An overcast Friday night at Dozier Field didn’t produce any storms, but Park City’s football team had its own version of thunder and lightning between running backs Will McCurdy and Brayden Beyer against Maple Mountain.
Two long touchdown runs from McCurdy and Beyer helped guide the Miners past Maple Mountain in a 26-7 win. Park City is 2-0 on the season after Friday’s win, and the Miners will host Green Canyon next week. Strong performances from Park City’s defense and the Miners’ rushing attack were enough to secure the victory.
“So proud of them,” Park City coach Josh Montzingo said. “It was a lot of fun tonight, (a) lot of good efforts out there. But also just a great team win. Way to rally around each other and pick each other up.”
First, there was lightning. McCurdy took a handoff from quarterback Chase Beyer and found a lane on the right side of the field. McCurdy used his speed to burst past the Maple Mountain defense for a 70-yard score on Park City’s first offensive snap of the game.
“It was a brand-new play that we put in,” McCurdy said. “And right when I got it, there was just no one there. So, I kind of knew. I was, like, ‘Oh, this is it,’ so it was nice.”
Thunder came in the second quarter. Brayden Beyer exploded through the line, shrugged off a couple of would-be tacklers and found plenty of green turf along the Park City sideline. The senior raced his way to the end zone for a 62-yard touchdown to give Park City a 14-7 lead at halftime.
“I had some great blocks,“ Brayden Beyer said. “I saw a little seam – all my linemen, all my boys. I had my receivers block with me downfield, so really, it’s just all the blocking and all my teammates.”
Both backs bring different elements to Park City’s offense. McCurdy is faster and more elusive, while Brayden Beyer, who also plays linebacker, runs with more tenacity. Along with senior Mason Grover, Park City has plenty of versatility in its rushing attack.
“Dynamic stuff,” Montzingo said. “One guy can bruise you, plus he can run away from you. And the other guy can just flat run out and go around you. Having those two things stresses the defense so much, then allows us to throw more.”
“We all just have that connection,” McCurdy added. “We know where each other are going, we’ll have each other’s back. And it’s really fun to be back there with them.”
Brayden Beyer increased Park City’s lead to 13 in the third quarter when he caught a quick pass from his brother and found some space on the outside of the field. He made his way into the end zone for his second touchdown of the night.
The senior’s performance on offense didn’t take away any of his effectiveness on defense, either. In addition to scoring two touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball, Brayden Beyer recorded a sack and then came down with an interception late in the fourth quarter. His efforts played a big role in the Miners’ defense posting a second-half shutout for the second week in a row and limiting a Maple Mountain offense that scored 41 points last week to just seven.
“The kid’s a special player,” Montzingo said. “That kid is one of the better players in the state, no doubt about that.”
The big runs from Brayden Beyer and McCurdy helped make up for several missed opportunities for Park City’s offense. The Miners came up with two interceptions on the Maple Mountain side of the field, but they failed to score any points. Several more drives deep into Golden Eagles territory ended with zero points.
But Grover finally put the game away for Park City with an 11-yard rushing touchdown to put Park City up 26-7 with under four minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Grover’s score capped off a big night for Park City’s backfield.
“(The running backs) were big in there,” Montzingo said. “It was tough. There wasn’t a lot of room to work. And then when Mason just put that final nail at the end, just kind of softened it off even more. He really stepped up when we needed him there.”