Grantsville quarterback Dallan Van Vliet threw for 220 yards and completed a 42-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Riding in the Cowboys Sept. 8 road win against North Sanpete.
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Loading...Grantsville brought its record to 2-3 after shutting out North Sanpete 28-0 Friday evening on the road.
Quarterback Dallan Van Vliet opened the scoring in the second quarter, connecting on a 42-yard-pass to Isaac Riding. Then, Lee Maile converted on a 50-yard, pick-six touchdown later in the quarter, to bring Grantsville’s lead to two touchdowns before the team took a 14-0 lead into the half.
North Sanpete had no answer for the Cowboys over the last 24 minutes of the contest, allowing another two touchdowns over the final two quarters. Dezmond Jones Halliday extended the lead to 21 points on a 14-yard run, with Keegan Kinsman later putting the nail in the 28-0 victory, rushing for a 17-yard-touchdown.
A large part of the game’s storyline was the Cowboys shutting the door on the Hawks all night, allowing only 159 total yards. Conversely, Grantsville’s offense nearly tripled North Sanpete’s total, with 202 passing yards and 182 rushing yards. Of their 402 combined yards, the Cowboys outran their opponent 182-17 yards on the ground.
Leading the way in that category was Halliday, who finished with 77 rushing yards, averaging 8.5 yards-per-carry. Running back Alexander Garcia was right behind Halliday on the statline, recording 71 yards on 16 rushing attempts.
Isaac Riding and Halliday combined for 190 yards, and two touchdowns, to round out the team’s offensive. production. Van Vliet threw for 220 yards to go along with his one touchdown. After the game, coach Kody Byrd said his Van Vliet is settling into the role and the growth he’s shown since assuming the role of starting quarterback.
“I was pleased with his performance, both running and passing,” he said. “He is really getting comfortable in the position and we are starting to see his playmaking ability.”
Byrd added that his expectations of his offense and defense were generally met, but that the defensive unit stood out the most.
“We just need to cut down on our penalties and I think we will be right where we need to be,” he said.
Up next is the Cowboys’ homecoming game against Ben Lomond, on Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. following the 5 p.m. fanfest in Grantsville’s stadium parking lot. The game against the Scots will be another test for the team, which Byrd believes is a challenge his boys can live up to if they execute well.
“Ben Lomond is much improved, and we will have to play a really good game to beat them,” he said. “I am excited to get going on our region season and prepare for the playoffs.”
