San Juan football team picks up first win of season in weather-shortened home opener

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
After suffering a 36-30 loss to Grantsville in the football season opener on August 16, their first loss in over three years, the San Juan Broncos returned home this past Friday, August 23 to host the Juan Diego Soaring Eagle.
For the second week in a row San Juan was facing a 3A North opponent, this time looking to get back in the win column against a team that had given up a lead and suffered a tough season-opening loss themselves.
Juan Diego was in position to upset 2023 5A semifinalist Alta on August 16 but gave up a 24-7 halftime lead and allowed a touchdown in the final minute to fall 35-31.
To make matters worse for the Soaring Eagle starting quarterback Hayden Mezenen suffered an injury and would not be available against San Juan.
So the Broncos took the field against a hungry but shorthanded foe this past Friday. The Broncos, of course, were hungry also.
Juan Diego received the opening kick and possessed the ball for nearly six full minutes. But on second down at the Soaring Eagle 42, big junior Cash Palmer busted through the Juan Diego line and stripped the ball as it was being handed to the running back, giving possession to San Juan.
From the moment they got the ball Bronco quarterback Jaiten Knight showed how the game-one loss to Grantsville had motivated him to improve his game. From the start he was visibly more decisive and confident against Juan Diego.
He marched his team down the field, rattling off a 20-yard run himself to get them into the Soaring Eagle red zone for the first time. Then he rumbled into the end zone from the one yard line to score the game’s first touchdown.
After the Broncos took the lead the defense went to work, forcing a punt on Juan Diego’s ensuing possession. Then Knight hit Javin Montella for a 38-yard pass down to the Soaring Eagle 15.
Once again San Juan drove the ball to the one yard line and this time Jagger Nieves carried it into the end zone, giving the Broncos a 12-0 lead.
They tallied their first extra point of the season when Tripp Palmer hit the ensuing kick and San Juan led 13-0 at the end of one quarter. Palmer ended the night 3-of-4 in PATs.
The teams played back-and-forth scoreless football until there was 4:28 remaining in the half. In maybe the decisive moment of the game Juan Diego elected to go for it on fourth down at midfield and failed, giving the ball back to the Broncos.
Taking advantage of the short field, San Juan wasted no time in stretching their lead to three touchdowns. On second down from the 50 Knight rolled out to his right and threw on the run to a wide open Jagger Nieves. The Bronco junior broke a tackle at the 15 and waltzed into the end zone.
The San Juan defense thwarted Juan Diego’s next possession and the Broncos took their 20-0 lead into halftime. They received the ball to start the third quarter and once again wasted no time.
JD Palmer, who had only carried the ball once in the first half for no yards, took the handoff at his own 20 and proceeded to run over would-be Juan Diego tacklers and also slipped a few tackles on his way to an 80-yard touchdown run.
A Tripp Palmer PAT made the score 27-0 in favor of the Broncos and it looked like the game was all but over. But Juan Diego answered immediately for their first touchdown of the game.
Senior running back Antonio Archuleta took a handoff at his own 35 and ran 65 yards to paydirt, breaking three attempted tackles in the San Juan secondary along the way.
With their lead trimmed by seven points it was the home team’s turn to answer immediately. A 58-yard kick return by Javin Montella set the Broncos up at the Juan Diego 40.
A couple plays later with the ball on the 27, Jaiten Knight found Branten Bethea with a quick pass over the middle. After the catch, Bethea made a nice move at the 15, springing himself into open field for the Broncos’ fifth touchdown of the game.
With 3:22 left in the third quarter Juan Diego cornerback Kingston Taban intercepted a Jaiten Knight pass at his own 42 and returned it 21 yards to the San Juan 37.
Archuleta then made a falling-down circus catch on a Tage McKinley pass to the San Juan 11, setting the Soaring Eagle up for their second touchdown. They got it when McKinley and Archuleta hooked up again on a four-yard swing pass.
That made the score 33-14 and that’s when the skies opened up. Strong thunderstorms pummeled Blanding with heavy rain and lightning. After a lengthy delay the decision was made to call the game with 41.5 seconds left in the third quarter.
It was an unfortunate ending; the game was just starting to get interesting. But San Juan will take the win and the 1-1 record.
Knight finished the game with 175 yards passing and two touchdowns. His main target was Jagger Nieves, who had three catches for 72 yards and a touchdown.
Branten Bethea also caught three passes, for 42 yards and one TD. Javin Montella had two catches for 40 yards. Tripp Palmer and Owen Adams both pulled down one catch each for 15 and six yards respectively.
JD Palmer led the running game with 76 yards on just three carries. Jaiten Knight carried the ball six times for 50 yards, and Jagger Nieves had six carries for 18 yards. All three players scored a touchdown apiece.
Bethea and Palmer paced the defense with nine tackles apiece. Three of Palmer’s tackles were for loss. George McNaughtan helped out with seven tackles while Josiah LaPalmer and Derrick White got six apiece.
Jagger Nieves had the team’s only sack of the night and Cash Palmer’s fumble recovery was the only takeaway.
The Broncos are looking for their second win of the season when they travel to Kanab this Friday, August 30. The Cowboys, who were ranked second in the Deseret News 1A preseason coaches’ poll, are going to be a tough matchup.
They’ve returned quite a bit of varsity experience this season. They did lose three-year starting quarterback Griffen Bone to graduation, but junior Brogen Virostko has taken over very nicely with 149 yards passing and five touchdowns in his first two games.
Like Juan Diego, the Cowboys do a lot of their offensive damage on the ground. They’ve run for almost 600 yards with eight touchdowns. They crushed their first two opponents – Ben Lomond 56-0 and North Sevier 49-6.
It should be a fun game this Friday. Join Redrock 92 and StreamUtah.Live for the broadcast beginning with the pregame at 6:30 p.m.