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OGDEN — You’ve got to hand it to Layton Christian Academy.

The Class 2A Eagles are willing to take on all comers.

Heading into this week’s contest, they’d already played a 5A team (East), a 3A outfit (Juab) and a 1A squad that has appeared in five straight state championship games (Beaver).

So, when LCA welcomed perennial 3A power Morgan to the Spence Eccles Sports Complex, it was business as usual.

While the Trojans breezed to a comfortable 42-7 win, the Eagles gained valuable experience against another formidable competitor heading into league play.

Morgan, on the other hand, gets one more tuneup against Kearns before commencing 3A North action on Sept. 20.

Although they got away with it against the Eagles, undefeated Morgan (4-0) can use the extra week to clean up its ball security, as evidenced by four turnovers. Fortunately for the Trojans, LCA (1-3) outdid them with five giveaways.

“I think we’ve got to treat it like every other week,” Morgan quarterback Beck Sheffield said. “Yes, they’re 2A, but they have some dogs on both offense and defense. We just had to treat it like we did against Crimson (Cliffs), Skyline (Idaho) and Sky View … same week, same preparation as we’ll have all year.”

The first-ever clash between the two schools got off to a wacky start with a pair of turnovers in the first 34 seconds.

Sheffield fumbled on the second snap and LCA’s Jobe Tuafale pounced on it, setting the Eagles up at the Morgan 27.

On the ensuing play, however, LCA ran a reverse pass which was sniffed out by the Trojan defense, resulting in another fumble and change of possession.

“It’s so easy to play offense when I know my defense has my back,” Sheffield said. “At the start of the game, we get the early fumble and the defense gets us right back. Just to be able to play free, knowing that they got my back always and we got their back too … so it’s just a great team feeling.”

This time Morgan capitalized, just as it would another four times in the first half. Sheffield atoned for the fumble with a 16-yard keeper to put the Trojans on the board at the 9:36 mark of the first quarter.

With the Trojan defense bottling up the Eagles, Morgan’s offense got multiple opportunities to extend the lead.

Later in the opening period, Boston Zack made a nice reception over an LCA defender for a 34-yard score. A few minutes later, Tate Steel caught a 10-yard Sheffield pass down the seam to make it 21-0.

Despite a combined three interceptions from Sheffield and Cade Randall, the Trojans relentlessly attacked through the air.

Before halftime, the Trojans tacked on two more TDs to push the advantage to 35-0.

First, Sheffield found Zack in the flat and the senior took it 24 yards down the sideline. Then, Randall lofted a nice offering into the end zone which found the arms of Ben Russell.

“We kind of wanted to wear ’em down with the speed of our offense,” Sheffield explained. “And once they were a little bit more tired on the defensive line, kinda then start to pound the ground a little bit.”

With a running clock in the second half, Morgan tacked on its last points with 4:40 left in the third when Nikolas Preece first outjumped the Eagle secondary, then outraced it to the end zone. The 53-yard score accounted for Sheffield’s fourth touchdown pass.

The Eagles finally put points on the board on the following possession. Quarterback Thomas Vito launched a ball to Brayden Bott, who got behind the Trojan defensive backfield for a 69-yard catch-and-run.

Defensively, Morgan’s Miller Beardall recorded a pair of interceptions. Mark Montgomery had a pick for LCA, while teammate Penisoni Talanoa added two of his own.

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