The Malad Dragon football took to the football field in Soda Springs on a chilly, wet night to face off against the Cardinals Friday, September 22.  In their first conference matchup of the season, the MHS football team came onto the field pumped to play and stepped off the field pumped to have one more win to their name.

The Dragons kicked off as the game clock began its countdown of the opening quarter.  The Cardinal offense made small steady gains to make their way down the field in their first drive of the game, but every once in a while, Malad would bring in a big stop to slow their momentum.  In one such play, #16, senior Hunter Wray rushed the line of scrimmage, blowing through a hole previously made by the defensive line.  With a wide open lane, Wray sprinted to the unknowing quarterback, nailing him with a tackle he wouldn’t soon forget and dropping him back for a loss in yards.  

The defensive line stepped up big to both stop any chance of pushing the ball up the middle of the field, as well as putting pressure on the Cardinal quarterback to force hurried passes.  Just as Soda Springs were beginning to have a hope for a score, the Dragons put a stop to any gains and forced them to turn the ball over.  On a 4th down with only 3 yards to gain and a touchdown within range, the MHS d-line held the line to keep the Cardinals from the short gain they needed for a first down and turn over possession to the Dragon offense.  

With the Soda Springs goalline right at their backs, the Dragon offense had a lot of field to make up on their opening drive.  Before they could even go more than a couple of plays, the clock rang out to close out the first quarter, ending it with both teams scoreless.

Stepping back on the field to begin the second quarter, Dragon quarterback Braylen Tripp tried to make quick work to move his offense down the field, connecting with Timmy Jensen with a pass to the outside for a short gain.  Mirroring the previous play, Tripp found Ryan Hubbard on the outside, making a catch through the defenders hands to keep from turning over the ball.  On the next down, the Dragons tried pushing the ball up the middle but couldn’t quite make the first down, leading to them punt on their final down.

Over the next several drives, the two teams traded possession of the ball, making little headway as they attempted to move towards the end zone.  The Dragon defense put up some big tackles by Mayson Brees, Wray, Sawyer Poulson, Dylan Moss, and Caleb Matthews, working together to take down the Cardinal ball carriers.  As the minutes ticked down to half time, Soda Springs had a series of successful downs to put them in scoring territory.  While the Dragon defense was bringing the pressure, the Cardinal’s quarterback hurled the ball towards the end zone, connecting with his receiver who stepped over the goalline to put the first points on the scoreboard with only seconds left.  The Dragons kept their opponents from two extra points, ending the first half with the score 0-6.

Coming back after the halftime break, the two teams’ defenses dominated the game as both offenses went just three downs before being forced to punt.  Malad found a little fortune as they punted on their second drive of the half that turned the game on its head.  As the punt was sailing through the air deep in the backfield, the Dragon special teams sprinted down the field.  The ball took a lucky bounce, flipping up on the leg of the kickoff returner.  Before he ever knew what was happening, Malad was on the ball recovering it to return their offense to the field on the 15 yard line.

Energized by the play, the offense began eating up the yards to the endzone.  Wray was stopped just short of the goal line as he punched his way up through the middle, followed by another stop as Tripp attempted a quarterback keep to run it in.  After a quick time out to finesse the details, Tripp gave it one more try, easily finding a path into the end zone to tie up the game.  The Dragons took the lead, 8-6, as they ran the ball in for two extra points.

With momentum on their side, the Malad defense brought a new intensity and pressure that the Soda Springs team simply couldn’t handle.  The d-line put up their “Dragon Wall” keeping the running game at a standstill.  As the Cardinals turned to pass, the rushing defenders put intense pressure on the quarterback, forcing rushed passes that Hubbard was able to twice, get a finger on and bat down.  Lex Driskel had a huge hit, laying out the quarterback just as he got rid of the ball to end their drive and give possession back to Malad.

As the game moved into the fourth quarter, the Dragon offense converted on downs play after play.  Moving into the redzone, Malad pushed the ball to inches from the goal line before Hubbard pushed through for the touchdown, made possible as Poulsen came in for a big block to make a clear path for Hubbard’s run.  The Dragons ran the ball in again for two extra points, extending their lead 16-6.  

Taking the field again, the Malad defense held the Soda Springs drive and forced them to go out on their 4th down.  The Cardinal defense brought a similar intensity, forcing a punt on Malad’s own 4th down just plays later.  With a few minutes left in the game, the MHS defensive coverage stepped up, allowing little time to throw and no receivers to throw to.  Thinking he had found an opening, the Soda Springs quarterback attempted a short pass that Hubbard picked off for an interception.  The Dragon offense finished out the game, running out the clock to win 16-6.

Totaling up the stats sheet, the MHS team tallied 159 offensive yards, 114 rushing and 45 passing.  With another win to their record, the Malad Dragons now stand at 4-2.  Their schedule next sets them to play at home against their conference opponent, the Aberdeen Tigers, on September 29.