Early deficit too much for Big Horns on the road

Miners still undefeated

By Brandon Walker EBS STAFF

PARK CITY – Early deficits and road games are a tough combination to remedy in any sport and ultimately led to a tough-luck loss for the Lone Peak High School varsity football team on Sept. 18. Despite a valiant Big Horn comeback bid, LPHS fell short as the host Park City Panthers won the contest 56-30.

Coming off an exciting, back-and-forth affair with the Sheridan Panthers at home on Sept. 10 that saw Sheridan escape Big Sky with a 21-16 victory, LPHS was slow out of the gate against Park City.

“We had a couple turnovers in the first quarter both leading to pick-six’s the other direction, which was a rough way to start the game,” said Lone Peak head coach Adam Farr.

The Panthers scored 30 unanswered points through nearly the first two quarters of play, but sophomore running back Pierce Farr found the end zone on a 25-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Isaiah Holst for LPHS just before halftime. The touchdown was Farr’s sixth of the season and following a successful 2-point conversion, Park City led 30-8 at the break.

Freshman Juliusz Shipman scored his first two touchdowns of his varsity career in the loss. His first came following a Park City touchdown, when he corralled the kickoff at the Big Horn 10-yard line, weaved his way through defenders the entire length of the field and returned it to the house, making it a 38-14 ballgame in the third quarter.

Shipman’s next score came in the fourth quarter when he received a pass from Holst—one of the signal caller’s three passing touchdowns of the game—and found some room to run before crossing the goal line for the Big Horns score.

“He’s really stepped up [and] has incredible foot speed,” Farr said. “Juliusz’s been just a massive addition and does not look like a freshman at all.”

Farr and Holst connected again as time was expiring in the fourth quarter for Farr’s second touchdown of the game and seventh of the year to pace the Big Horns. Holst then found senior lineman Kole Maus open in the endzone to complete the two point conversion, capping off the Big Horn scoring.

“I called a different play and the players, knowing the game was out of hand anyway with no time on the clock and us being down as much as we were, changed the play without telling me which I thought was great,” Farr said of Maus’s 2-point conversion reception. “He went on a little flare route and he was wide open.”

Holst’s three touchdown passes bring his yearly total to five. He previously connected with Farr twice in the matchup with Sheridan—his first two passing touchdowns of the season.

“They were highly resilient, as they have been all season,” Farr said. “I mean to give up two pick-sixes and then come out and have the best second half of his short high school career was impressive from Isaiah,” Farr said. “If it wouldn’t have been such a rocky start we were very closely matched in my opinion. The result could be different if we played again tomorrow.”

The week of Sept. 21 is a bye week for Lone Peak (0-4) after the Sheridan game was moved ahead on the schedule. LPHS will set their sights on a homecoming contest versus the Absarokee Huskies on Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.

Miners flex their might in commanding win, remain unbeaten

PARK CITY, Mont. – The Ophir Miners middle school football team dominated the gridiron in their trip to Park City on Sept. 18, winning 52-0. The victory improved the Miner’s season record to 3-0.

Ophir found success both through the air and on the ground throughout the contest. Quarterback Ely Hamrick threw four touchdown passes with Bridger Flores finding himself on the receiving end of three of them. Ebe Grabow hauled in the other touchdown pass from Hamrick, a 37-yard connection.

Dominic Holst had his way rushing against the Panthers en route to punching in two short yardage rushing touchdowns in the contest. Jack Laxson added another 15-yard touchdown scamper for the Miners in the victory.

“While we have a number of talented players, our success comes from teamwork,” said Miners head coach Ben Holst in an email to EBS. “With the whole team pulling in the same direction, we are really hard to stop.”

Ophir will next square off with the Absarokee Huskies at home at 4 p.m. on Oct. 2.