by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The San Juan High School football team cruised to a 61-7 win over Delta in Delta this past Friday, September 19.
It was the Broncos’ second blowout win in a row and improves them to 5-1 on the season.
Other than a couple trips into the San Juan red zone early in the game the Rabbits were never a threat.
Bronco running back Jagger Nieves was unstoppable, running for 191 yards and five touchdowns in the win.
Quarterback Beau Yeomans had another excellent night, passing for 322 yards and two touchdowns.
He avoided throwing an interception for the second straight game and was 24-for-34, completing 70 percent of his pass attempts.
Wide receiver Tripp Palmer had four catches for 112 yards and scored both of the touchdowns. Nieves caught eight passes out of the backfield for 84 yards.
Nache Young had three catches for 54 yards, Brigg Palmer had six for 38 yards, and Miken Keith had one 23-yard catch.
Backup running back Jayce Raisor carried the ball four times for 78 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The San Juan offense racked up 597 yards and scored on eight of their nine possessions, including their first seven.
They were only stopped once, late in the game after the JV offense had taken over the game.
The defense held Delta to just 357 yards of total offense. Jonas Jeppeson led the team with eight tackles in the win.
Four players collected seven tackles each: George McNaughtan, Brigg Palmer, Quincy Singer, and Max Stearns.
San Juan had four takeaways in the game and did not turn the ball over for the second straight game.
That pushes them into the positive in the turnover department, with 13 takeaways on the season and ten turnovers.
Several Broncos are making lots of noise in the state of Utah and across the nation.
Jagger Nieves’s 1,070 rushing yards on the season leads the state and is currently 20th in the nation.
His 144 points scored leads the state by a whopping 54 points and is second in the nation. And his 23 touchdowns not only leads the state by five but also leads the nation.
After four slow weeks in the passing game to start the season and impressive past two weeks, suddenly Beau Yeomans is among the top quarterbacks in the nation.
His 1,740 passing yards ranks sixth in the state and 11th in the nation. His 1,885 total yards is seventh in Utah and 17th nationwide.
Tripp Palmer’s 673 receiving yards is sixth in the state and George McNaughtan’s eight sacks is seventh.
San Juan is gearing up for a big test on the road this week, against 3A Manti.
The Templars are 3-3 on the season and have lost two in a row, but those losses came against the #1 and #3 teams in the 3A classification in Cedar and Richfield.
Manti is currently the fourth-ranked team in the 3A and this matchup will clearly be the Broncos’ toughest challenge in the final four weeks of the regular season.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Friday, September 26 in Manti and you can catch all the action live on Redrock 92 Radio with video on StreamUtah.Live starting at 6:30.
Members of the team include: (top row, left to right) George McNaughtan, Cash Palmer, Grady Lacy, DeJay Willis, Remy Whatcott, Trai Bass, Easton Knight, Peyton Pehrson, Keilan Hutchins, Thomas Hardin, Trey Bradford, Boston Bowers, Pearce Holliday, Liam Lacy, Logan Williams, Gaige Palmer, Cameron Adair, Beau Yeomans, Nate Turek, Durham Callahan, Tallon McArthur, Boston Monson, Bronx Black, Landon Turk, Adney Singer, Benny Long, Keahlano Benally, Kreed Herring, Carter Knight. Middle: Tyler Jacobsen, Cole Duke, Jagger Nieves, Ryus Blackhorse, Stetson Black, Kai Fox, Jayce Raisor, Jevyn White, Camden Crofts, Jace Walker, Kooper Laws, Randall Black, Trace Bilbao, Jett Richmond, Dawson Laws, Brigg Palmer, Max Stearns, Milaki Dayzie, Kyler Steve, Jacob Benally, Payton Bedoni, Wayne Sprague, Ruger Shumway, Kade Snyder, Ayden Denny, Finn Tomco, Hastiin Vallenzuela, Evan Bradford. Bottom: Nache Young, Tripp Palmer, Jonas Jeppeson, Andrew Nielson, Miken Keith, Danny Price, Staley Dandy, Cian Mark, Ammon Chee, Hannah Todachini, Deandre Antez, Stan Jones, Ayden Urbalejo, Aundre Yellow, Teagan Palmer, Daryan Holliday, and Ian Mark. Brooke Pehrson photo
San Juan football team tramples Rabbits on the road, improves to 5-1
