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COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — In a cold, Friday night showdown, the eighth-seeded Brighton Bengals clashed with the ninth-seeded Woods Cross Wildcats. But it was the Bengals that posted a dominant 44-7 victory in the second round of the 5A playoffs.
The Bengals' performance appeared to be a statement of their intent to make amends for a disappointing upset suffered in the second round a year ago. The question now turns to whether they have the firepower necessary to pull off an upset of their own against top-seeded Timpview in the upcoming quarterfinals.
The opening quarter of Friday's contest showcased a closely contested battle, with both teams struggling to advance the ball down the field; however, with just over a minute remaining in the first quarter, the Bengals managed to position themselves for a field goal attempt. Senior Drake Fletcher confidently stepped up and successfully converted a 24-yard field goal, putting the Bengals on the scoreboard first.
Fletcher's field goal provided a spark to the Bengals offense, leading to three touchdowns in the second quarter to put distance on the Wildcats. The scoring spree began on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Jack Johnson to Nash Matheson, who found his way into the end zone.
Just two minutes later, Mason Haretel displayed his agility by evading the Wildcats' defense on a spectacular 50-yard run into the end zone, extending the Bengals' lead to 17 points, while the Wildcats remained scoreless.
Haretel wasn't finished, though, and managed to score once more on a 3-yard run, leaving only 33 seconds on the clock before halftime.
The scoring slowed down in the third quarter for the Bengals, but they managed the only score on a Donovan Wismer 3-yard catch from Bode Johnson with nine minutes left in the quarter.
The Wildcats got their only touchdown of the evening early in the fourth quarter when Lock Smoot embarked on a stunning 51-yard rushing touchdown. Although an impressive run, it was not sufficient to ignite a comeback for the Wildcats.
The final score of the night for the Bengals came when sophomore quarterback Bubba Ellis connected with Rowan Hennings on a 17-yard pass into the end zone.
With the convincing victory, Brighton advances to face a formidable top-seeded Timpview in the quarterfinals on Nov 3.
