There was plenty of bad news for the Pleasant Grove Spartans in the first half of Friday's 5A second round playoff game at Russellville..
Coach Darrell LeBeaux' team committed a litany of mistakes, including snaps over the quarterback's head, missed defensive assignments and costly penalties that caused two touchdowns to be called back on the same drive.
The bad news for Russellville? Even with Pleasant Grove's multiple miscues, the Spartans still led 22-7 at halftime.
Pleasant Grove went on to advance to the third round with a 37-14 road victory.
Coach John Ritter's Golden Tigers moved inside the Pleasant Grove 20 yard line twice in the first quarter, but one drive ended with a sack. The next Russellville possession stalled at the Spartan 11, but Manny Martinez' field goal attempt was blocked and returned 89 yards for a touchdown by Camren Wormley.
What could have been a 7-3 game late in the first quarter turned into a 15-0 Pleasant Grove lead on one play.
The Spartans sacked Russellville quarterback Harrison Burch four times in the first half, and two of those came on third down plays.
After a Russellville punt, Pleasant Grove took over at its own 29 with 8:50 left in the half.
The Spartans needed only five plays to score their third touchdown. Eric Handley's screen pass to Kyron Burroughs went for 40 yards down to the Russellville 12. On the next play, Handley hit Rashad Sager for another touchdown, and Pleasant Grove led 22-0 with 7:04 left.
The next Golden Tiger drive ended with a bad snap on a fourth and one from the Spartan nine-yard line. But Russellville's defense forced a three-and-out, and the Golden Tigers took over at the Spartan 42.
On third down, Burch found a wide open Tilmon Baker for a 42-yard touchdown . The PAT made it 22-7, and that's how it went to halftime.
To start the second half, Russellville recovered an onside kick at the Pleasant Grove 49. Two plays later, Burch appeared to connect with Randall Johnson in stride inside the Spartan 20, but Johnson dropped the pass and the Golden Tigers punted one play later.
What could have been a game-changing play with the onside kick was erased and Pleasant Grove's offense soon took advantage.
Sager hauled in a slant from Handley and raced down to the Russellville 24. Three plays later, Collin Moore scored and the Spartans led 30-7 after Clarence Taylor hauled in the two-point conversion with 7:40 remaining in the third.
After a Russellville fumble gave Pleasant Grove good field position at the RHS 48, the Golden Tiger defense stopped a fourth-down play and the offense returned to the field for a drive starting at the Russellville 39.
Three plays later, the Spartans recovered another Golden Tiger fumble and Derrick Davis Jr., found the end zone from 12 yards out three plays later. The PAT was good and Pleasant Grove led 37-7.
With 8:02 left, Burch again found Baker wide open for a big play down to the Spartan three. Two plays later, Baker caught his second TD as he was all alone in the left corner of the end zone. Martinez' PAT made it 37-14.
Pleasant Grove improved to 10-1, with its only blemish a 21-14 Week Three loss to Ramsay, another team still alive in the 5A playoffs. The Spartans have reached the 5A Championship the past three years, only to lose in the finals, and they are two wins away from another opportunity at a Blue Map.
Russellville finished 7-5, including a 6-0 record in Region 8.
It was the final game for a talented group of Golden Tiger seniors. In the past four seasons, the Golden Tigers have won three consecutive Region 8 championships, with a 23-2 Region 8 record.
The Golden Tigers' overall record the past four seasons is 34-14.
Commenting on this story has been disabled.
