It was a tough loss for the Malad Dragon football team as they were defeated on the road in Ashton, Idaho as they went up against the North Fremont Huskies on Friday, September 8.  Despite their earnest efforts and hard work the MHS team couldn’t surpass the Huskies superior football team, who once again demonstrated why they are leading the 2A conference standings.

The Dragons kicked off to start the game, giving North Fremont possession of the ball.  The Huskies played the game of consistent gains on their opening drive, that ended in their first touchdown of the game.  North Fremont made their way down the field on both rushing and passing plays, an offense that proved to be a force to reckon with.

As Malad took possession of the ball after the Huskies initial score of the game, they learned that moving to the end zone would be an uphill battle each step of the way.  The North Fremont defense did well to hold the line, making it difficult to make any significant gains.  On the Dragon’s first drive of the game, the offense found some success moving the line of scrimmage ahead on short runs.  

Quarterback Braylen Tripp had the largest gain of the drive as he sprinted passed the 50 yard line after the defense flushed him out of the pocket where he found an opening to move his team into Husky territory.  Unfortunately, the Dragons weren’t able to convert on a fourth down and were forced to punt.  The first drives of the game were a true indicator of how tough the North Fremont team was and just what it was going to take to beat them.

Coach Coby Crozier commented on the Husky football team, saying, “North Fremont is a very well coached team that has been running the same offense for a long time.  Their kids were not going to overlook us and they came out in their homecoming game ready to go.”

Willing to step up to the challenge, the Dragons never let up offensively or defensively.  As a team, Malad totaled 168 offensive yards, 114 rushing and 54 passing.  Tripp contributed 57 rushing yards and 48 passing.  Brady Showell added 21 yards rushing, 39 yards receiving and 6 passing.  Ryan Hubbard totalled 12 yards rushing and 15 yards receiving.  Hunter Wray brought in 19 yards rushing and Timmy Jensen had an additional 5 yard rushing.

The special teams played their part well as they worked to defensively, stop the return deep in the backfield and offensively as they moved their way to an advantageous position to begin their drive.  Coach Crozier congratulated his special teams saying, “We had a lot of great returns on our special teams, putting us in good field position multiple times.”

Midway through the fourth quarter, North Fremont kicked off after adding a touchdown to their score making it 0-32.  Showell, returning the kick, started making his way down field, breaking through tackles and taking advantage of well opened spaces for him to run.  Just as he was about to blow passed the final defense, he was tackled, taken down at the Husky 43 yard line.  

With great positioning, the Dragons began their drive, pushing their way down the field to the end zone.  Making incremental gains on each play, Malad was converting on downs and scoring opportunities were coming fast.  Hubbard, Tripp, Jensen, and Showell contributed to drive down to just two yards from the goal line.  On 2nd and fourth, Tripp handed the ball off to Wray who held the ball tight and tucked up through the middle to break through the North Fremont defensive line and punch in a Dragon touchdown.  North Fremont answered the Malad score with a last touchdown of their own, making the final score 6-48.

Commenting on the game, Coach Crozier said, “We had some opportunities on offense but just couldn't get the ball rolling. Defensively we were just struggling to stop their power offense.”  Looking ahead he shared, “We need to remember that we have to be able to do our base play well if we want to succeed.  But our boys are ready to forget the loss and move on to West jefferson.  They are a team that is hungry for a win and we have to come out ready to go, right from the start.”

The Dragons will play West Jefferson Friday, September 15 in their homecoming matchup.  The game will also feature the homecoming royalty and performances from the Dragonettes and Malad Cheer Team.