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COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — Brighton football coach Casey Sutera couldn't hold back his excitement.
When it became clear his Bengals had just pulled off a 1-point win against West, he jumped up and down so exuberantly that he pulled a calf muscle.
But nothing could dull the spirits of the Bengals after pulling off a 7-6 victory over the Panthers on Wednesday despite playing most of the game with their third-string quarterback.
"So awesome," Sutera said before his players dumped a bucket of ice water on him during his postgame interview.
The Bengals finished the season 9-1, including a 5-1 record in 5A Region 6, and are guaranteed a share of the title with West (5-5, 5-1 5A Region 6). If Olympus beats Skyline on Friday, the Titans, too, will have a share of the region title.
Wednesday's game was odd in that there was almost no offense to speak of. Brighton essentially shut out West, which scored on an interception.
West has made a habit all season of extending drives by converting on third and fourth down, but Brighton's defense made things difficult for the Panthers, who punted seven times in the game (the Bengals also punted seven times).
West quarterback Kamden Lopati exited the game late in the third quarter with an injury, and Izaiah Holley replaced him.
The difference in the game came on the margins.
After a scoreless first quarter, Brighton had the ball on third-and-19. Preston Ferran, who entered the game in the second quarter after Alex Degroot left with an injury, threw an interception right to West's Chachi Pan, who scored.
But the PAT snap was bobbled for a second, turning the sequence into a 2-point conversation rushing attempt that fell short.
Brighton answered late in the first half with a 71-yard touchdown run from running back Mason Haertel. Kicker Thomas Sorenson made his PAT, which gave the Bengals a 7-6 lead (and the eventual game-winning point).
"I just do the best I can do," Haertel said. "I just try to go out there, be confident, don't scare anyone, put the team on my shoulders, keep running the rock. I do it every game."
Sorenson had a chance to extend the lead midway through the third quarter with a 27-yard field goal attempt that missed. In the fourth, West recovered a fumble and put together a drive that lasted 12 plays, but turned the ball over on downs.
In a last gasp, with 2.1 seconds left in the game, the Panthers ran a passing play that turned into a couple of laterals. The Panthers managed 50 yards, but it wasn't enough.
"In games when we're down, we've always answered," Sutera said. "We don't blink when things get tough."
The postseason starts next week, where Brighton will get a bye. They'll be without Degroot, as well as wide receiver Case Beames, likely for the entire playoff run. But Haertel was optimistic about what's ahead for the Bengals.
"We'll just keep skyrocketing," Haertel said. "We build upon it week by week. Keep doing what we can do. We improve. Just keep working."
