The state football playoffs are down to four teams. On the Class 5A side, Bountiful is among the last contenders. 

Bountiful defeated Maple Mountain 42-35 last Friday, Nov. 8, in a back-and-forth contest held on the Redhawks’ home field. Bountiful overcame a 21-14 halftime deficit and trailed 35-28 in the fourth quarter before rallying for the victory. 

A year after falling in the state title game, the Redhawks are just a game away from playing for the championship again. 

The 11-1 Redhawks take on 11-1 Brighton this Friday at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. 

To beat Maple Mountain, Bountiful needed everything it had on offense – and it got plenty from junior running back Siaki Fekitoa. He rushed 17 times for 104 yards and two touchdowns and caught a team-high five passes for 74 yards and three more scores. Quarterback Emerson Geilman was huge too, throwing for 241 yards and four touchdowns and rushing 10 times for 67 yards. 

Bountiful didn’t lead until there was 1:43 to play in the game when Fekitoa crossed the goal line on a 30-yard run. A little more than eight minutes earlier, he hauled in a 26-yard TD pass from Geilman. Fekitoa’s other touchdown run was an 8-yarder in the first quarter. He also had TD receptions of 5 and 10 yards. Geilman hooked up with Brock McSwain from 29 yards out in the third quarter as well. 

The Bountiful defense had a tough time containing Maple Mountain’s attack. Still, junior Connor Mertz made 16 tackles, and junior Dawson Allsop had nine tackles and a sack. Another junior, Aisake Willis, had an interception for the Redhawks. 

Though the Redhawks have had some blowout wins, they’ve also been clutch in close contests. This was the fourth time this year Bountiful prevailed in a game decided by a touchdown or less this season. 

The semifinal against Brighton will be a big test for both teams. 

The Bengals, out of Region 6, shared the league crown with Olympus and West. Their only loss of the year was to Olympus, 13-0. Brighton boasts a strong defense that allows just nine points a game and hasn’t given up more than 21 points in a game. Brighton has posted five shutouts on the year. Meanwhile, Bountiful scores 35.7 points a game and has one of the most productive offenses in the state. 

The winner of the Bountiful – Brighton game will face the winner of Roy and Timpview in the 5A championship game at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Nov. 21. 

Davis

The Darts ran into a formidable opponent in their quarterfinals game last week. 

Davis’ season came to a close with a 49-32 defeat at Skyridge. The 10-2 Falcons went on a 35-8 run in the second half to rally and pull away from Davis. The Darts finish the 2024 campaign with an 8-4 mark. 

Things looked good for the Darts early. 

A brilliant first quarter saw Davis go up 14-0. Tradon Bessinger threw a 62-yard touchdown pass to Tyson Baggett just 2:15 into the game. Jaxton Itaaheau then scored on a 2-yard TD run with 1:51 to play in the first quarter. Skyridge scored two touchdowns in the second quarter, but Davis countered with 10 points to remain ahead at the break, 24-14. Finn Garff drilled a 22-yard field goal, and Bessinger completed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Bode Sparrow. 

It was all Skyridge in the final 24 minutes. 

Four consecutive touchdowns and successful extra points put the Falcons up 42-24 with 7:43 to play in the game. Bessinger and Itaaheau connected from 33 yards out, followed by a successful two-point conversion. Though this narrowed the gap to 42-34, only 5:46 remained. Skyridge held onto the ball and scored again to seal the win. 

Bessinger had a fantastic game, capping an incredible junior season. He threw for 434 yards and three touchdowns on 64% passing. He ended the year with a state-high 42 touchdown passes – and he’ll be back next season. 

Three Darts eclipsed 100 yards in receptions. Itaaheau led the way with 136 yards and a score on 12 catches. Sparrow had a score to go along with 131 yards on nine catches. Baggett put up 104 yards and a score on six receptions. 

Davis struggled on the ground and in controlling Skyridge’s ground attack. The Darts had a net -15 yards rushing, while Skyridge amassed 381 yards, with three players going over 100 yards. Defensively, Ethan Lockwood paced the Darts with 12 tackles. Cooper Harsin and Cole Clark each had 11, while Sparrow had 10 tackles and an interception, giving him a productive day on both sides of the ball. 

This was the third season in a row in which Davis lost in the state quarterfinals. 

With Bessinger coming back, the Darts could be a team to watch next season. In addition to leading the entire state in passing touchdowns, Bessinger threw for 3,674 yards on 65% passing. His yardage was also No. 1 in the state. Bessinger threw only five interceptions all year. Four Darts had at least 41 catches this season. Sparrow had 61 catches for 994 yards and 16 touchdowns (second in the state); Baggett had 55 grabs for 900 yards and 10 touchdowns; Itaaheau had 52 catches for a team-best 968 yards and eight touchdowns; and Owen Talbot had 41 receptions for 307 yards and two scores. Baggett is a junior, so he will return. Itaaheau and Sparrow are just sophomores. λ