By Aidan Dollins
For The Tribune
CURRY — Curry High School defended its home turf from Springville 21-7 in a game defined by the Curry rush attack.
The first score of the game came with 1:47 left to play in the second quarter on a 48-yard touchdown pass. The score was a product of both an accurate throw by Springville quarterback Austin Hutcheson and busted coverage. Outside of that play, the first half was dominated by short runs, stalwart defensive lines and punts.
In the first half, the Tigers ran the ball 12 times for minus-31 yards. Curry’s defensive front was simply bigger and faster than the Tigers’ offensive line, which is composed largely of sophomores.
The Tiger passing attack put up two catches for 57 yards and a touchdown. Curry’s running game fared better than Springville’s in the first half as the Yellow Jackets put up 44 yards on 22 attempts. Curry’s passing game only put up 2 yards in the first half, but persistence in the run game would ultimately be what busted the score open in the second half.
Curry had an advantage in the physical size of their team. Because the Yellow Jackets were bigger, their running the ball repeatedly fatigued the Tigers’ defense. This allowed the Jackets to put up another 104 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the second half.
Springville coach Steve Davis said “They have good size and they just kind of wore us down there at the end, but I’m proud of the way my guys fought.”
A final score of 21-7 made the game seem like a closer match than it was in reality. The Tigers finished the game with -44 rushing yards on 19 attempts compared to Curry’s 148 yards on 43 attempts.
While the Tigers are off to an 0-4 start, 0-3 in the region, Davis expressed hope for what is yet to come. “We have a very young offensive line that is learning. It’s just a struggle when you’ve got a lot of 10th graders . . . there’s a lot of growing pains right now and I like the way they competed tonight and the effort they gave.”