Rams Run Over Bountiful In Region Opener

Highland set the tone early in their first region game of the season at Bountiful last Friday with a 90 yard burst from senior Jake Boren for a score. A first half which contained dominant play from Highland on both sides of the ball set the Rams up for a great second half as they cruised to a 23-0 lead at halftime. The defense stayed strong as the game went on not giving up a score until the final minutes while the offense added two additional touchdowns, even with most key starters leaving the game at the conclusion of the third quarter. The rams left the field with a 37-7 win bringing their record to 3-1, winning their last two.

A breakout game last week from senior quarterback James Pembroke had Highland hopeful for another successful offensive attack this game, but this time Pembroke had help. Boren ran for 135 yards to go along with his two touchdowns, while Pembroke also added two, both in the first half.

After Boren’s huge run in the first quarter, the two offenses went back and forth hardly gaining any ground on possessions with multiple punts coming one after another. This went on until the Rams had Bountiful pinned deep in their own territory, and the defense pushed the Braves back once again, which resulted in a safety, making the score 9-0.

With the ball back in their hands after the kick due to the safety, Pembroke lead the Rams down the field and finished the drive up the middle for a 15 yard run to make the score 16-0. Another stall from the Braves offense gave the Rams the ball back with another chance to put points up before half. They moved steadily up the field, boosted by a 20 yard gain through the air to Elijah Shelton, and capped off by a pass to senior Lilo Clark in the flat to put the Rams up 23-0 at the break.

The defense never wavered in the second half determined to keep the Braves far away from any come-back possibilities. The defense finished with seven sacks on the night, one of which was the safety from the second quarter. This stout performance was also seen in the late stages of last week’s game against Skyview as the Rams defense held their ground in a clutch moment to put the game away.

“I’m very, very impressed and excited about our defense,” said head coach Brody Benson. “The defensive front especially, we had a lot of tackles for loss, and we had a number of plays in the back field.”

At the end of the third quarter Highland carried a 30-0 lead, so the back-ups entered the game to finish it off. But not even the secondary players were going to let anything by them easy, holding the Braves to a shut out until the last two minutes of the game.

“We had a lot of guys cycled through,” Benson said. “It’s good to see some of the younger guys making plays on the defensive side as well.”

The Rams look to keep running as they come back to Highland for their Homecoming game against Box elder this Friday the 16^th.