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Show irsdav, October 25, 1984 Page CI ' ' T V K2?fcMiiif I eft ! - - .... ,-.-.. - My w - , u VCX r- v 4 .':- , , f. - r- r Now Erich Fouse knows what an Oreo feels like. Two Wildcats perform the sandwich job on a Miner kickoff return. Miners beaten, but not overwhelmed by top-ranked Wildcats runs put the Miners on the Wildcat 28, looking for a score. But a fumble by Palmer, possibly due to the cold weather, ended the drive. The Wildcats used that momentum momen-tum to begin a march of their own. Runs by Beardon pushed the ball down the field until Miner defense stiffened and forced a punt. However, Miner Eric Olson got out Park City's defense then suffered a letdown, allowing the Wildcats to march the length of the field. The drive ended with a four-yard quarterback sneak by Mitchell for the score. The missed PAT made it 12-0 at the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter it was clear the Miners had spent their emotional reserves, and were fading fast. by Handy Ilanskat On a snow-covered field which resembled the old setting for Minnesota Vikings games, the Park City High School football team went down to its fifth defeat of the season last Thursday to the South Summit Wildcats, 18-0. But don't let that score fool you. Although the temperatures were cold, around 28 degrees, the Miner defense was hot, holding the top ranked 1A team in the state virtually scoreless through the first half. The only Wildcat scoring came on a 65-yard punt return. Discounting that play, the Park City defense held the highly-touted W ildcat offense to only two scores on the day, thanks to aggressive " defensive play by the likes of Matt Burnett, Todd Mather and other Miners. And the Park City offense had its chances, as it has all season. It was again a case of not converting excellent field position when the Miners had it. Turnovers were painful. Miner Coach Bob Burns said he thought his team played close to its capability. "The problem was we were outsized dramatically," he explained. Burns said South Summit fullback Shannon Beardon weighed 100 pounds more than the Park City linebackers. That kind of mismatch wore down the Miner players as the game progressed. But for the most part Park City delivered bigger hits than the team has all season long. Matt Burnett, playing safety, set the tone on the Wildcats' first pass attempt. South Summit quarterback Shane Mitchell threw over the middle to his favorite target, Craig Rydalch, one of the best 1A receivers in the state. At the moment that the ball arrived, Burnett delivered a crushing hit with his shoulders which knocked the ball from the larger South Summit player. With that kind of hitting, Rydalch was not a real factor in the game. Park City's running game was ineffective against South Summit. V ' - ii v I l -y . ... " A ... 'f . ' '" ' .... v ; Doesn't that ball just wanna make you say 'Gimme'? Just ask Miner receiver Craig Griffin. He's in the middle of this gang of Wildcats, as cohort Greg King (81) comes up to lend a hand. photos by Randy Ilanskat So, once again, passes from Miner quarterback Jay W orley to split end Craig Griffin provided the principal Park City offense. Due to the cold, the Miners kept statistics only through the third quarter, but the totals for Park City are fairly close to complete as the Miners gained little in the final stanza. Fullback Erich Fouse ran for 37 yards on 13 carries, while Geoff Palmer added 12 on six carries. W orley had four completions in 12 attempts, with two interceptions. The game's first quarter was a defensive battle, as neither team was able to mount a sustained drive. The only offense was generated by Shane Mitchell, who in addition to handling the quarterback duties, returns punts for the Wildcats. Mitchell fielded an Ocey Leavitt punt at his own 35 midway through the quarter, with a bevy of Miners bearing down on him. Most of that coverage overran the play, however, and Mitchell broke left and galloped up the sideline untouched for the score. The missed conversion made it 6-0 for South Summit. There was no other scoring in that first half, but Park City had two good opportunities to one for the Wildcats. At the beginning of the second quarter W orley faced a third and six .situation at his own 41, where he dropped back and hit Griffin for a 22-yard gain down to the South Summit 37. A penalty and two Fouse of position and as he tried to catch the punt the ball hit him on the helmet instead of the hands. South Summit recovered the miscue at the "Park City 32, and had new life. Mitchell bootlegged to the Miner 12, but a Beardon fumble at the eight was recovered by Todd Mather of Park City to end the drive. Later, when South Summit had the ball again, Miner Bruce Buckner forced and recovered another fumble, fum-ble, giving the Miners the ball at the Park City 36 with about two minutes left. From there two catches by Griffin moved the Miners down to the Wildcat 36 with about a minute left. But then Mitchell, who also plays comerback for the W ildcats, picked off an errant W orley pass at the 14 to end the half, and the Miner drive. After some strong defense at the start of the second half, particularly a quarterback sack by Todd Mather, the Miners were driving again. But a pass from WT orley was tipped by Griffin into the hands of a South Summit defender for the interception at the Wildcat 17. South Summit scored one more time with about six minutes left in the quarter on a nine-yard run by Rydalch on the tight-end around to make the score 18-0. Following another Miner punt, the Wildcats were on the move again, but defensive back Brian McRey-nolds McRey-nolds ended the drive by literally pulling the ball out of the hands of South Summit back Travis Crittenden Critten-den and recovering the fumble at the nine yard line. That ended the game. Despite their 1-2 record in region play, the Miners can still make the playoffs if they beat South Rich this Friday at South Rich. Should they win, they would have to play East Carbon in a playoff qualifying game next Tuesday at 3 p.m. in Orem. The winner of that game would then get the unenviable opportunity of meeting South Summit in the first round of the state playoffs But first South Rich must be conquered. Bums said the Trojans run the wishbone offense, which the Miners have already seen this year against North Sevier and North Summit. |