- Davis defeated Mountain Ridge 49-34, led by quarterback Tradon Bessinger's 423 yards.
- Bessinger threw seven touchdowns, with Jaxton Ithaaehau catching nine passes for 176 yards.
- Coach Peery praised the team's resilience after last week's close loss to Fremont.
KAYSVILLE — The Davis Darts were all bullseyes Friday night, rolling past Mountain Ridge 49-34 behind a superhuman-like effort from Davis senior quarterback Tradon Bessinger, who threw for 423 yards and seven touchdowns.
The win was a welcome rebound after last week's 35-34 overtime loss to Fremont. Davis head coach Scott Peery said his team took the challenge to heart this week.
"I was happy we were able to bounce back; I got the whole team a bunch of bouncy balls, with a promise going into this week's game," Peery said. "I told them that when this team bounces back, we are going to bounce those balls. We are going to have a good time in the locker room later."
Davis (2-1) dominated early, building a 28-6 halftime lead. But Mountain Ridge (1-2) fought back in the second half, outscoring the Darts 28-21. The Sentinels, though, couldn't overcome the early deficit.
"We'll watch film and see — block here, block there; miss this, miss that. It's all about fine tuning these things," Peery said. "We've got a long journey ahead of us. We've got to make sure we get better this week so we're better in Week 14."
In total, the Darts piled up 484 yards of offense, with Bessinger's arm leading the way. Bessinger credited his teammates for making his job look effortless Friday night.
"It's easy for us. It's easy for a quarterback when you have receivers like that," Bessinger said. "I have complete trust in those guys. You have people when the ball is in the air, they're going to go get it for you, and that makes it so easy for me."
Junior Jaxton Ithaaehau hauled in nine passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns, giving Bessinger a race for the most valuable performance. But the quarterback could only rave about his teammate.
"Jaxton, that dude is something special and he's athletic as can be," Bessinger said. "He's got that dog in him, and he's never going to stop."
With an explosive offense and a clear leader under center, the Darts believe they can contend with anyone in the state. And for Bessinger, his goals go way beyond touchdown passes.
"I want to win a state championship," Bessinger said. "I think we have the talent to do it; I think this is the year. We can win it."
