Union rallies to shock Park City

PARK CITY — Great quarterbacks make clutch plays, overcome mistakes, hang tough and occasionally use their arm and legs lead their teams to comeback victories.

Union High's Rhen Richard did all of those things in leading the Cougars to a 34-28 upset of Park City High in a Region 10 matchup. Richard scrambled for an 8-yard touchdown with 5:30 left in the game to cap off a stellar second half in which Union outscored the Miners 20-0.

"We knew we could win, we were the better team," said Richard, who overcame a rocky first half full of sacks and two interceptions to go 13-20 for 295 yards and two touchdowns. The senior added 85 yards on the ground and three scores, including the game-winner.

Equally stellar was Park City running back Matt Wright, who came into the game as the No. 1 rusher in the state. The senior racked up 220 yards on 27 carries for two scores and just missed a wide-open receiver on a halfback option pass with one minute left in the game.

The offensive firepower came after a sloppy first quarter. Each team had three turnovers in the opening frame, two of which led to scores. Park City fumbled the opening kickoff, which helped set up Richard's first TD run from 3 yards out. Later, Park City's Erik Walker scooped a fumble and took it 55 yards to tie the game.

The second quarter saw Park City (5-1) gain some momentum. Wright plunged in from 2 yards out to give the Miners their first lead. After forcing a Union (4-2) punt, Wright took a handoff and bowled his way to a 65-yard scoring scamper to make it 21-7.

"Wright's our workhorse," said Park City head coach Brandon Matich. "We have a lot of confidence in his ability."

Richard responded. He hit Casey Glines for 60 yards and then called his own number for a 12-yard scoring run.

But Park City benefited from a late hit in the red zone on the next series, and Dylan Chynoweth took a pitch from 4 yards out to give the Miners a two-TD lead at the half.

The second half was Richard's time, as he led the Cougars on a five-minute, 80-yard drive capped by a touchdown slant pass to his brother Kaden Richard. The drive helped spark Union's comeback, despite Richard having muscle cramps in both legs after a 39-yard run in the third quarter.

But on Union's next series, Richard found David Gilbert twice, once for a 41-yard gain and then for a 17-yard juggling touchdown catch to tie the game.

Park City nearly rallied, running the ball eight straight times deep into Cougar territory. But on third-and-nine, Miner QB Vincent Searle was picked off by Union's Kyle Guinn, which set up the game-winning drive for the Cougars.

"(The defense) just hung in there," said Union head coach Doug Bills. "We gave a little but didn't break."