Weber’s Dyson Parker leads second-half comeback against Farmington
After consecutive losses to American Fork and Lone Peak in Weeks 4 and 5, Farmington looked like a team eager to bounce back. The Phoenix seemed to be on track for a win after the first half of its Region 1 game against Weber on Friday after it scored 21 points in the second quarter for a 24-14 halftime lead.
The Warriors spoiled the Phoenix’s hopes though, outscoring Farmington 21-7 in the second half to take the 35-31 win in their region opener.
“This win was gritty and big time for this program,” said Weber head coach Mo Cannon. “We have been prepped with great competition all preseason to give us the best chance to win in close battles during region, and that showed Friday night.”
The Weber defense made a big difference in Friday’s win, which was much needed after it gave up 21 points in the second quarter. It even got in on the scoring action as Ty Hellman had a 65-yard fumble recovery touchdown.
The Warriors defense then went on to hold Farmington to just one second half touchdown in the close win.
“Defense did some big time things down the stretch to give us the chance to win a game,” Cannon said. “Super proud of those guys and holding them when it mattered most.”
Even though Farmington scored only once in the second half, it was a timely score as the touchdown put it up 31-28 with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.
The Weber offense stepped up on its final drive though, and Dyson Parker scored on a four-yard run with just over two minutes left to win the game.
Parker was a huge boon for Weber’s offense on Friday as he scored all three of its second half touchdowns, and ended with 199 rushing yards on 31 carries.
“The final drive was simple, take what they give us and see if they can stop the run,” said Cannon. “We had time on the clock to work with and if you don’t stop the run we will continue to run.”
A tough non-region schedule prepares Brighton in region win over Viewmont
Brighton’s record didn’t quite tell the whole story of its capabilities heading into Week 6. It held a 1-4 record after last week’s loss to Corner Canyon, and considering the Bengals also played Davis, and 4A powerhouses Ridgeline and Crimson Cliffs, Brighton head coach Casey Sutera knew a poor record was a possible outcome.
Sutera also knew the tough schedule would assure his team was battle tested, and it showed through in a convincing 42-14 Region 6 win over Viewmont.
“Viewmont is a very good team and it felt really good to get the win Friday,” Sutera said. “We knew with our preseason schedule that it was going to be tough.
“The goal was to focus on process and learn and grow from each game regardless of the result. I believe we have improved each week and we are starting to find our identity as a team. We still have a lot of work to do to reach our goals but I am very proud of our players and coaches’ response to adversity so far.”
It was never really close on Friday as Brighton dominated Viewmont. The Bengals shutout the Vikings in the first half and scored six consecutive unanswered touchdowns. Through most of the third quarter, Brighton held a 42-0 lead.
Viewmont isn’t a slouch either, as it came into last Friday’s game with a 4-1 record, its only loss coming to Weber in Week 4.
Brighton’s Staton Gutierrez was one of the top performers of the week as he tallied 204 yards on just 20 carries and scored five touchdowns in the win. By the time Viewmont scored any touchdowns the game was all but over.
While it was only the first game of region play, Brighton made a good argument for why it could be a threat in Region 6.
Timpview seems to be withstanding unexpected preseason changes, stands undefeated in Region 7
Timpview was in disaster mode just before the start of the season as previous head coach Donny Atuaia unexpectedly stepped down in late June.
With the instability also came an avalanche of transfers away from the program. Among the transfers were Utah commits Asia Galea’i and twins Kennan and Jaron Pula.
Galea’i ended up at Orem, while the Pula brothers transferred to Lone Peak.
Timpview had among the hardest non-regions schedules with games against West, American Fork and Lone Peak. However, the Thunderbirds have bounced back and are tied with Orem in Region 7 with a 3-0 record after they beat Maple Mountain 44-20 on Friday.
“We’ve faced adversity in many facets this season, from losing players and coaches before the year even began to going through a tough preseason schedule,” said first-year Timpview head coach Travis Uale.
