Prep football: Layton tops Davis on last-second field goal from Porter Hansen
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- Davis defensive back Jeff Sumsion (21) dives in a tackle attempt of Layton’s Elias West, right, during a game Friday, Sept. 3, 2021, in Kaysville.
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- Davis quarterback Easton Baggett runs with the football in a game against Layton on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021, in Kaysville.
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- Layton receiver Trey Reid (88) and a Davis defender collide as the ball falls to the turf Friday, Sept. 3, 2021, in Kaysville.
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- Layton quarterback Garrett Gifford readies to throw the football in a game against Davis on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021, in Kaysville.
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- Davis running back Zane Miller rushes with the football against Layton on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021, in Kaysville.
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- Layton running back Elias West rushes the ball against Davis during a game Friday, Sept. 3, 2021
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- Davis tight end Max Painter celebrates after scoring a touchdown against Layton on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021, in Kaysville.
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- Layton receiver Nicolas Sanders (8) tries to evade Davis defensive back George Drakos (42) during a game Friday, Sept. 3, 2021, in Kaysville.
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- Davis tight end Max Painter runs with the ball in a game against Layton on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021, in Kaysville.
KAYSVILLE — The last time a Layton football squad experienced a celebratory bus ride back home from Kaysville, this year’s crop of Lancers hadn’t even enrolled in kindergarten yet.
In 2008 — the year the Lancers ultimately reached the 5-A state championship game — Layton recorded a 21-0 road victory over the Darts.
There’s been a lot of futility since then.
Coming into Friday night’s Region 1 opener, Layton had lost 12 of the last 13 matchups with the Darts, including a current string of nine straight defeats.
Momentarily at least, the tide finally swung back in Layton’s favor as the Lancers recorded a 24-21 victory thanks to a Porter Hansen field goal with three seconds remaining to move to 3-1, their best start since opening 4-0 in 2016.
“It was kind of surreal,” Hansen said. “It’s what you look for, especially as a kicker, that moment. Especially in a game like this. I mean, I’ve pretty much dreamed of this moment my whole life, ever since I started football. It’s a dream come true for sure.
“A lot of our old coaches are over here. It was an emotional game for sure. We know we haven’t beat them as long as we’ve been here, so it’s a big one for us especially as seniors.”
The Lancers wasted no time in getting the attention of the Darts. Facing third-and-14 on its opening possession from its own 39, quarterback Garrett Gifford connected with Josh Taylor on a deep crossing pattern deep downfield to put Layton up 7-0 just over two minutes into the game.
In a theme that repeated for most of the evening, Layton held on third-and-short to force a Davis punt on the opening salvo for the Darts. The Lancers then cashed in the defensive effort for another seven points, going on a 69-yard drive that was capped by a 6-yard Gifford scramble and dive just inside the front-right pylon to make it 14-0.
A pair of pivotal Layton defensive sequences kept Davis at bay as Layton twice forced the ball over on downs in the first half with the Darts threatening at the Layton 3.
“It’s hard to get one stop and I think we got two or three down inside the 10 so it was big for us,” Hansen, who also picked off a pass, said.
Midway through the second quarter, Davis cut the deficit in half when shifty quarterback Easton Baggett used his arm to inflict some damage. The junior found a wide-open Max Painter downfield on the left hash mark for a 26-yard scoring reception.
From there, both sides played to a standstill until the final seconds of the third quarter when the Darts knotted the score at 14 on a 1-yard Trey Talbot plunge, as the Lancers finally allowed the Darts to capitalize on opportune field position.
The fourth period featured an unfortunate sequence along with some potential heroics.
Less than two minutes into the period, Baggett went down with an upper-body injury and didn’t return.
After going missing in the middle periods, Layton’s offense regained its groove and snatched the lead back 21-14 on a 41-yard Gifford to Elias Parkinson touchdown reception with 6:13 to play.
After little success on his first two possessions replacing Baggett, sophomore backup quarterback Jackson Stevens looked like a seasoned vet on his third opportunity. He led Davis on a 62-yard drive which he finished with a 28-yard stop-and-go to Ty Hoagland to tie the score 21-21 with 2:57 left.
Layton then made sure that the Darts didn’t get another opportunity with the ball. Starting at its own 32, it moved the ball to the Davis 5 — keyed by a 40-yard Gifford to Parkinson reception — to set the stage for Hansen’s 22-yard game-winner.
Gifford completed 8 of 13 passes for 248 yards while his counterpart Baggett ran for 121 yards on 12 attempts.
“We’re feeling confident,” Hansen said. “We have a great team and if we keep executing we have a good chance at region.”
