Mustang stampede too much for Bobcats

Image: Jordan Nielsen ready to punt

Jordan Nielsen ready to punt (Corey Burger)

In six years a Craig Anhder Sky View football team has never been shut out, and last night the Bobcats clawed their way to a last second score to keep that record intact. However, there was little else that went right for Sky View as the Bobcats were trampled by the Mustangs in a 6-38 loss.

The Mountain Crest Mustangs proved to be too much to handle last night as they rolled over the Sky View Bobcats on the Mustangs home turf in Hyrum. The Mustangs were led by Alex Kuresa who scrambled for one touchdown on the ground and tossed four more in racking up 332 yards offense in the contest.

Sky View struggled to find their rhythm most of the night on offense as they spent a good deal of the evening on their side of the field, and left Mountain Crest with a short field to play on. The Bobcats only managed to pick up 41 yards on the ground in a game that saw this year’s leading rusher senior, Gabe Anderson leave the game after the first half with an injury (hip pointer). Nick Carver found his receivers for 175 yards passing on the night, but did toss two interceptions, before finally finding Jordan Hill for a 31 yard touchdown as the clock expired in the fourth quarter.

On the defensive side of the ball several players were very active and found some success. Leading the way was Jordan Nielsen who had 5 solo tackles, 5 assists, 3 quarterback sack assists, and blocked a pass. Jaron Balls registered 5 solo tackles, 4 assists, 2 quarterback hurries, a sack assist, and blocked an extra point. Also busy was Colby Villanueva who had 5 solo tackles, 3 assists, and assisted on a sack. Glen Craword and Keaton Smith each had 4 solo tackles, and were in on some assists while Landon Siddoway and Riley Nielson each brought the quarterback down in the backfield. For all the Bobcats defensive work the Mustangs proved to be too much and scored on all but three possessions where they were forced to punt.

Penalties plagued the Bobcats most of the night as their disappointment and frustrations got the best of them at times. They uncharacteristically registered 9 personal fouls and were flagged 15 times for a total of 166 yards.

For the first time in his tenure as head coach, a Craig Anhder team will miss a trip to the playoffs this year. Starting out with the toughest pre-season on record the Bobcats struggled throughout and found themselves on the losing end of six games this year while winning just three. The Bobcats finished the season at 3-6-0 overall (2-3-0 in region). The Bobcats who had thirty five seniors return this year will hope to have the twenty eight juniors on the varsity roster along with others from the junior varsity squad to lead them back to their winning ways next season.

Game Stats

Game 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Sky View 0 0 0 6 6
Mtn. Crest 6 15 7 10 38

First Quarter

Mtn. Crest: Alex Kuresa 1 yd. Run (Justin Call – Kick Blocked) 0-6 8:20

Second Quarter

Mtn. Crest: Taylor Root 8 yd. Pass from Alex Kuresa (Kuresa to Troy Picket 2 pt. Conversion) 0-14 6:46
Mtn. Crest: Nate Rigby 13 yd. Pass from Alex Kuresa (Justin Call – Kick) 0-21 :13

Third Quarter

Mtn. Crest: Troy Picket 23 yd. Pass from Alex Kuresa (Justin Call – Kick) 0-28 8:00

Fourth Quarter

Mtn. Crest: Dax Fackrell 16 yd. Pass from Alex Kuresa (Justin Call – Kick) 0-35 11:46
Mtn. Crest: Justin Call 36 yd. Field Goal 0-38 1:28
Sky View: Jordan Hill 31 yd. Pass from Nick Carver 6-38 :00

Individual Stats

Passing: Nick Carver: 15-of-30, 175 yds., 1 TD, 2 INT’s.

Receiving: Jordan Hill: 4 Catches, 43 yds., 1 TD; Corey Jensen: 7 Catches, 57 yds.; Brady Martin: 2 Catches, 50 yds.; Don Corbell: 1 Catch, 20 yds.; Blake McKinley: 1 Catch, 5 yds.

Rushing: Nick Carver: 9 Carries, 14 yds.; Jens Jorgenson: 3 Carries, 20 yds.; Gabe Anderson: 2 Carries, 0 yds.; Jordan Hill: 1 Carry, 2 yds.; Sean Gero: 1 Carry, 3 yds.; Jordan Nielsen: 1 Carry, 2 yds.

Kick Off: Josh Egbert: 1-for-60 yds. (Touchback)

Kick Off Return: Marcel Crawford: 1-for-30 yds.; Colby Villanueva: 1-for-16 yds.; Yabitse Wells: 2-for-18 & 12 yds.

Punt: Jordan Nielsen: 6 Punts 41, 39, 50, 51, 49, Blocked, Avg. 38.33 yds., 1 Run for 2 yds.

Team Stats

Sky View: Rushing: 41 yds.; Receiving: 175 yds.; Total Offense: 216 yds.; Penalties: 15-for-166 yds.

Mtn. Crest: Rushing: 155 yds.; Receiving: 177 yds.; Total Offense: 332 yds.; Penalties: 14-for-95 yds.