High school football: Derek Thomas scores six to put Layton into playoffs

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LAYTON — Layton quarterback Derek Thomas was ecstatic after the Lancers' 47-21 victory over Weber on Friday night. The Lancers' senior signal caller was beaming as he spoke of his team's performance.

"We wanted this win tonight,' he said. "We wanted this playoff berth. These kids wanted it."

Thomas was proof. He carried the ball 16 times for 227 yards and scored six times. His performance, the best of his career, clinched a playoff spot for the Lancers and sets up a critical showdown with Syracuse next week to determine seeding.

"He's a good one," said Layton coach Jim Batchelor of his quarterback. "He's a great player, a great leader on our team and dangerous with the football."

Weber, coming off a devastating loss to Syracuse last week, scored on its first play from scrimmage on Friday. Senior running back Christian Thomas ran up the gut and busted through the Layton defense for a 46-yard score. Weber's Thomas gave the Warriors an early 7-0 lead.

Layton answered on its first possession. Thomas' 1-yard touchdown run capped an eight play four minute drive, tying the game at 7-7.

Weber went up 14-7 in the second quarter on a 3-yard run by their Thomas, set up by a 56-yard run two plays earlier by Preston Healy.

Layton's Thomas scored on runs of 68 yards and 10 yards to give the Lancers a 21-14 lead at the half.

He scored two more times in the third quarter to extend the Lancer lead to 34-14. The touchdown runs of two and eight yards capped a run of 27 unanswered points—which put the game out of reach.

Weber answered in the fourth on a 5-yard run by their Thomas, cutting into the Layton lead to make it a 13-point deficit.

Weber held Layton to a three-and out on the next Lancer possession, and then on its next possession drove into Layton territory. The Warriors drove to the Layton 25-yard line before quarterback Jantz Arbon was intercepted by Lancer Linebacker Jamison Walker.

Derek Thomas iced the game for Layton on the very next play. Thomas, on the keeper, went 71 yards for his sixth TD of the night.

"I'm very happy with the win," Batchelor said. "They've started to gain confidence. We're starting to work through things that we weren't able to earlier in the year."

Thomas said that things were good for him and good for his team.

"It's all good in Layton," he said. "It's all good.