The bounce that legends are made of

While on assignment in Coalville doing interviews for the 2A boys basketball preview — which will be in print and posted online this weekend — I had the chance to revisit one of the most memorable plays I had ever witnessed in a high school football game with the player who made the play.
Most 2A fans are aware how Bryer Trussell made a huge play in the 2A championship against Manti. He scooped up a would-be fumble by Colby Richins as the ball bounced off the turf — shortly after a Templar tackler stripped it from Richins’ arms at the end of an 18 yard run.
Trussell broke away for the remaining 45 yards for a huge touchdown that pulled North Summit even with Manti — fueling a successful Braves’ rally to claim their second straight state title.
Trussell ascribed what he did to being in the right place at the right time.
“I saw it flying in the air and went for it to get the ball,” Trussell said. “I was actually going to land on it, but it bounced in my arms. So I ran with it.”
“Bryer’s bounce” is quickly becoming the stuff of legend around Summit County. And, really, it should enjoy some special status. That one play turned momentum in a complete 180 to North Summit’s favor. Manti was never the same team after that.
Trussell has heard about it a little bit around school. But Braves coach Jerre Holmes has heard about even more from residents in and around Coalville. For better or worse, Holmes said that play offers a mental picture that people in both Coalville and Manti will associate with this game in years to come.
In Holmes’ opinion, Trussell made a miracle play because he put in the work to make such a miracle happen.
“He put himself in that position,” Holmes said. “He could have been standing around. But he was ready for whatever happened on that play. There were other guys around. He just reacted to it quicker.”
Trussell made just one of several big plays overall for North Summit. There was also the goal-line stand at the end of the first half. Of course, there was the drive that set up Greg Woolstenhulme’s game-winning field goal.
But Trussell’s touchdown, or “Bryer’s bounce”, stood out so much because it finally turned luck the Braves’ way in a game where they shot themselves in the foot with repeated turnovers.
And it’s a play Trussell will remember above others for years to come.
“That’s what high school sports are all about – having fun and creating memories you’ll remember for the rest of your life,” Trussell said.

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UPDATE: After Braves and Manti fan astutely pointed out I had listed the wrong score, I went back and checked my game notes for that day and Trussell’s score did make it 28-28, not 28-21. So I went ahead and made a correction above.