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KAYSVILLE — The Davis football team got off to a stellar start in its quest for a 6A title Friday night with a 28-10 win over Mountain Ridge. The Darts will face the Skyridge Falcons in the quarterfinals next Friday.
"The guys are going to be riding high and excited to play another week," Darts coach Scott Peery said.
Skyridge narrowly beat Riverton 21-17 on Friday, which will set up the matchup between the No. 2-seeded Falcons and No. 7-seeded Darts.
It was the defensive end where Davis really shined against Mountain Ridge, where the team didn't give up a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter. By then, though, the Darts had the game in hand.
"Our defense balled out today," Darts junior quarterback Tradon Bessinger said. "When our defense plays good, our team plays good. The juice is flowing for everybody."
Part of the defensive stronghold Davis mounted included two interceptions from sophomore Body Sparrow. His first came late in the second quarter, the other late in the fourth.
"It's a mentality, man," Peery said of the team's defense. "We challenged the guys before the game — it's a Floyd Mayweather mindset. We fall back on our training."
The Darts started their scoring midway through the first quarter on Bessinger's 3-yard touchdown run. After the Sentinels blocked a Davis field goal and faked a punt to keep a drive going, senior kicker Kadin Humenuik made a 36-yard field goal. At that point, the Darts led 7-3.
Davis, though, answered right back with a 40-yard rushing touchdown by senior Owen Talbot. Right before halftime, Bessinger threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to junior Cooper Harsin, giving the Darts a 21-3 lead.
Davis scored its final touchdown of the game in the third. Talbot's 4-yard run gave them a 28-3 lead.
Mountain Ridge put together its best drive of the game when it was too late. Junior quarterback Wyatt Bingham threw a 22-yard pass to Grayden Dumas.