As the clock at Dozier Field began to wind down in the first game of the 2011 season Friday night, Kai Smalley paced the sidelines, arms folded, keeping his sideline entertained. He flicked at the visors of two of his players and made them laugh.
The Park City High School head football coach knows it was just one game, and it was one game against a more-than-worthy opponent.
“That is a damn good team right there,” he said. “Tonight’s gotta be a lesson.”
The Miners fell to the visiting Spanish Fork Dons, 26-8, as the duo of quarterback Hayden Nielsen and running back Christian Taele accounted for all four Dons touchdowns. Taele, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound bruiser, ran for 189 yards and two touchdowns.
“They were just more physical than us and came out and wanted it more,” said senior linebacker and offensive lineman John Finch. “They got the little things that made the difference.”
After Spanish Fork jumped out to a 7-0 lead on a two-yard touchdown run by Taele, Park City answered, bringing Dozier Field to its feet as quarterback Paul Flake found wide receiver Heath Vincent open down the seam and the senior went 65 yards untouched for the score. After Flake sneaked in for the two-point conversion, Park City led 8-7 at the 5:16 mark of the first quarter.
That would be the last time the Miners tasted the lead.
Spanish Fork would score twice more in the first half en route to the victory.
“I think we came out expecting them to throw the ball more,” Smalley said. “But it’s all fixable. The silver lining on it is, it’s all fixable. There are some things we could have done better and we will do better. We did it to ourselves.”
As Finch pointed out, “Penalties killed us and that’s never an excuse, but we weren’t ready mentally.”
The Miners were stricken with penalties early and often. Smalley said the offensive line, which has three new starters, wasn’t ready for the fast-paced tempo the spread offense demands.
“There’s no point of us being one foot in, one foot out,” he said. “If we’re going to do it, let’s do it. We’ll get there.”
No penalty was more costly than the yellow flag that erased a memorable individual performance by wide receiver Jono Schettler. Schettler’s remarkable 69-yard run-after-catch with Spanish Fork leading 14-8 in the middle of the second quarter was wiped out by a false start.
The senior hauled in a pass from Flake on the Miners’ sideline, stiff-armed a Dons defensive back multiple times, spun and evaded a couple more defenders before falling into the end zone backward.
“Jono had the most amazing run-after-catch I’ve ever seen and it’s called back,” Smalley said. “That’s just sloppy. We go ahead at that point and we have the momentum.”
Finch, one of the team’s emotional leaders, said afterward that he was disappointed Park City wasn’t able to respond to adversity.
“Almost felt like we were faking it,” he said. “I don’t know.”
Park City’s defense came to life in the second half as the Miners held the Dons to two turnovers-on-downs in the red zone. But penalties continued to plague the offense, one of the more frustrating things on the evening to Smalley.
The little things didn’t go the Miners’ way, either.
Twice, as they were in striking distance deep in Spanish Fork territory, the Miners weren’t able to capitalize. On a fourth-and-sixth on the Dons 20-yard line, Park City lined up senior Drue Olsen in the “Wildcat” formation, but Park City wasn’t able to convert in what Smalley called “a busted play” and turned the ball over on downs.
“I’m going to stand by our decisions because those are the same plays that are going to win us games later on,” he said. “I think it’s important teams respect us.”
After the defense held Spanish Fork again, Park City marched down to the Spanish Fork 16-yard line. On a fourth-and-seven, Flake floated a pass to senior Blake Wiehe who rose up in double coverage and nearly hauled in the pass for a touchdown, but the ball bounced out.
“We were still competing in the last quarter,” Smalley said. “I’m going to go for that last score every time. I’m not going to take a knee and get out of there.”
Smalley said Vincent was one of the shining stars in the loss, starring on offense, defense and special teams. Assistant coach David Rice implemented a rugby-style punt play and Vincent executed well throughout the night, Smalley said.
He also singled out Olsen and junior James Morris who were starting their first game as cornerbacks at the varsity level.
Park City now moves on to face Stansbury High School Friday in Tooele. The Stallions walloped Uintah last Friday 37-0 in Vernal.
Stansbury’s triple-option offense will test the Miners, but Smalley said he’s ready for the challenge.
“We’ve got to know they’re going to run the ball and we just have to stop them,” he said. “When people can run the ball, it takes the wind out of your sails really quick.
“I’m excited to see what we do next week. I tell these kids all the time, ‘You just don’t show up and do it.'”
Added Finch: “This game is over. We’re going to Stansbury like we’re 0-0.”