Region 1 prep football teams finally started the league portion of their schedules. From here on out, local teams in Region 1 will battle against league foes for playoff positioning.

Davis won its first region game, while Farmington came up short. Region 5 has Bountiful and Woods Cross at 2-1, a game behind league-leading Roy. Viewmont is 1-2.  

Davis 

After four weeks of crushing blowouts, Davis finally had a down-to-the-wire game. 

The Darts, now 5-1 overall, outlasted Region 1 rival Weber 39-37 in a road clash last Friday. The Darts scored 29 of their points in the first half, including 19 in a busy second quarter. 

Davis led 10-7 after one quarter, thanks to a 13-yard run from Tyson Baggett and a 31-yard field goal from Finn Garff. Tradon Bessinger, who leads the state in touchdown passes, tossed three in the second quarter alone, hitting Baggett from 13 yards out, Easton Frasure on a 3-yard score and Frasure again, this time on a 9-yard TD pass. Davis led 29-24 at the break. 

Neither team scored in the third quarter, setting up an exciting finish. Owen Talbot’s 1-yard TD plunge and an extra point from Garff made it 36-24. After a Weber touchdown and extra point closed the gap to 36-31, Garff drilled a long 5-yard field goal to extend the advantage to 39-31 with 6:18 to play. Weber countered with a touchdown in the final minute, but the Davis defense held on the two-point try to preserve the 39-37 win. 

Bessinger completed 20 of 34 passes for 298 yards and three scores. He connected with Baggett seven times for a game-high 132 yards. Talbot had 64 yards on the ground. The Darts withstood a fantastic game from Weber’s Dyson Parker, who scampered for 253 yards on 37 carries. But Davis’  Cooper Harsin tallied 18 tackles, while Bode Sparrow had 12 tackles and an interception on the day. 

Davis plays at Fremont on Friday. 

Farmington 

The Phoenix dropped to 1-5 overall and 0-1 in league play with a tough 38-37 overtime loss at Syracuse. The heartbreaking defeat was the third one-score loss this season for the Phoenix. 

Farmington got 110 yards on 16 carries from Travis Hoopes. The senior running back had a 3-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and a 4-yard touchdown run in overtime. Unfortunately for Farmington, his overtime TD preceded a missed two-point conversion and a chance to win the game. 

Will Peterson had 160 yards passing on 14 completions, while backup quarterback Joshua Webb was 5 of 6 for 67 yards and a 15-yard touchdown pass to Afu Fiefia. Cooper Lopez had a team high 83 yards receiving, and Hoopes led the way with six catches. Jett Salmon topped the defense with seven tackles and a sack. 

Farmington hosts Layton on Friday for a chance to pick up its first Region 1 victory. 

Bountiful 

The Redhawks won their second region game in a row to improve to 2-1 in league play Last Friday, Bountiful used a big second quarter to run past Northridge 42-14. 

Up 7-0 after one quarter, the Redhawks had two touchdown runs and two touchdown passes in the second to build a commanding 35-0 halftime advantage. In the productive quarter, Caleb Norris scored on a 4-yard run and Siaki Fekitoa had a 1-yard touchdown run. Meanwhile quarterback Emerson Geilman had a TD pass of 50 yards and 33 yards to Connor Clark. 

Northridge scored first in the second half to cut the margin to 35-7. For good measure, Bountiful added to its lead when Zeke Murdock scored on a 20-yard touchdown run with just under 10 minutes to play in the game. Northridge scored at the 7:09 mark in the fourth quarter. 

The Redhawks play at Clearfield this Friday. 

Woods Cross vs. Viewmont

The two Davis County rivals put on an offensive show last Friday, totaling 84 points in a 50-34 Woods Cross victory. The Wildcats moved to 2-1 in Region 5 and 4-2 overall. The Vikings are now 1-2 in league play and 4-2 overall. 

Villami Tapa’atoutai had a 2-yard touchdown run in the first quarter for Woods Cross, followed by a 3-yard score on the ground from Viewmont’s Titan Longson. Tied at 7-7, the game saw a big turn in the second quarter. 

Tapa’atoutai ‘s 5-yard touchdown run made it 14-7 Woods Cross, but Viewmont struck back. Kingston Mickens had a 67-yard touchdown reception from Longson; however, a missed extra point left the score at 13-7 in favor of the Vikings. Woods Cross then went on a 16-0 run to end the half.

Tapa’atoutai had TD runs of 10 and 5 yards, followed by a 35-yard field goal from Jace Bills. Now ahead 30-13, the Wildcats appeared to be in command. 

But the Vikings weren’t done yet. 

Longson had a TD run of 18 yards, and Benji Tolman crossed the goal line from 12 yards out. The point after was unsuccessful, but Viewmont had climbed back in the game, trailing just 30-26 midway through the third quarter. 

With 5:05 to play in the third quarter, Tapa’atoutai scored yet again, this time on a 13-yard run. Mickens and Longson hooked up again for Viewmont with 2:26 left in the third quarter. After a successful two-point conversion, Woods Cross held a narrow 37-34 lead. 

It was all Woods Cross in the fourth. 

Krew Fornelius had a 13-yard touchdown run with just under eight minutes to go. Tapa’atoutai scored on a 19-yard touchdown run with 42 second to play. It was his sixth touchdown of the game. 

Tapa’atoutai had a game to remember. The junior running back carried the ball 43 times for 271 yards on the evening. He was so busy and successful that the Wildcats only had to throw the ball six times. 

For Viewmont, Longson was 15 of 25 passing for 261 yards. Mickens had a productive offensive day. The wideout caught six passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns. 

This Friday, Woods Cross plays at Roy, while Viewmont travels to Box Elder.