Prep football: Stellar start shields Weber from relentless Roy in Thursday brawl
First-quarter injury alerts Weber, pushing onward with 2-1 start
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- Weber High defenders Aidan Carpenter (8) and Bracken Day (0) celebrate after their team intercepted a Roy pass during The Shield Game on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Roy. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Roy High receiver Luke Pebley, left, bobbles a pass against the defense of Weber’s Bridger Rasmussen during The Shield Game on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Roy. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Roy High quarterback Gunner Pearson rolls out to pass against Weber during The Shield Game on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Roy. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Weber High’s Aidan Carpenter signals before his team’s kickoff against Roy during The Shield Game on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Roy. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Weber High lineman Falcon Moorhead (53) celebrates with quarterback Carter Payne after a Weber touchdown against Roy during The Shield Game on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Roy. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Weber High quarterback Carter Payne (2) reaches high for a snap while Roy linebacker Ace Reading (8) readies for the play during The Shield Game on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Roy. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Roy High defender KJ Forte, left, wrestles with Weber ball carrier Carson Hill during The Shield Game on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Roy. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Weber High quarterback Carter Payne readies to throw against the Roy defense during The Shield Game on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Roy. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Roy High quarterback Gunner Pearson, left, fights against Weber tackler Andrew Messerly during The Shield Game on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Roy. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Roy High’s Juju Teran, right, tries to evade Weber tackler Carson Hill (32) during The Shield Game on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Roy. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Weber High’s Carson Hill (32) hits the hole against Roy’s defense off a block from Draycen Munoz (3) during The Shield Game on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Roy. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Roy and Weber play a nonregion football game on Aug. 27, 2026, in Roy. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
ROY – His thumbs up said it all. Weber High senior Carson Hill, with his entire body aligned on a stretcher and his neck braced roughly 2o minutes after sustaining a major hit to his upper body, signaled OK to his team as paramedics wheeled their starting defensive back off the field.
The moment not lost on junior gunslinger Carter Payne on the first play back, Weber’s quarterback connected with freshman Draycen Munoz for his second touchdown pass, a 16-yard strike, claiming a 21-7 lead late in the first quarter. The scary moment woke up the Warriors for good.
“I, honestly, was heartbroken,” Payne said. “He works so hard, he plays safety and running back. I hope he’s doing well (and) I think he is.”
From Hill’s absence, to continuous woes on special teams and an undying will for The Shield, Weber emerged the stronger foe 53-35 in the latest meeting between the two Weber County schools on Thursday. Payne, throwing for five touchdowns totaling 144 yards, proved the stronger quarterback through the air, and another on the ground.
Roy (1-2), down 19 at halftime, opened the second half with a key takeaway by senior linebacker Jax Lowder, hopping on a Bridger Rasmussen fumble and cutting the deficit to as little as 12 points in the third quarter; Roy would do it again in the fourth on a punt block returned by senior linebacker Ace Reading.
The late score, though, was sandwiched between two turnovers – Reese Cantwell sacking Roy quarterback Gunner Pearson on fourth-and-short, and a Pearson rush short of the sticks – as Wyatt Nielsen stamped the Weber (2-1) victory with his second of two touchdown runs on Thursday night.
Since taking over the Weber program in 2024, former Roy staffer Mo Cannon is 2-1 in the series with wins in 2025 and now 2026. It’s a win that means more than the RPI, Weber’s second-year starter said.
“We have a lot of guys that really want this one,” Payne said. “With (Cannon) coming from Roy, it means a lot to him and it’s bigger than football.”
Mistakes aplenty, Weber has a laundry list to clean up
Missing five different extra-point attempts, Weber squandered multiple opportunities to extend its lead at Roy over the course of Thursday’s contest. Save for two successful two-point attempts, Weber kicker Kyson Horrocks finished the day clearing a single field goal across four attempts.
Pearson’s legs were also a problem. Paired with senior tailback Howie Howard, Roy’s ground duo were a constant issue for the Warriors throughout the second half. A fumble on their first drive back saw Weber give up a lengthy scoring drive for Pearson’s second touchdown pass of the day to Luke Pebley.
Another late blunder, again by Horrocks on a Weber punt with 5:13 to play in the fourth quarter, saw Roy seize and score on its second punt block of the evening (the other canceled out by a defensive penalty). A successful two-point punch by Howard dropped the Warrior lead to 12 yet again as the Royals preserved hope.
“It was definitely not our cleanest game,” Payne said. “We made plays when it mattered, and I think that’s the biggest thing. We’ve got a lot to clean up, but I think we’ll be better from here on out.”
Roy dug its hole early, and consequences followed
From the game’s opening snap, Roy knew it’d be limited through the air. Even while Pearson finished throwing for three touchdowns through the air and scoring another with his legs – the other remaining touchdown coming on special teams – the Royals were playing catch-up to first-half mistakes all game.
After Reese Cantwell picked off Pearson on the first play of the game, the resulting scoring drive saw Roy switch to the ground with both, Pearson and Howard, putting together an answer for Weber – a 13-yard Pearson touchdown scamper – on their next drive out.
The opportunity for another answer, though, didn’t come until late in the second quarter and well after Pearson’s second pick, which set the stage for the Hill injury and a 27-7 deficit exiting the first quarter. It was a disappointing start for several reasons, but sophomore returner and defensive back Juju Teran pointed out the lack of energy Roy brought to the first quarter of last week’s 35-0 Rigby (Idaho) loss.
“I just feel like if you have more energy in the first half, we’re solid,” Teran said. “The coaches got onto us, talked on us and had some chats with the receiving groups (and) line groups, so I think that sparked us up a little bit to become more better in the second half. I felt like everything was shifting.”
Even with a compelling second-half effort, which saw Roy outscore its opponent 21-20 through the fourth quarter, the end result is a second home loss for the Royals to finish out the nonregion slate.
Kicking off 5A next week, Roy hosts West Field, which searches for its first win of the season against Ogden on Friday in Taylor.
MTN RIDGE 42, DAVIS 7
HERRIMAN — Bodie Scheinberg tossed a 40-yard touchdown pass to Bode Sparrow to get Davis on the board with 9:04 in the game but Davis ended up on the wrong side of a lopsided score.
Scheinberg completed 17 of 31 passes for 168 yards for Davis (1-2). Sparrow caught five passes for 98 yards, and tallied eight tackles from his defensive back position. Jaxton Itaaehau had three catches for 38 yards. Ben Dorius led the Dart defense with nine tackles, including 1.5 for loss.
Mountain Ridge’s Jaxon Hunt passed for 301 yards and Bradley Foster rushed for 108 yards. MR outgained Davis 475-190.
SCORES, NO STATS REPORTED
Bear River 49, Thunder Ridge (Idaho) 35
Whitehorse 56, Utah Military-Hill Field 12
Justin B. Johnson contributed to score reports.
Connect with Standard-Examiner sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net, X @ctbecker and Instagram @standardexaminersports.
