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LAYTON — Football is a game meant to be played in the elements.
However, after wet conditions caused a bevy of turnovers in a Region 1 contest between Davis and Northridge, both teams were praying for dry weather.
The Darts overcame the elements though, and used several highlight plays to outlast the Northridge Knights, 27-13, in region play at Northridge.
“My hat's off to our defense, our guys and our coaches,” Davis coach J. Ryan Bishop said. “They battled through, and we knew Northridge is one of the most athletic teams we play year in and year out. We knew all the pressure was going to be on our defense.”
With the wet, slippery conditions, both teams struggled to fight turnovers over the course of the night. The first turnover came when the Knights’ Marcello Martinez attempted to field a punt, only to see the ball go right through his fingers and into the hands of Davis’ Kallin Fisher.
They battled through, and we knew Northridge is one of the most athletic teams we play year in and year out. We knew all the pressure was going to be on our defense.
–Davis coach Ryan Bishop
The Darts didn’t score on that possession, but scored on a 37-yard fumble recovery by Kameron Perkins that gave Davis the lead, 6-0. However, Northridge recovered a Davis fumble later in the quarter, and Dayan Lake scored on a two-yard draw to tie the score at 6-6.
Then, the Knights took a 13-6 lead on a 37-yard touchdown pass from Ben Jackson to Houston Lacey. However, the Darts responded on the next offensive play, courtesy of an 80-yard touchdown pass from Colton Chronister to Abel Porter, tying the score at 13-13 at halftime.
The two teams traded blows until midway through the fourth quarter, when Davis struck with one of its big plays. With about five minutes left in the game, the Darts were pinned down at their own 7-yard line — 93 yards away from a go-ahead score.
On first down, Chronister ran for 69 yards, and the Davis quarterback also completed two third-and-long passes to Christian Smith. Finally, the Darts scored on a three-yard run by Mason White to take a 20-13 lead.
Northridge would drive one more time, but an interception by Davis’ Matt Morrell set up the Darts’ next score, a four-yard run by Parker Rose.
Morrell said the defense focused on intensity in the second half.
“We didn’t really make any adjustments,” he said. “We kept playing fast, and we just kept making plays. It feels great to get this win and stay undefeated in region.”
While Bishop was pleased with the win, he wasn’t pleased with the amount of turnover — regardless of the weather conditions.
“We’ve been so good on protecting the football, and we let it get away from that tonight,” Bishop said. “We’re not going to use the weather as an excuse — that’s something we’ve got to clean up if we want to continue to be a good football team.”
