Broncos dominate second half to outlast Delta in battle of top two 2A teams

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The San Juan High School football team’s homecoming game against Delta this past Friday, September 18 marked the third time in a row the 2A #1 Broncos were up against the team ranked second.
They knocked off Summit Academy on September 4 and South Summit on September 11 in games when the standings were unofficial, but this time it was official after the release of the 2A RPI standings by the Utah High School Activities Association.
The game lived up to the hype and San Juan had a fight on their hands for the entire first half. In fact, in a very rare situation the Broncos actually trailed at halftime 20-14.
The Rabbits won the opening coin toss and wisely elected to receive the ball. That has also been a very rare choice for San Juan opponents over the course of the past five seasons, and it set the tone for a first half that had the Broncos back on their heels.
Delta runs an inverted wishbone offense, one that’s not geared for long, exciting plays like the spread offense San Juan runs. It’s a more methodical, steady offense, and the Rabbits ran it very effectively this past Friday night.
Starting from their own 24 yard line on their first possession, Delta used nearly nine minutes as they drove the ball all the way to the Bronco 15.
From there, quarterback Bodey Shurtz hit receiver Jacen Johnson with a quick pass in the middle of the field and he scampered into the end zone for the first touchdown of the night. The PAT failed, but the Rabbits had drawn first blood to lead 6-0.
San Juan answered just one minute later, clearly displaying the juxtaposition of the two offenses. On the Broncos’ second play from scrimmage Brigg Palmer broke free for a 50-yard run to the Rabbit 11.
They scored two plays later when the San Juan offensive line opened a big hole for Beau Yeomans who ran right up the middle for a nine-yard touchdown run, his sixth of the season. Luke Jeppesen added the extra point kick and the Broncos had their first lead 7-6.
Back on offense, Delta began to convert third and fourth downs, scrapping to find ways to keep their drive alive. Shurtz hit Trystyn Ashby with an amazing 35-yard pass to get them to midfield.
Then running back Bronx Hunt broke free up the middle for a 34-yard run that set the Rabbits up inside the San Juan 15. A penalty prevented a touchdown, but Delta scored to retake the lead 9-7 when Jacen Johnson hit a 25-yard field goal 1:26 into the second quarter.
The Broncos answered again with a 69-yard drive that was aided by a couple of Rabbit penalties. Yeomans punched it in again with a two-yard TD run to make the score 14-9 San Juan.
Again Delta continued to find ways to keep their next offensive drive going as they used nearly six minutes to go 78 yards with Shurtz running a nine-yard touchdown to give the Rabbits the lead again 17-14.
The Delta defense got the first stop of the night when Shurtz intercepted a Yeomans pass at his own 35 yard line.
The Rabbit offense then drove down to the San Juan 30 where Johnson hit his second field goal of the game with a 47-yard boot as the first half buzzer sounded.
As homecoming festivities commenced during halftime the San Juan Broncos refocused in the locker room. They came out in the second half with a renewed purpose and fire in their eyes.
In the first eight minutes of the third quarter the Broncos scored three straight touchdowns, stopping the Delta offense twice to not only retake the lead, but leave the Rabbits in the dust.
Beau Yeomans ran for his third touchdown of the night, a hard-fought 20-yarder after a nice 20-yard run by Brigg Palmer just 39 seconds into the second half.
Randall Black scored 4:34 later when he got wide open to catch a 20-yard pass from Yeomans. And Brigg Palmer ran the ball powerfully on the next drive, following up a 20-yard run with a 40-yard touchdown to make the score 35-20 with 4:02 left in the third quarter.
Delta got back on the board to make it interesting 2:36 into the fourth quarter on a five-yard touchdown run by Drake Norman. That made the score 35-27 and the Rabbits were within one score.
Delta attempted an onside kick, but Jag Bradford recovered for San Juan, and the Broncos proceeded to drive 51 yards to the house on the legs of Thomas Hardin.
Ultimately it was Brigg Palmer who ran the ball in from the five yard line with 7:15 to go in the game, but Hardin had put in the hard work to get them there.
The Broncos put the first nail in the coffin when Liam Lacy got his second interception of the season with 5:37 to go. San Juan then drove 62 yards for the final score of the night – a beautiful 27-yard field goal by Luke Jeppesen.
The Broncos improved to 5-1 on the season with the 44-27 victory, which was their fifth win in a row. It was also their third straight win over a team ranked second in the Utah 2A.
San Juan Head Coach Barkley Christensen was excited for his team after they overcame a tough first half for the win.
“I’m super proud of the kids again in their resilience,” he said. “I love how they can answer the bell, they can take coaching, and they come back.
“A win’s a win,” he continued. “We just gotta learn from this one and keep improving.”
The running game dominated for San Juan in the win. Brigg Palmer continued his steady performance on the season with 24 carries for 293 yards and two touchdowns.
Beau Yeomans added three more rushing touchdowns to his resume, carrying the ball four times for 31 yards. And Thomas Hardin was impressive in San Juan’s final touchdown drive, with three carries for 28 yards.
Yeomans was 13-for-21 in the passing game with 148 yards and one touchdown. Miken Keith caught five of those passes for 52 yards and Randall Black had three catches for 50 yards and the touchdown.
On defense Hardin had a very impressive 21 tackles. Cameron Adair collected 12 stops on the night. Liam Lacy got the only takeaway of the night with his interception.
The Broncos will be looking for a little revenge when the 3A Manti Templars visit Blanding this Friday, September 25. Manti beat San Juan last season in Manti.
The Templars graduated a big chunk of their team from last season, so it’s truly two different teams going against each other this season, but it still should be a fun game.
Kickoff’s set for 7 p.m. this Friday night and you can catch all the action live on Redrock 92 Radio with video on StreamUtah.Live.