Even with a Big Sandy Pioneer win of 36-30, this weekend's game against the Box Elder Bears was grueling! The Big Sandy Pioneers were relentless in their effort and hard work, proving why they are still number one in the state. Without 2 key senior leaders (Jake Darlington and Cooper Taylor) on the field, the Pioneers proved how multifaceted they are and what true grit is! The Pioneers had some players step up big time, and every player left it all on the field to come away with a win against the Bears in Box Elder on Saturday. What a true testimony of outstanding effort!
The Bears started with the ball, but on the 2nd play of the game, Wes Cox intercepted the ball. The Pioneers had some great run plays from Lane Demontiney and Wes, but ended up just shy of a first down, and gave it back to the Bears deep in Pioneer territory. Box Elder had a couple of great passes and run play, but Wes got his second interception of the game, stopping the Bears from driving down the field. Lane handed the ball to Wes, who made nothing into a difficult 6-yard gain. Lane then followed with a run for a first down, before the Pioneers handed off to Sam Cox for a solid run for a touchdown. Putting the Pioneers up 6-0. Ty Terry had a huge tackle on the kickoff saving Box Elder from possibly running back for a touchdown. Sam also followed with a big tackle, but the Bears drove the ball up the field, eating up a lot of time on the clock, before the Bears threw for a deep pass and run for a touchdown. Putting the score tied at 6.
Wes Cox continued his dominating effort with another big run for a touchdown, and Ty Terry's kick was good, putting the Pioneers up 14-6. On the kickoff, Box Elder scored on a run for a touchdown, but missing the kick, still had the Pioneers on top 14-12. On the following kickoff, Big Sandy ended up fumbling the ball, giving the Bears another chance, but with another couple of big tackles from Lane which stopped the Bears from scoring, ending the 1st quarter.
In the second quarter, Box Elder turned the ball over on downs, just shy of their goal line, giving the ball back to the Pioneers. The Pioneers got a huge 55-yard run from Sam, but they also fell short of scoring, turning the ball over on downs. Some big tackles from Lane and Sam slowed Box Elder down on offense a bit, but while Big Sandy was on the offense they threw an interception giving the ball back to the Bears. Karter Jurenka had a big game for the Pioneers and came up with a big tackle, stopping the Bears from scoring. Darrell Sunchild and Ryder Galbavy also put a lot of pressure on Box Elder, causing the Bears to make quick decisions. The Pioneers went into halftime up two with a score of 14-12.
The second half of the game started with a dominating performance from Lane. With several runs with lots of yards, Lane ends up scoring for the Pioneers, and with a Ty Terry kick, the Pioneers go up 22-12. The Bears had some great plays and ended up scoring on a lateral pass for a run. Box Elder pulled within 4 with the Big Sandy still up 22-18. Wes Cox again had a big run for the Pioneers but unfortunately, the Pioneers threw an interception, giving the ball back to the Bears. Ryder and Sam both had great tackles for a loss of yards. Box Elder throws deep on 4th down, and Karter gets the interception, getting the ball back to the Pioneers. Lane throws a 35-yard bomb to Cooper Taylor who scores a touchdown, putting the Pioneers up 28-18.
Karter has another big tackle on kickoff, but after a couple of missed tackles in the open field, the Bears gained 45 yards. Another big tackle from Lane, followed by Wes Cox getting his third interception in the game sets up another big run from Lane for 35 yards, giving the Pioneers a first down at the end of the 3rd quarter.
Big Sandy unfortunately starts the 4th quarter with a fumble, but Box Elder didn't capitalize on it and turns the ball over on downs just inches from the 1st down marker. Big Sandy got another big 35-yard run from Sam Cox, but then the Pioneers turned it over throwing an interception and touchdown from the Bears, putting the score 28-24. Big Sandy fumbles the ball on the kickoff and gives the ball back to the Bears who took advantage and threw two big passes and scored again, putting them in the lead by two. The Pioneers got the ball back with just a little over 3 minutes left in the game. Lane dropped back and threw to Karter Jurenka for a big touchdown, and with a Ty Terry good kick, put the Pioneers on top 36-30. The Bears have one last chance to score to possibly tie or win the game, but they fall short as Karter gets an interception to seal the deal for the Pioneers.
When asked about the game, Coach said, "We've got to get healthy, and we really need to start minimizing mistakes. The boys were able to get a win, but there were tons of missed tackles and other mistakes made that we need to correct, especially if we want to beat the likes of Power or Chester."
