Manti is 1-6 against Morgan since October of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Templars will square off against the Trojans at 4:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Manti is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They took their matchup with ease, bagging a 55-17 win over North Sanpete. The victory continues a trend for the Templars in their matchups with the Hawks: they've now won four in a row.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Manti to victory, but perhaps none more so than Tala Taulapapa, who rushed for 98 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only five carries, and also threw for 80 yards and one TD. Taulapapa's longest rush was for an impressive 50 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Carter Mason was another key passer, throwing for 260 yards and three touchdowns while completing 78.6% of his passes.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Manti was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 300 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Manti didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Ty Pringle and Griffin Cox. Pringle got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Morgan was fully in charge on Friday, breezing past Richfield 49-14. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 42-7.
A big part of Morgan's win came down to the chemistry between Cade Randall and his top target Eli Mortensen. Randall threw for 259 yards and five TDs while Mortensen picked up 97 receiving yards and four scores. That's the most passing yards Randall has posted since back in August. Another player making a difference was George Thurston, who gained 80 total yards and two touchdowns.
Manti's victory bumped their record up to 8-3. As for Morgan, their win bumped their record up to 10-1.
We should be in store for an exciting game as the two teams have no problem gaining yardage. Manti has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 415 total yards per game. However, it's not like Morgan struggles in that department as they've been averaging 350.4 total yards. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them.
Manti ended up a good deal behind Morgan in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, losing 42-28. Can the Templars avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
