High school football: Davis rides big quarter to victory

KAYSVILLE — Painted on the wall just above the double doors of the tunnel leading out to the football field at Davis High School is the team's slogan: Start fast — finish strong. Davis didn't really do either Friday night, but thanks to one explosive quarter, the Darts were able to stay unbeaten in Region 1, defeating Layton 26-6.

After a sloppy and scoreless first quarter for both teams, Davis put together three touchdown drives in the second to take control of the contest.

"The first quarter I thought we were a little stagnant," Davis head coach Ryan Bishop said. "But I was really happy with how we came back and played the second quarter. I think that second quarter was obviously the deciding factor."

The Darts failed to do much in the second half, but they didn't need to. Their defense, which entered the game ranked first in the region in points allowed, stifled Adam Bunting and Layton's powerful rushing attack. Bunting ended the game with just 92 yards on 23 carries. Layton quarterback Derek Thomas, also a dangerous threat to run the ball, managed just 41 yards on 15 carries.

"They run the ball about as good as any team we've faced," Bishop said. "We told our kids we got to do a great job. We can't let the big play happen because (Bunting) is capable of it."

With the victory, Davis improved to 4-0 inside the region. Layton, which had high expectations despite losing much of its leadership from last year, fell to 0-3.

Despite the early region success though, Bishop emphasizes the need to get better each week.

"When you go through the meat of this region schedule, there's so many good teams," he said. "There's so much balance from top to bottom, you can't afford to not get better every chance you get.

Both Layton and Davis had chances for early first-quarter scores, but both teams squandered those opportunities. After stopping Davis on a fourth-and-1 attempt from its own 44, Layton promptly went three and out. To add insult to injury, the punt attempt was mishandled and the Lancers were called for illegal touching, giving Davis the ball on the Layton 33.

Davis used the next six plays to drive down to the Layton 10, but on first-and-goal, running back Tanner Hinds coughed up the football after pounding it down to the 3. The ball, which was fumbled into the end zone, was smothered by Layton.