High school football: Brighton breaks through for 1st win

TAYLORSVILLE — After struggling through its pre-region schedule with an 0-5 record, Brighton needed a win in the worst way.

On Friday, the Bengals took advantage of every opportunity Taylorsville gave them and ripped through the Region 3 opener with a 41-0 thumping of the Warriors.

"It's just nice to have a win," said Bengals coach Ryan Bullett, when asked if it was nice to record a shutout. "Our kids have been working hard. I'm really happy for the kids. It's nice to start region 1-0."

Running back Dallin Jackman found holes in the porous Warriors' defense all night. He scorched Taylorsville for 119 yards and four touchdowns on 16 carries.

"He had a heck of a game," Jackman said. "He's starting to come around. He's starting to square his shoulders and run straight forward and fall forward."

Jackman's first score of the evening came on a 45-yard scamper to his left with 3:45 to play in the first quarter. The Bengals, who used Jackman's run to take a 6-0 lead on their second offensive possession, needed only two plays to march 52 yards.

After Bengals defensive back A.J. Allen picked off a Jeff Barclay pass and returned it 34 yards to the Taylorsville 5, Jackman scored again to cap another two-play scoring drive with 1:42 to play in the first. His second touchdown run was a 2-yarder that put his team up 13-0 going into halftime.

The Bengals went up 20-0 with 4:31 to play in the third when quarterback Jace Felix scored on yet another two-play scoring drive. His run — a 67-yard journey — capped a 70-yard drive for Brighton.

Jackman found the end zone with 2:29 to play in the third, this time from 10 yards out and a 27-0 advantage. His run capped a four-play, 55-yard drive.

His final score came on another 10-yard run that finished off a six-play, 34-yard scoring drive with 8:43 to play in the fourth. The Bengals led 34-0.

The final score came after Bullett had benched his starters. Freshman backup quarterback Taylor Loomis took possession at the Warriors' 39 and engineered a four-play scoring drive. Loomis found the end zone on a 36-yard scamper with 4:23 to play, giving the Bengals a 41-0 lead.

"It was nice to get some of our kids in who have been working their tails off," Bullett said of his backups.

The Warriors fell to 1-5.