Hawk FB wins final regular season game
Senior Magnus Clawson (17) breaks loose on a 25-yard pass play that lead to the Hawk’s first score of the night. Clawson finished the night with three touchdowns and a total of 151 yards on offense.
Sophomore running back PJ Cook leaves the Union defense in the dust during the Hawks’ 41-14 win over the Cougars last Wednesday.
MT. PLEASANT — North Sanpete man-handled the Union Cougars in the final game of the regular season, winning by a score of 41-14 and giving the Hawks an 8-2 record going into the state playoffs.
It was Senior Night on the Hawk field and 17 football seniors were recognized along with their two senior team managers.
“This group of seniors is seriously the best,” said junior Xander Shelley. “They are some of the most ambitious and hardworking people that I have ever met. Each one of them would do anything for our team and our coaches.”
Along with being honored on the field with their parents, five of the 17 seniors received academic all-region honors including, Brady Jacobson, Parker Lee, Cole Mickel, Rance Christensen, and Andrew Peterson. Jacobson also received recognition as an academic all-state athlete.
The game got underway with North Sanpete receiving the ball and with less than two minutes off the clock sophomore quarterback Ty Allan completed a long pass to Magnus Clawson to give the Hawks their first points of the night.
On the following kick return by the Cougars, Union’s Coy Jackson was hit hard by the Hawks. Jackson laid on the field for several minutes before an ambulance was brought in to take him to Sanpete Valley Hospital.
After the injury both teams had to take a few minutes to get warmed back up before play could resume.
The next points scored came in the second quarter, when the Hawks’ Brady Jacobson completed a 14 yard pass to his sophomore brother Beau Jacobson. “Turns out the backyard ball paid off!” said Beau. “Pretty cool to get my first varsity touchdown pass from my brother.”
After a great interception by Parker Lee, a touchdown pass from Allan to Cole Mickel, and the great kicking ability by Cayton Lewis the Hawks headed into the locker room at halftime with a score of 21-0.
During halftime North Sanpete recognized seniors from golf, boys and girls cross country, and cheer teams as well as those from the marching band. The Region 14 Champion Girls Cross Country team was also recognized.
Four minutes into the third quarter North Sanpete forced a Union fumble and recovered the ball on the Cougar 20-yard line. The play set things up for a one yard touchdown pass from Allen to Brady Jacobsen just a few plays later. North Sanpete missed the PAT, leaving the score at 27-0.
On their next possession, Union was finally able to put points on the board with about two minutes left in the quarter on a 15-yard pass from Boone Latham to Chandler Culp. The Cougar kicker mist the PAT.
The Hawks scored again just a couple of minutes in to the fourth quarter as Tyler Allan nailed a 47-yard pass to Clawson for his third touchdown pass of the night.
On their next possession, Union was able to score again on the Hawks with about four minutes left in the game. They opted to go for a two-point conversion and were successful, leaving the score at 41-14 for the Hawks.
On the kickoff the Cougars attempted an onside kick, which North Sanpete recovered. The Hawks ran the remaining time off the clock to complete the win.
The RPI rankings and playoff brackets came out early Saturday morning giving the Hawks the fifth seed in the state tournament. North Sanpete will host the No. 12 seed Delta Rabbits on Friday at 6pm for the first round of the playoffs.
NOTE: Charles Jackson, the father of the Union player who was injured during the game, stated that Coy had a brain bleed as a result of the hard hit. He was taken by air ambulance to Primary Children’s Medical Center. By the time he arrived, the bleeding had stopped. He was released the next day but is still facing effects of the accident.