The season has yet to start and the Emery High School football team already looks in mid-season form. Just in a very different way.
Several starters from last year’s playoff team will start the season on theВ sidelinesВ for the Spartans including 2011 2A first-team all state running back Cory Cox who is nursing a bad knee. Cox missed time in 2011 with neck issues. He also starts at linebacker on defense.
Junior Marco Mota, another wing back, won’t play in the season opener in Richfield Friday because of undisclosed reasons that are not injury related. Senior defensive lineman George Sorensen is also nursing an injury and won’t play against the Wildcats.
“If we can get all these kids back healthy, we should be really good,” said Emery Head Coach Jim Jones. “If we are fighting injuries all season, we’ll see what happens.”
Other returning starters from 2011’s squad include, CB/WR Bailey Faimalo (who coincidently will see time at wide receiver after having backed up starting QB Spencer Labrum last season), CB/WR Tyler Pulli, T Logan Tuttle, and T Duncan Thomas, among others. Running back’s Dave Dyer and Jared Shakespeare will see time in the backfield because of injuries and other issues with Cox and Mota.
The Spartans will try to improve on their 6-5 record from a year ago, which included an opening-round win at Enterprise in the 2A playoffs. Emery was then beaten soundly by eventual champion Manti in the quarterfinals, 34-6.
The Spartans travel to Richfield this Friday to play a hungry Wildcat team who wasВ embarrassedВ in last year’s season opener at Emery 27-0. Labrum and Dyer hooked up on two long touchdown passes in that game. Emery will then host its home opener August 24 against Grand. The game will be broadcast live on ETV Channel 6.
Click here for a full list of live Emery games on either ETV Channel 10 or 6 this season.