Prep football: Davis rebounds and rolls rival Layton 49-6
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- Davis receiver Jaxton Itaaehau (88) pulls in a touchdown reception against Layton on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Kaysville.
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- Davis defender Caden Montgomery, right bears down on Layton quarterback Madden Sargent, center left, on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Kaysville.
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- Davis running back Owen Talbot, left, tries to ward off a Layton tackler on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Kaysville.
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- Layton’s Ryan Wensel reaches for a catch against Davis on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Kaysville.
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- Davis lineman Juni Moala (91) dives to tackle Layton quarterback Madden Sargent on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Kaysville.
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- Layton’s Ryan Wensel, right, tries to avoid Davis defender Johnny Parker (17) on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Kaysville.
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- Layton quarterback Madden Sargent (12) throws against Davis on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Kaysville.
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- Davis running back Owen Talbot, front, tries to shrug off a Layton tackler on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Kaysville.
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- Davis linebacker Jarom Parker, right, leads a tackle of Layton quarterback Madden Sargent on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Kaysville.
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- Davis receivers Jaxton Itaaehau (88) and Bode Sparrow (2) celebrate a touchdown against Layton on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Kaysville.
KAYSVILLE — It’s bad timing to play a good team on the rebound.
Last week, Davis High football laid an egg in a road loss at Fremont and the Darts weren’t about to let it happen again on homecoming night against Layton on Friday.
“During warmups before the game, everybody was sloppy; everybody was flat. Something was off (against Fremont),” Davis quarterback Tradon Bessinger said. “Bringing the hammer was the theme of the week from our coaches and everybody delivered in practice. We hit the hardest of all year and showed the effort. Just go pound these guys; destroy them.”
After a slow start to the first quarter, Davis started a running clock one drive into the second half, coasting to a 49-6 rivalry win against the Lancers in a Region 1 blowout.
“It was the homecoming factor with the whole entire crowd and stuff, but we settled our guys in after a little while and played ball,” Bessinger said.
Four touchdowns in the second quarter sent the Darts (6-2, 2-1 Region 1) into the locker room with a 28-0 lead, then Isaac Morrison intercepted a Layton pass on the opening Lancer possession of the second half.
Three plays later, Bessinger found Bode Sparrow for a 42-yard touchdown and Davis led 35-0 with 9:54 left in the third quarter. Time began to tick away.
“I trust all my guys, but Bode, he’s just Bode Sparrow,” Bessinger said. “He’s amazing. When his number’s called, you can count on him making a play … best receiver.”
Sophomore Jaxton Itaaehau snagged his third touchdown pass of the game with 2:43 left in the third and the score mounted to 42-0.
“Early in the first half, I dropped one on the same route so coach let me get a second chance,” Itaaehau said. “I started cramping but I caught it. That’s all that matters.”
With the defense pitching a shutout and the offense rolling, Jace Taula intercepted an errant Layton pass early in the fourth quarter and returned it 59 yards to the house for the Darts, making it 49-0 still with 9:55 to play.
“Our defense really bounced back from last week; locked down this week,” Itaaehau said.
Layton (4-4, 0-3) avoided the goose egg when quarterback Madden Sargent plowed 11 yards to the end zone midway through the fourth.
Bessinger threw four touchdown passes on the night. He was 22 of 31 for 405 yards, completing to five different receivers.
“Reading the defense right and trusting our guys to go get those balls,” Bessinger said. “Our receivers, they’re dogs; they’ll do anything to win this game for us. They made great plays and made my job easier.”
Sparrow had six catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns, while Itaaehau also grabbed six passes for 121 yards and three touchdowns.
Owen Talbot rushed 13 times and gained 92 yards for the Darts.
Davis fumbled three of their first six snaps to open the game, finally turning it over at their own 43. They also dropped seven passes in the first half. Two Davis touchdowns were wiped away by penalties.
“We knew we had a sloppy first quarter; everything was not going our way,” Bessinger said. “We just gotta clean things up and keep our heads in it. We’re a great team; turned things around.”
Talbot finally got the Darts on the scoreboard with a 1-yard run on the first play of the second period.
Bessinger threw a 33-yard TD pass to Itaaehau at the 8:43 mark of the quarter and the Davis lead was 14-0.
“Tradon doing what he does. He’s a great play-making quarterback,” Itaaehau said.
Sparrow caught a 29-yard Bessinger toss late in the quarter, making it 21-0 with 1:48 left in the half. Sparrow then connected with Itaaehau for a 22-yard option touchdown strike with only 6.8 seconds remaining on the scoreboard, creating the 28-0 halftime bulge.
Layton, meanwhile, didn’t run more than six plays from scrimmage on any possession.
Sargent completed 7 of 19 passes for 62 yards for Layton on the night and had the rushing touchdown. Ryan Wensel carried nine times for 53 yards.
