Spring Mountain speeds past Indian Springs

Those attending Spring Mountain football games should be given a simple two-word warning: Don’t blink.

With the Golden Eagles' speed, one could easily miss a lot in the blink of an eye.

Joshua Banasiak threw for 280 yards and four touchdowns on only eight completions, and the Golden Eagles returned three kicks for touchdowns Friday in a 76-28 win over visiting Indian Springs in a Division IV state quarterfinal.

Spring Mountain (6-2) will play in the state semifinals on Nov. 16 at a place and time to be determined Saturday.

“We know what we have athletically, and we just try to overwhelm as quickly as possible,” Spring Mountain coach Aaron Masden said.

That speed was overwhelming the first time Spring Mountain even touched the ball.

Valmir Bojku picked up a bouncing punt at midfield, made one defender miss, and raced 40 yards to give the Golden Eagles a 6-0 lead before they had run an offensive play.

On their third offensive play, the Golden Eagles struck again with Banasiak dumping a short pass to Arias Jefferson, who raced untouched for a 61-yard TD that put Spring Mountain up 14-0 just more than six minutes into the game.

“We wanted to come out fast and strong and physical and just get into our rhythm of things,” Masden said. “We didn’t start out flat, which was a good sign for us.”

Banasiak finished 8 of 14, tacking on a 51-yard TD pass to Jefferson and scoring passes of 43 and 38 yards to Isaiah Saromines. Jefferson also had a 25-yard run for a score.

David Otuafi returned a kickoff 74 yards for a touchdown, and snagged a free kick after a safety and returned it 45 yards for a score for Spring Mountain.

The Golden Eagles ran only 14 offensive plays in the first half, but held a 38-14 lead. They scored at least two touchdowns in every quarter.

Troy Heath was 9 of 18 passing for 100 yards and two touchdowns for Indian Springs (6-4). He also returned a kickoff 62 yards for a score.

Heath hit Ryan Frank on a 24-yard TD pass and Mason Hamlin on a 20-yard scoring pass.

Indian Springs was held to 47 rushing yards on 35 carries.