COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — For three years, the Brighton Bengals stocked their varsity football squad with freshmen and sophomores, hoping the hard-earned lessons would pay off as the kids matured.
On Friday night, many of those players started their junior and senior seasons in grand fashion with a convincing 24-0 home upset of the Davis Darts.
Quarterback Derrick Newell led a versatile offensive attack, throwing for one touchdown and rushing for another. Senior running back Darren Later tallied 76 yards rushing and another touchdown.
Ranked by most as one of the state's top teams, Davis was pushed around on both sides of the ball and was never able to gain traction. Star running back Tanner Hinds managed over 100 total yards but was removed as a factor by the swarming Brighton front seven.
Davis quarterback Gavin Fowler threw three interceptions and was similarly stymied on the ground.
"Getting an early win was important, because this gives our kids some confidence," Bengals coach Ryan Bullett admitted. "We took some lumps playing younger kids in previous seasons, but I feel like they're tougher now."
After both teams displayed the usual season-opening jitters in the first quarter, Newell and Tanner traded carries to bring the Bengals deep into Davis territory.
Tanner then took a handoff up the middle, shook off a pair of Davis defenders and proceeded to sprint past the secondary en route to a 35-yard score.
After another Davis punt, Newell and Tanner again carried Brighton into the red zone. This time Newell floated a fade pass to tight end Zane Smith. The 6-foot-4 junior leaped over the shorter C.J. Edgington to snatch the touchdown.
Anthony Mares' extra point made the score a surprising 14-0 in the second quarter.
"We called an audible when we saw the short corner, and just gave it up to him (Smith), because he's long," Newell noted.
Forced to retreat from their vaunted rushing attack and open their offense, Davis threw interceptions on its next two possessions. Unable to earn a touchdown, Brighton settled for a 29-yard field goal and went into halftime with a 17-0 advantage.
Newell again drove the Bengals downfield on the opening possession of the second half, this time with his arm. The junior connected with Jace Felix for a short gain then found running back Moses Lotulelei for 14 and 17 yards on consecutive plays. Newell would later score on an option keeper for the 24-0 lead.
Suffering severe cramps, the quarterback spent most of the rest of the game watching from the sidelines, but the damage was done. Both teams gave their backups solid playing time and Brighton sophomore Sasake Ta'Kai carried the ball 14 times in the fourth, helping the Bengals kill the clock.