There was a glimmer of hope for just a few fleeting minutes for the Park City High School football team against archrival Wasatch.
Down 21-15, the Miners received a gift when, instead of running out the clock, Wasatch quarterback Adarius Edwards threw an interception, giving Park City the ball in Wasatch territory with under a minute to go.
But Park City couldn’t take advantage, and quarterback Chase Beyer’s desperate heave into the end zone on fourth down was broken up to seal the win for the Wasps. Missed opportunities and mistakes were abundant for Park City in the 21-15 loss.
“Multiple times tonight, we kind of were our own worst enemy,” Park City coach Josh Montzingo said. “I felt like Park City beat Park City tonight. Too many unforced errors, too many penalties, we’ve got to clean that up.”
After Park City’s first drive ended in a turnover on downs deep in Wasatch territory, the Miners eventually scored the game’s first points late in the first quarter under bizarre circumstances. Beyer had to come off the field for a play when a cut opened on his elbow, thrusting backup Blake Tabaracci into the game. Tabaracci caught the Wasatch defense off guard and threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to put Park City in the lead 6-0 after the extra point was blocked.
“He did a pretty nice job,” Montzingo said. “Blake stepped up tonight. That was a big-time play there as a sophomore, I’m really proud of him.”
Wasatch immediately countered with a touchdown drive of its own, marching downfield before taking the lead on an Edwards rushing touchdown on fourth down from the 1-yard line.
Park City was poised to retake the lead on the ensuing drive, but a holding penalty wiped a touchdown off the board. Holding penalties haunted Park City all night long, but this one was especially costly, as the Miners had to settle for a field goal to take a 9-7 lead. Wasatch scored another touchdown before halftime to take a 14-9 lead into the locker room.
Injuries also started to mount for Park City, as running backs Max Alford and Mason Grover both left the game with injuries. Alford was seen on the Park City sideline in crutches with ice on his knee. Montzingo said that he didn’t know the extent of the injury and that the team was being cautious.
“It does make a difference because now you’re calling on guys who weren’t necessarily expecting to be called upon tonight,” Montzingo said. “But also as far as depth, we’re going against a team that’s going high tempo and they’re playing a lot of plays.”
Park City’s defense held off Wasatch’s offense to start the second half thanks to a holding penalty, and the Miners took the lead back when wide receiver Sam Alford hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass, though the two-point conversion failed, leaving the lead at 15-14.
Wasatch ultimately took the lead for good when a screen pass on third-and-7 in Park City territory turned into seven points. The Miners’ defense was much better against the Wasps this year than last year when it gave up 49 points, but the touchdown was a backbreaker.
Park City had a lengthy drive in the fourth quarter with several key runs from Carson Tabaracci, but penalties struck again for the Miners. A first down from Wasatch’s 13-yard line soon turned into a first-and-59 in their own territory. Park City went from nearly scoring and taking the lead late in the game to throwing an interception.
Between that drive and the Miners’ final chance in the dying seconds of the game, Park City felt like it left plenty of points on the board against Wasatch.
“We got to make sure we’re taking care of the details,” Montzingo said. “We can’t gloss over the little things – holding, turnovers, those kind of things, missed tackles. All the details matter.”