The Park City Miners escaped the Timpanogos Timberwolves in an absolute nail-biter Friday night at Dozier Field. Taking a 21-0 lead well into the third quarter, Park City eventually had to make a last second, goal line stand to fend off Timpanogos, and advance to the 4A state semifinals.
These semifinals will be held down at Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium, with the Miners kicking the first game off Thursday at 6 p.m. They’ll be facing off against a Green Canyon Wolves team that’s coming in off a monumental upset of the one-seed Sky View. Green Canyon also won a girls soccer state title over Park City just weeks ago, and it’s possible these Miners will be looking to exact some revenge.
With a smile draped over his face after the win Friday, Miners Head Coach Josh Montzingo talked some early strategy, saying, “We’ll take a look at the next opponent, and see what we’ve got. This week we felt like that (a balanced attack) was something good against all their athletes on the field, and we could kind of out-muscle, and it worked out well tonight for us.”
Montzingo will also have the task of allowing his team to enjoy the moment, while also remaining focused on the task ahead. Park City last played down in Rice-Eccles in 2019, then losing in the finals to Sky View, and it was an experience Athletic Director Jamie Sheetz said players and those around the program still discuss to this day.
“It’s been awhile,” said Montzingo. “It’s one of your goals for everybody in the state, and we’re excited to be there!”
Following the Miners’ strip and recovery on that game-ending goal line stand and after the clock had run out, multiple players including standout defensive end and offensive newcomer Ben Beatty dropped to a knee and soaked in all their emotions.
Standout pass-rusher and vocal senior leader Andy Watanabe even rushed toward Park Record photographer David Jackson, who was on the sidelines shooting the game, offering him a sweaty hug.
An added emotional factor was the loss of senior tackling machine Blake Tabaracci, who suffered a gruesome appearing right leg injury on the final play of the first half.
Montzingo touched upon what he described as a “horrible” injury, and how his team was able to manage those emotions, saying, “I think we rallied around him. We wanted to make sure we went and finished this game for him a little bit. But at the same time, it’s a huge loss and it made the defense a little bit harder, but they played their hearts out tonight. Just next man in all over the place.”
The Miners will have to keep filling Tabaracci’s shoes via committee the same way they powered their offense against Timpanogos to advance to the state championship. Green Canyon appears to have found their stride offensively in recent weeks, which should provide an excellent matchup with Park City’s vaunted defense.
Tickets for the game will be available on GoFan, for $5 (students and seniors) and $10 (everyone else), as well as likely in-person at the stadium. If Park City’s magical run continues, they’ll be suiting up once again on Nov. 17, against the winner of Crimson Cliffs and Ridgeline.
