- Brighton defeated Woods Cross 28-21 despite two lightning delays.
- Brighton quarterback Ryce Palepoi threw two touchdown passes.
- Woods Cross rallied but fell short after a failed fourth-down attempt.
WOODS CROSS — Brighton quarterback Ryce Palepoi said Friday's game at Woods Cross explained his team's season in a nutshell.
"Everything keeps striking us down and going against us," Palepoi said. "We come out with wins and we find a way to do it."
Friday's 28-21 win through two lightning delays makes it three wins in a row for the Bengals after a 1-4 start to the season, bringing Brighton to an even 4-4 heading into the home stretch of the regular season.
Brighton led 21-7 when the first delay occurred at the start of the second half, thanks in part to a 48-yard touchdown pass from Palepoi to senior Cole Heemeyer. He added another touchdown pass on a 32-yard strike to Jayce Evans for a commanding 28-7 lead early on following the return to play.
Woods Cross started to gain some steam between the end of the third and the start of the fourth quarter, and made it a one-score game at 28-21 with 11:11 remaining in the game. Lightning in the area then delayed the game, once again, with just 3:05 left in the fourth quarter and the Wildcats driving near midfield.
One hour later, two-way player Ryan Miller caught a crucial sideline pass on third down on the first play back, and it looked like Woods Cross would march back down and tie and possibly extend a game that had already lasted nearly four hours.
It wasn't to be, though, as a fourth-down pass attempt from Wildcats quarterback Jesse Simmons fell short and Brighton was able to run out the clock for the win.
"Coming out after the second delay, we had more energy than we'd had the whole game," Brighton defensive back Dax Matheson said. "We were vibing, having fun and I think that's what got the job done."
The Bengals will try to keep things rolling with Bountiful visiting next week; while Woods Cross welcomes Olympus, looking to get back in the win column after Friday's loss snapped a four-game win streak for the Wildcats.
