ST. GEORGE —The first-year football team of Water Canyon High School in Hildale won their first-ever game last Friday night, beating another first-year team in Monument Valley by a shutout score of 76-0.
Most of the damage was done in the first quarter as the Wildcats scored 54 points, leading to non-starters and freshmen entering the game in the second quarter.
As lightning lit up the sky, the Wildcats growled into the third with no chance of the Cougars clawing their way back into the game. High winds picked up near the beginning of the third quarter, and after the last score by the Wildcats, the game was called due to the lightning in the area.
The Wildcats found their strength in the run game as the Cougars had no answer for the much quicker team from Hildale. The Wildcats had a total of 261 yards in the first quarter alone, except for extra points and kickoffs, compared with the Cougars, who had four total yards in the first quarter.
The Wildcats amassed 652 total yards for the weather-shortened game with 389 rushing and 61 receiving yards. The top rushers were Collin Kelsch with 112 yards on six carries, including a 75-yard touchdown run, and Nick Timpson added 69 yards on six touches. Johnathan Timpson had 67 yards one three carries.
“It was a dominant game by us on both sides of the ball,” Head Coach Heber Horsley said.
Defensively the Wildcats were powerful as well, netting 35 tackles with eight tackles for loss. They also had four interceptions, two fumble recoveries and nine sacks.
The top defensive players were Carter Steed and Kyden Johnson, who both recorded eight tackles and five of them for losses. Johnson also recorded two sacks and forced a fumble.
Another vast improvement was quarterback Dylan Horsley, who had no turnovers. Horsley was 3-of-6 passing with 61 yards and a long pass of 36 yards.
The Wildcats had six penalties in the first quarter.
Unfortunately, one of their best players, Lester Barlow, was out due to concussion protocol but is expected to play this upcoming Friday.
Player of the game honors went to fullback/middle linebacker Kelsch, who had 112 rushing yards, including a 75-yd TD run, five tackles, two sacks and one INT, wich he returned 31 yds for a TD.
Next up for the Wildcats this Friday is a home game against the Rich Rebels of Randolph, Utah. The game kicks off at 7 p.m.
The Wildcats are now 1-2 for the season with a 1-0 record in the 1A South Region. The Rebels are 1-1 for the season with a 1-1 record for the 1A North Region. They beat Monticello on Aug. 19 26-20 but then lost to Gunnison Valley 33-27 in overtime.
In a strong 1A South Region, the Milford Tigers are now 3-0. They beat Duchesne, Gunnison Valley and North Sevier. Also, Enterprise, now 2-0, won their last game, a close one against Millard in overtime, 27-21.
The Kanab Cowboys are also undefeated with a 3-0 record but barely beating Beaver (22-21) and Millard (18-15). Only Parowan has not won a game in the region, losing 27-21 to Grand County Red Devils and then the Rams were beaten by North Sevier 33-6.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.
Nick Yamashita has extensive experience reporting for small town media, covering a variety of subjects and events for The Virgin River Times and The Progress in Southern Nevada. Before a career in journalism, he worked a variety of jobs in criminal justice systems. Yamashita holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from Southern Utah University. He is an award-winning photographer and writer. He has been published in scholarly articles and poetry compilations. In his spare time, he practices and teaches martial arts.
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