Prior to South Summit’s road showdown against the Manti Templars Friday, Wildcats head coach Jerry Parker said his team had to do three things in order to have a shot at emerging triumphant.

“Get first downs, cut down on the penalties and win the turnover battle,” he said. “I don’t think we succeeded in any of them.”

The South Summit High School football team fell to Manti 30-12 Friday, dropping the Wildcats to 3-3 this season.

Quarterback Matt Rydalch was 13-of-24 for 118 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Running back Hayden Packard was the leading rusher for the Wildcats, totaling 41 yards on six carries. Tailback Jay Reidhead (seven receptions, 47 yards) and wideout Korey Woolstenhulme (four receptions, 39 yards) had impressive nights catching the ball.

The Wildcats were within striking distance at halftime, behind by only eight points, but Parker said the Templars were able to sustain drives often in the third quarter, and eventually put the game away.

“Manti is big,” he said. “They’re just big and they played really well and we couldn’t stop them defensively. The whole second half it seemed like they had the ball.”

Parker said his team must focus on its penchant for penalties with three games left on the schedule.

“Usually it’s holding or clipping,” he said. “It’s always the big ones. It’s rarely offsides or a motion call.”

Asked to assess where his team sits at this point in the season, Parker was blunt.

“I think we’re on the fence,” he said. “We thought somewhere along the season we’d be on the fence, but now we’re 3-3 on the fence. If we struggle against Coalville and Emery, we’re really on the fence. I think this week is crucial.”

Crucial and exciting.

The Wildcats host cross-county rival North Summit Friday at Wildcat Stadium. Both the Wildcats and Braves are 3-3 this season and, more so than bragging rights for the next year, each team badly needs a region win.

“We always have incentive against Coalville,” Parker said. “We don’t like to lose to them. This senior bunch got throttled by them when they were freshman.

“It’ll be interesting to see how they (the Braves) play. They got a big win and they should have a lot of confidence. It’ll be interesting to see if we come to play.”

Parker praised North Summit senior quarterback Keegan McQueen, saying his raw talent is a major plus for the Braves.

“Keegan’s a great athlete,” he said. “He just does everything well.”

At a crossroads in their season, the South Summit Wildcats need a victory to catapult them into the playoff picture, but the able Braves stand in the way.

“Those Coalville kids, they play hard. They bring it, especially against us,” Parker said. “The stands will be packed, and half of them will be from Coalville. It’s a good healthy rivalry. We like it.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Wildcat Stadium in Kamas.