'This is exactly where we thought we'd be': Syracuse downs Farmington 40-20 to clinch Region 1

SYRACUSE — Titans head coach Michael Knight said his team felt all year "(they) were going to be the team at the end."

A 40-20 win over Farmington on Thursday in the KSL.com Game of the Week gave Syracuse an undefeated region record, and the team was the last one standing in Region 1.

"I think we knew what we had going into this year, and we talked about it all year that we felt we were going to be the team at the end," Knight said. "I feel like we just ended up improving week to week to week and the kids bought in. This is exactly where we thought we'd be."

Despite being ranked eight spots lower than Farmington in the KSL.com Top 20+1, the Titans looked like the better team from the start of the game. The Titans went up 21-0 after Brevin Hamblin's impressive and momentum-crushing 52-yard pick-six score on Farmington's first promising drive of the game with 1:34 left in the second quarter.

The Phoenix fought back with a touchdown strike from Easton Wight to Adam Stucki just one minute later, but the mental and emotional damage had already been done.

Hamblin bookended the halftime break with his second touchdown on a 4-yard run to go up 28-7, and the Titans eliminated any momentum the Phoenix may have gathered from a goal-line, fourth-down stop by sacking Wight for a safety with a minute left in the third quarter.

Wight bounced back by throwing two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, including one after an onside kick recovered by the Phoenix. Farmington thought it had another successful onside kick recovery with four minutes left, but officials ruled the ball did not travel the required 10 yards.

Syracuse sealed the region-clinching win with a touchdown pass to Dylan Croxford with one minute left — the first touchdown pass of the night from starting quarterback Jake Hopkins.

The Titans now await their playoff matchup for the postseason that begins on Oct. 21.

"I think we've done enough to put ourselves in contention with a lot of the top teams in the state," Knight said. "I think it's been a phenomenal run for us. We just trust the process and keep doing our deal."

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