Davis improved to 8-3 this football season with an important victory in the second round of the Class 6A state tournament last Friday. Seeded No. 7, the Darts took down 10th-seeded Mountain Ridge 28-10. It was Davis’ second win this season over non-region foe Mountain Ridge. The two teams met on Aug. 30, with the Darts prevailing 40-14. 

The rematch was closer, though Davis was in control virtually all evening. 

The Darts scored on a 4-yard run by quarterback Tradon Bessinger halfway through the first quarter. A successful point-after kick made it 7-0. Davis led the rest of the way. 

Mountain Ridge kicked a field goal with 7:24 left in the second quarter, but the Darts countered with a 40-yard touchdown strike from Bessinger to Tyson Baggett 4 ½ minutes later. A 1-yard TD pass from Bessinger to Cooper Harsin in the waning seconds of the first half, followed by an extra point, made it 21-3 Davis at the break. 

Running back Owen Talbot put more distance between Davis and Mountain Ridge when he crossed the goal line from 5 yards out. Mountain Ridge scored a late touchdown in the fourth quarter. 

Bessinger had two touchdown passes and added 238 yards on the day. The junior quarterback now has 39 touchdown passes this season and 71 in his career. His season TD total is second in the state and first in 6A. He completed six balls to Bode Sparrow for 63 yards and three each to Baggett (76 yards), Jaxton Itaaheau (32 yards) and Talbot (20 yards). Talbot also paced the team with 74 yards on 16 carries. 

Harsin had 12 tackles on defense, while Cole Clark contributed 10 stops and a sack. Sparrow had a big day on the defensive side of the ball too. The sophomore defensive back/wide receiver had a pair of interceptions. 

The Darts’ next contest won’t be an easy one. 

Davis plays in the quarterfinals this Friday at Skyridge, the No. 2 seed in the 6A tournament. A win there would propel the Darts to the semifinals Nov. 14 against either Lone Peak or Region 2 rival Fremont. 

Farmington 

After a rough start, the Phoenix were on fire at the end of the season. Farmington finished in a tie for first place in Region 1 with a 4-1 mark and won its last four regular-season games. Fourth win was a region-title-clinching victory at home over Fremont on Oct. 16. 

But the Phoenix couldn’t overcome upset-minded American Fork last Friday. 

Farmington, seeded fifth, fell to 5-6 and ended its season with a 21-17 loss to the Cavemen. The Phoenix were up 10-7 late in the third and 17-14 with 11:30 to play but couldn’t hang on. Travis Hoopes had a 1-yard TD run in the second quarter, and Drew Love scored on a 47-yard run early in the fourth. Jaxon Beynon kicked a 21-yard field goal in the third. American Fork scored the winning touchdown with 7:32 left in the game.  

It was the fourth time this season that the Phoenix lost a game by five points or fewer. λ