Prep football: Layton takes 5 minutes to erase West Field lead in 26-24 decision
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- Layton’s Teiyon Halbasch, left, tries to avoid a tackle from West Field’s Corbin Price in a game Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in Layton.
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- West Field receiver Kamden Murphy hauls in a pass for a big gain against Layton on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in Layton.
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- Layton quarterback Madden Sargent (12) looks downfield as Teiyon Halbasch (6) runs a route in a game against West Field on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in Layton.
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- West Field players, from left, Cash Colohan, Hinckley Keele and Trey Bridge celebrate a touchdown against Layton on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in Layton.
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- Layton quarterback Madden Sargent runs with the football in a game against West Field on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in Layton.
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- West Field quarterback Hinckley Keele (2) runs the football in a game against Layton on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in Layton.
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- Layton running back Ryan Wensel carries the football in a game against West Field on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in Layton.
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- West Field head football coach Eric Jones, center, reaches to slap hands with Brexton White (53) in a game Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, at Layton.
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- West Field quarterback Hinckley Keele readies to throw in a game against Layton on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in Layton.
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- Layton defensive back Carlos Diaz, right, deflects a pass intended for West Field receiver Jaden Fowers (36) in a game Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in Layton.
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- West Field running back Ryker Maxfield (14) carries the ball as Layton’s Aydan Earle (33) pursues in a game Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in Layton.
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- Layton High football players take the field for the season opener against West Field on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in Layton.
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- Layton High students cheer during a home football game Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in Layton.
LAYTON — West Field High could not have asked for a better start in its first-ever varsity football game.
The Longhorns led Layton 17-0 midway through the second quarter, had forced three turnovers and looked to be in total control.
But the Lancers scored 26 straight points and a late Longhorn touchdown only closed the gap, making for an exciting but scoreless fourth quarter.
Layton avoided a monumental upset bid by West Field with a come-from-behind, 26-24 victory on Friday night.
“We started off really slow, but we all knew we were going to come back and win,” a subdued Layton senior quarterback Madden Sargent said. “We weren’t nervous. They were just mental errors; we got them fixed.”
Sargent threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third score, all in the third quarter, as Layton led 26-17 after trailing 17-6 at the break.
“Going into halftime, we knew what we needed to do,” Sargent said. “We got yelled at. It was intense. It wasn’t good. (Coach Trevor Thomas) was disappointed that we came out flat.”
Things changed quickly for the Lancers on the first play after the third-quarter kickoff. Sargent connected with sophomore receiver Teiyon Halbasch for a 67-yard touchdown pass and run, cutting the deficit to 17-12.
“The safety was way off the ball, so I caught it and threw it. Teiyon is really fast and did the rest of it,” Sargent said. “We remembered what we practiced all week. After that we kind of took off and ran with it. We saw things to take advantage of and we did.”
West Field coach Eric Jones thought that was the turning point of the game, even though his team still held a five-point lead.
“We definitely lost some momentum there, the first play of the second half,” Jones said. “As a coaching staff we didn’t have the kids ready and were unable to stem the tide once the momentum got switched. We’re a young team; we’re going to learn from those mistakes going forward.”
Layton took the lead for good, 18-17, on another Sargent to Halbasch TD toss, this one a 40-yarder to the wide-open wideout down the left sideline.
“We saw on film that we could probably get it on a slant and go, and that’s what happened,” Sargent said.
Michael Marriott intercepted a pass on West Field’s next possession and the 6-foot 4 Sargent plowed into paydirt on a 2-yard quarterback keeper, capping the blitz and a 26-17 bulge for the Lancers.
All three Layton touchdowns came in a span of 4 minutes and 32 seconds of game time to open the third stanza.
Trey Bridge scored his second rushing touchdown of the night for the Longhorns on a 7-yard run, but a scoreless fourth quarter led to the final result.
Jaden Fowers made history when he kicked a 30-yard field goal to end a 15-play drive for West Field’s first points late in the first quarter.
Quarterback Hinckley Keele, the first of three Longhorn quarterbacks on the night, scored on a 4-yard run, and Bridge had his first touchdown run from eight yards out as West Field led 17-0 at the 8:23 mark of the second quarter.
A 3-yard run by senior running back Ryan Wensel finally got the Lancers on the board with 4:03 left in the half.
Turnovers led to both West Field touchdowns, courtesy of a Layton fumble and an interception by Longhorn senior Cash Colohan, before the wheels fell off.
“Up 17-0 … the kids came out and I thought played really well, executed pretty well for an inexperienced group and found themselves in a good spot early,” Jones said. “The group we put out there tonight have zero varsity experience, so they’ve never been in that situation before.
“We didn’t know how to play with a lead and it showed. I thought we were pretty timid with the lead. That’s something we’ve got to fix. It’s on us as a coaching staff.”
Sargent passed 9 of 21 for 182 yards, the two touchdowns and had two interceptions for Layton. Halbasch caught five passes for 147 yards. Wensel hauled the pigskin 16 times and rushed for 91 yards for the Lancers. Dawsen Pimentel had 11 tackles.
For West Field, Keele threw 5 of 16 for 68 yards and rushed 11 times for 50 yards. Bridge rushed 20 times for 79 yards and his two scores. Phoenix Sandoval caught four passes for 31 yards. Carter Wilson totaled eight tackles.
