Payson was without its starting quarterback Kade Edwards and turned to wide receiver Dylan Wall to be their signal caller.

Wall filled in admirably and actually put Payson on the scoreboard first when he hit Remek Renzello on a 43-yard scoring connection. The Lions gave up the lead as Stansbury scored the next 24 points but Cooper Swasey hauled in another long pass from Wall to make the game 24-14 at halftime.

Stansbury tacked on two more third quarter scores to forge ahead 38-14 and then things got even worse for Payson when Wall was injured late in the third quarter. This forced the Lions to turn to running back Jaxon Bulkley, who made some nice runs but couldn’t connect on his lone pass attempt.

Stansbury was able to tack on two more scores in the final stanza to make the final margin 52-14 in a game that was much closer than the score indicated.

Stansbury’s Dylan Hamilton caught four touchdown passes from Ezra Harris. The Stallion quarterback also ran for another score. Brock Wilson had a 35-yard scoring run while Luke Daynes scored on a 4-yard run, nailed a 33-yard field goal and was 7-for-7 on extra points to add to the Stansbury scoring barrage.

Payson head coach Arnold Ale knew that the cards were stacked against his team with the injuries but he still had high expectations for his team to compete well against the undefeated Stallions.

“We had some guys out, but no excuses,” said Ale. “They are the (defending region) champs for a reason.”

Ale still had high praises for his team and the seniors.

“We definitely earned their respect,” Ale said. “We looked them right in the eye as we shook their hands (after the game). I’m very proud of our seniors. They have had four different head coaches, but they have never given up.”

Even with the loss Payson has secured its first winning season since 1978 and has the community buzzing for the approaching 5A state playoffs.

Next up for the Lions (6-3, 4-2) will be a game at Mountain View (1-8, 1-5) while Stansbury (9-0, 6-0) will make a second straight trip to Utah County to take on Timpanogos (7-2, 4-2). Both games will be on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. to accommodate the fall break for most of the state’s school districts.

Brian E. Preece, Herald correspondent