Still a week before classes began for the 2023–24 school year, high school football kicked off. With a full slate on Aug. 11, local Region 1 teams Davis and Farmington were both in action. Neither could pull out a win in week one. 

Davis 

The Darts came on strong last season after a slow start. This season began with a loss, too, though Davis played its opponent much closer than it did a year ago. 

Davis opened the 2022 campaign against eventual state champion Lehi, losing 48-0. The same two teams met on Aug. 11, but this one was more competitive with Lehi prevailing 28-14. A low-scoring game saw Davis lead 7-6 at halftime. Davis pulled ahead with 4:26 left in the second when Tradon Bessinger threw an 8-yard TD pass to Kash Gates. Lehi recorded two touchdowns in the third quarter to go up 20-7. But on the final play of the third quarter, Bessinger scored on a 1-yard run. However, the Darts couldn’t manage anything else on the scoreboard, and Lehi had a touchdown with a two-point conversion halfway through the fourth quarter. 

The Darts struggled running the ball, totaling just 1 net yard. But Bessinger was brilliant on the night. The sophomore threw 60 passes, completing 39 for 358 yards. Three Darts had double figures in catches, and two had at least 100 yards receiving. Tyson Baggett had 11 catches for 120 yards, Gates had 10 for 100 and Bode Sparrow caught 12 passes for 75 yards. Defensively, McCoy Frasure and Carter Dorius had seven tackles each. 

Davis next hosts West Jordan on Friday. 

Farmington

The Phoenix had a tough time getting much going on offense in its Aug. 11 opener at home against Pleasant Grove. Farmington totaled 36 yards on the ground and 176 through the air in an 18-0 shutout loss. 

Easton Wight was 22 of 40 passing on the night. His favorite target was Jake Metcalfe, who had seven catches for 70 yards. The defense had its moments and played tough against the Vikings. Some of the top performers on that side of the ball were Lucas Peterson and Carter Tingey, as each had 11 tackles. Austin Wilcox had an interception. 

The Phoenix look to bounce back this Friday when they host Bountiful.