(Logan, Utah) Herald Journal

With six seconds left in the first half, his team trailing by two scores, wide receiver Chaz Spackman fell to the ground as a Minico defender swatted the ball away.

As he lay on his back in the end zone, Spackman didn't give up. He reached out and snagged the ball as it drifted down before it fell incomplete.

Not only did Spackman catch the first touchdown for his team, he also kindled the fire that would lead to Preston beating Minico 18-9, giving Preston its first win of the season.

"We played very solid football," Preston head coach Shawn Marlow. "This is what this group's capable of every week."

For nearly all of the first half, it appeared like it was going to be more of the same for the Indians. Minico scored late in the first quarter then added a field goal in the second, but then Spackman hauled in his acrobatic catch at the tail end of the half.

"It was amazing," Marlow said. "It was absolutely acrobatic, it was amazing."

The catch gave Preston some life heading into the locker room; it also gave Marlow a good feeling.

"I told them we were going to win this game," Marlow said.

But Marlow understood how important that first possession of the second half would be, and he told his team about it.

"That's what we talked about at halftime, we've got to get out there and score another one," Marlow said.

The Indians did not disappoint.

Preston marched 80 yards and scored on a 23-yard pass from Bridger Hall to Derek Chatterley.

But the real test was up to the defense to show what they could do.

Tired of being run over by opposing offenses, the Indian defense took its frustrations out on the Spartans. Preston held Minico scoreless for the entire second half and recorded seven sacks in the process.

"Our defense played great," Marlow said. "We put a tremendous amount of pressure on their quarterback and they couldn't handle it all."

It was the defensive line - Brennyn Dunn, Jason Nelson, Brandon Fitzgerald, Hugh Love and Colby Carlisle - that kept the Spartan quarterback on his heels the entire night.

"I think that our defense finally felt comfortable," Marlow said. "They run a scheme similar to ours. We did a lot better job gang tackling, that's what made the difference."

Linebacker Kaycee Cole also had a big night, getting in a few sacks as well as recovering a fumble late in the fourth quarter, right when the Spartans were threatening to score.

Preston's Ryan Visser scored the Indian's final score with a 1-yard run with 9:08 left in the fourth quarter. Visser's run capped off a drive started by another Spartan turnover, which was forced by the stingy Indian defense.

On that same drive, the Indians faced a fourth-and-five. Hall dropped back to pass, saw nothing open, then decided to just do it himself. Hall scampered right up the middle and pounded his way to a first down to keep the drive alive.

"He just ran it up their gut, a good play on his part, kept it going," Marlow said.

Hall threw for 190 yards on 16-of-26 passing. Sophomore standout Dunn was Hall's favorite target, catching five passes for 75 yards.

The win was huge for the Indians (1-4), especially considering how important next week is going to be.

The Indians will host district foe Century next Friday. A win would send the Indians to the playoffs, a loss would mean the Indians only have one game left.