As the fall moves along, and the sun sets earlier and earlier, so too is the sun about to set on the 2023 regular season of prep football. 

But local teams are gearing up for more games – the winner-takes-all state tournament. 

With the final regular season games coming this week, Davis and Farmington played a classic last Thursday.

The Darts are still atop Region 1 with a perfect 4-0 record. Davis is 8-1 overall heading into its final regular season game at home against Syracuse on Thursday, Oct. 12 – a game that will decide the champion of the region. Syracuse is 3-1 in league play. 

Last Thursday, Davis ran its winning streak to eight games with a thrilling 36-35 victory over Farmington. The Darts came from behind to win the contest and won on a daring two-point conversion after a touchdown had brought them within one point at 35-34 with just eight seconds to play. Owen Talbot scored on a 1-yard touchdown run just before time expired. Then, rather than kick the tying extra point, almost certainly sending the game to overtime, Davis coach Scott Peery elected to go for two. The gamble paid off, as Talbot ran the ball into the end zone, effectively clinching the victory. 

Talbot had 65 yards on 13 carries on the night, but nothing was bigger than his final two touches of the ball. Tradon Bessinger had a big game at quarterback. The sophomore was 28 of 37 passing for 301 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those TD passes went to Tyson Baggett – one for 11 yards in the first quarter and one for 14 yards early in the fourth. Bode Sparrow had 10 grabs for 92 yards, and Kash Gates had seven catches for 76 yards. Logan Sundloff accounted for Bessinger’s other TD pass. The two connected from 35 yards out with three minutes before halftime. 

Sundloff’s score stopped the bleeding of a 21-0 Farmington run, cutting the margin to 21-14. However, Farmington struck back with just 12 seconds before halftime when Easton Wight hit Jake Metcalfe on a 9-yard TD pass. Up 28-14 at the break, things were looking good for a Farmington team that entered the contest with a 1-6 overall record. 

But Davis outscored the Phoenix 22-7 in the second half, including 19-7 in the fourth quarter. When Farmington’s Travis Hoopes hauled in a 44-yard touchdown pass from Wight, Farmington was up 35-25 with 8:51 to play. Finn Garff cut it to 35-28 when the Davis kicker made a 21-yard field goal. 

Wight had four touchdown passes for Farmington, two more than he had thrown in any game this season. Metcalfe had two TD receptions, and Hoopes and Camden Stewart each had one. 

Though the loss dropped Farmington to 1-7, its offense is starting to pick up after a slow start. The Phoenix scored 43 points in its only win of the season a 22-point victory over Layton on Sept. 22. They also scored 27 in a loss to Weber on Sept. 29. Farmington concluded the regular season at Fremont on Wednesday, after our press deadline.