“That stretch really helped us become battle tested for region play. It doesn’t make us bulletproof, but it’s allowed us to fine tune things by competing against some of the best teams early on.”
The Thunderbirds’ defense got the scoring started against Maple Mountain as Braxton Wilkerson opened the game with a 60-yard interception return only four minutes in.
After a 29-yard touchdown run from Timpview’s Jack Uale, the defense yet again put points on the board with a safety just before the end of the first quarter.
Timpview led 30-0 and looked to get a shutout in the first half, though Golden Eagle Cole Allred got into the end zone with only a second left in the half. Still, Timpview held a commanding 30-7 lead at the break.
It was a dominant night for Timpview, which now has three consecutive dominant region wins after an 0-3 start to the season.
“These boys continue to rally together,” Uale said. “It’s not at the level we ultimately expect just yet, but they’re showing growth every week and getting better one play at a time. I’m proud of how they’ve responded and battled back after those early losses.”
Timpview faces its biggest game of the season in Week 7 as it travels to take on Orem in a fight for the top spot in Region 7.
East’s offense is resurrected in blowout over Murray
Frankly, East hasn’t looked anywhere close to where it was in years past. Its offense especially struggled and didn’t score a single point until Week 5, and then it only put up eight points.
That’s why it was all the more shocking when the Leopards exploded for 57 points in a 57-34 win over Murray on Friday. It was the first win of the season for East, which now holds a 1-1 Region 10 record.
“Our players are starting to understand the scheme and are showing trust/confidence in each other,” said East head coach Joe Tukuafu.
“We’ve been fortunate to have players recover from 3 week injuries and have been anticipating the arrival of transfers. We’re blessed with a great group of seniors who take charge in leading this team.”
Friday’s loss was only the second for the Spartans, and it came after they held a 34-27 lead late in the third quarter.
Then, the East offense that only scored eight points through five weeks scored 30 to close out the Region 10 win.
Quarterback Dru Reuss led the scoring for East with three touchdowns in the air and two on the ground. Asaeli Otukolo added two rushing touchdowns of his own in the win.
Kanab makes strong case as 1A title threat in win over Beaver
There’s an intersting race in 1A between the top three teams in Kanab, Beaver and Duchesne. Previously, the Beavers were on the top of the RPI rankings, but they got passed by both Duchesne and Kanab in the most recent rankings.
Beaver had a shocking win over 2A powerhouse San Juan in Week 2, but Duchesne defeated Beaver 24-23 in Week 4. Meanwhile, Kanab’s only loss of the season came at the hands of San Juan, and now Kanab has defeated Beaver after Friday’s 26-14 win. The Cowboys also secured control the top spot of the 1A South region.
Friday’s win over Beaver puts Kanab in prime position for its first region title since 2021 and it now sits in second place in the 1A RPI rankings.
Kanab set the tone early against Beaver with its defense holding the Beavers to zero first-half points. While the Cowboys’ offense wasn’t overpowering, they were consistent all night and powered Kanab to a 12-0 halftime lead.
“It was a great team win with contributions from many,” said Kanab head coach JR Quarnberg. “Our defense played physical and disciplined, we successfully (made) things hard for them. It was key for us to have balance on offense.”
Beaver scored twice in the second half, but each time it did Kanab answered. Hayden Gubler especially was a standout for Kanab as he tallied three touchdowns while rushing for 160 yards on 30 carries.
Cowboy’s quarterback Brogun Virostko was efficient and took care of the football as he threw for 156 yards with a 69% completion percentage with no interceptions.
“Hayden (Gubler) ran hard behind a group doing their best to block a really good beaver defensive group. Bales Johnson led us up front on both sides of the ball, playing his butt off on a bad ankle.”
While Kanab will need to clean up its last two region games against Parowan and Enterprise, Week 9 looms ahead as it has Duchesne on the schedule.
If both teams win the next two weeks, it could be a battle for the top spot in 1A.