yards on 45 attempts, led by Shumways 201 yards on just 11 carries. McElhaney tallied 149 yards on 16 carries and sophomore Nick Downard went for 62 yards on seven carries.
Defensively despite giving up the four touchdown passes and the long scoring run, the Red Devils collected nine quarterback sacks. Senior Derek Johnson and junior Christian Wilson each had two sacks to lead the team. Senior Seth Holyoak led the Red Devils in total tackles with 13, followed by Johnson and fellow senior Brandon Secrest, who each had eight.
The Red Devils’ win over Gunnison earned them the No. 5 ranking in 2A from the Deseret News heading into their homecoming game versus North Sevier. The Wolves (2-3) are coming off of a 34-14 loss to American Leadership Academy. The Red Devils defeated the North Sevier 42-0 on the road in 2014.
The Red Devils and Wolves are scheduled to battle it out in the 2A South region opener for both teams on Friday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. The game will take place at Grand County High School, 608 S. 400 East.
Red Devils improve to 2-2, begin region play with homecoming game
When: Friday, Sept. 18, 7 p.m.
Where: Grand County High School football field, 608 S. 400 East
