Rain continues to pour down throughout the province. That rain halted the South Delta Sun Devils and Carson Graham Eagles' vaunted passing games in their matchup Saturday afternoon. Ultimately, the Sun Devils did just enough despite the conditions to squeak by the Eagles 12-6.
In a game played in torrential rain, it's no surprise that both defense and special teams played a huge part. Both defenses didn't give up much, and with both teams struggling to sling the rock like they usually do, both squads were forced to lean on their ground games.
Damian Dumas once again delivered the first big play of the game. The star running back, who has to be in strong consideration for AAA player of the year, took a punt on his own 20 on the left side of the field, found the sideline on the right, and then cut back all the way back to the left to score an 80-yard punt return.
South Delta looked to extend their lead on the Eagles after a fumble recovery late in the first half. Inside the red zone, the clock was working against them, with only 30 seconds left in the half.
The Sun Devils seemed to have scored, but a questionable block in the back penalty negated the touchdown. The Sun Devils had to settle for a field goal attempt that was unsuccessful.
It was 6-0 for the Devils at halftime, with the rain continuing to affect both teams, neither side could sustain drives. Midway through the fourth, desperate for a spark, a big Eagles punt return moved them into great field position.
On that same drive, the Eagles were able to move the ball down the field and score on a 4th and goal to tie the game at 6-6. The Eagles decided to go for two points, but the Sun Devils defense came up big, nailing the running back in the backfield, and the try was unsuccessful.
With under two minutes to go, a very quick three-and-out had the Devils punting back to the Eagles, giving them another shot to win the game. Needing a huge stop, the Sun Devils defensive unit stepped up once again.
After forcing a fumble, the ball found the ground. The ball bounced around for what seemed like forever until the Sun Devils finally recovered it. With 60 seconds left and inside Carson's red zone, the Devils would have one more opportunity to win the game.
With the game on the line, who did South Delta call on? You guessed it, Damian Dumas. The star ran wide off of a pitch and, with phenomenal perimeter blocking by Holden Hunter, Koen Hubbard, and Quinn Sjoberg, found the endzone for the game-winning score. 12-6 Sun Devils.
South Delta Head Coach Ray Moon was pleased with his team's mental toughness in their gritty victory.
"We showed resilience today fighting the inclement weather, and in the end, we made one more play than Carson did. Carson was fierce today, and they competed incredibly hard; it easily could have gone either way. We are happy to get the win even though it was not a pretty one."
The Sun Devils will have another tough matchup next Saturday with the Notre Dame Jugglers.
