High school football: Robert Young scores 4 TDs as Roy bests rival Weber in battle of unbeatens

The stakes were high in the rivalry game between Roy and Weber Friday night as the two undefeated teams battled for “The Shield,” a trophy that is kept by the winning team of the game.

With Roy leading 36-34 with just over four minutes to go in the game, fans were on the edge of their seats as the Royals were pinned back in their own territory.

But it didn’t take long for Roy to get some breathing room as senior running back/receiver Robert Young took the handoff and ran 74 yards untouched into the end zone to give the Royals a 42-36 lead.

One minute later, after Weber turned the ball over on downs, Young scored again to give Roy a 48-34 shootout victory over its rival.

“There’s a reason why we call him ‘MVP’”, said Roy head coach Chris Solomona of Young. “He’s a terrific athlete and we’re so glad to have Rob all these years. I hope everyone takes notice of what he’s capable of doing. No matter what position he’s playing, he’s making big plays.”

“This is why you play and what rivalry games are all about,” added Young, who ended up with a game-high four touchdowns on the night.

Roy looked like it was going to cruise to the victory in the third quarter as the Royals took a 28-14 lead thanks to an interception from Colby Frokjer who returned it all the way to the Weber 23-yard line.

Young then scored two plays later as he powered himself up the middle for a 19-yard score. The senior then scored on the two-point conversion to extend the lead for Roy.

But Weber didn’t give up as the Warriors marched down the field to cut the deficit to 28-21 with just over four minutes to go in the third quarter.

Ian Elmore got the drive going with a 35-yard catch down the left sideline and Dyson Parker added several big runs to march the Warriors into the red zone. A few plays later Parker rumbled into the end zone to make it a one-score game.

Roy quickly answered as the Royals pushed the lead to 36-21 thanks to a 15-yard touchdown reception by Zay Morris — his second touchdown of the night. Morris’ first touchdown came in the second quarter when he somehow caught the ball between two Weber defenders and took it 62 yards for the score.

But again, Weber came right back. The Warriors needed less than 30 seconds to score as quarterback Carter Payne threw a perfect ball down the sideline to Tyson Higgs, who stiff armed a guy to the ground before being caught by the safety at the 1-yard line.

On the next play, Parker took it into the end zone. The PAT was missed giving Roy a 36-27 lead.

Later in the fourth quarter, Weber’s Brock Dean came up with a big interception and Weber went on to score thanks to a fourth down conversion by Higgs and then a 7-yard touchdown catch by Ian Elmore in the corner of the end zone to pull the Warriors within two (36-34).

But that’s when Young took over, as Mr. Everything scored two touchdowns in two minutes to lead the Royals to victory.

“I owe all the credit to my offensive line,” said Young. “They were giving me huge lanes to run through, and they bullied the defensive line all night.”

“We didn’t play our best, but I’m proud of our guys for never quitting and making big plays,” added Solomona. “Hats off to Weber for playing a great game.

“It was a hard-fought battle and it’s a shame that someone had to lose tonight. They are a great team, and I’m proud that we found a way to win.”

With the win, the Royals will look to keep their perfect season going in a home game against Clearfield. With the loss, Weber drops to 2-1 on the season and will look to get back on track when it hosts Wasatch next week.