KAYSVILLE — Lone Peak football should probably get the benefit of the doubt in a true road playoff game.
Between 2015-24, the Knights had gone an incredible 6-0 in true road playoff games (not counting neutral-site semifinals or title games), having last lost a true road playoff game in 2014.
After Friday, it's 7-0 since 2014.
Lone Peak's defense stuffed Davis on fourth down in double overtime, then senior kicker Jake Barker made a game-winning 38-yard field goal to give the No. 6 Knights a 41-38 win at No. 3 Davis in an epic 6A state quarterfinal game.
"I just play soccer, I just kick the football, that's been my only job," Barker said. "But everybody did their job — offense, defense — and then I'm just grateful that it was me hitting that field goal. I know any kid would want to do that, and I'm just happy it was me."
The Knights (7-4) trailed 17-3 early, but steadily came back behind a big running performance.
Running back Tate Barney rushed 25 times for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Kepa Niumeitolu had 10 carries for 73 yards. Lone Peak as a team ran 46 times for 297 yards and wore Davis out in the second half.
Earlier this year, the Knights thumped Corner Canyon 42-21 in the regular season, then lost their last three regular-season games. To say Friday's win is a peak on the season-long roller coaster would be an understatement.
"After those three losses, we had a three-week break, and we kind of took some time as a team. We went and hiked the 'Y' and kind of did some team activities to get the mojo back. I feel like the excitement's back, I feel like the intensity's back," head coach Bart Brockbank said.
Friday's win was technically an upset by seeding, but among Lone Peak's seven-game road playoff win streak is three wins against Region 1 champions: at Weber in 2017, at Syracuse in 2022, and Friday at Davis.
Sixth-seeded Lone Peak held off No. 3 Davis, 41-38 on senior Jake Barker's 38-yard field goal in an epic 6A state quarterfinal Friday night pic.twitter.com/loBKz4fUmW
— KSL.com Sports (@KSLcomSports) November 8, 2025
The teams traded field goals by Luke Jolley and Barker before touchdowns by Davis' (10-2) Makaio Byrd and Isaac Morrison made it 17-3.
Lone Peak responded with a 24-yard Kepa Niumeitolu pass to a wide-open Abe Hill, and then a defensive stop on Davis' final first-half drive to keep the Darts' halftime lead 17-10.
Kennan Pula caught a 3-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 17, ending a drive in which Barney had runs of 11 and 19 yards. A short touchdown pass from Tradon Bessinger to Morrison put Davis back in front 24-17.
Davis receiver Bode Sparrow had 14 catches for 150 yards, with a handful of third-down conversions among them as the Darts tried to reestablish a large lead, but failed to do so.
Barney walked in for a 4-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 24. At that point, the running game was like a hot knife through hot butter.
Jaxton Itaaehau ran for a short touchdown run to give the Darts a 31-24 lead with 4:06 left in the game. But Barney had runs of 22 and 16 yards to get the Knights across midfield, and Niumeitolu dove in for the game-tying score with 30 seconds left after converting an earlier fourth down.
Lone Peak nearly won it in regulation, as Toatele Afu picked off Bessinger — only Bessinger's fourth interception all year — and set Barker up for a 46-yard field goal that was just short with 2 seconds remaining.
Barney rolled in for a 14-yard touchdown in the first overtime for Lone Peak, and Tyson Baggett's 3-yard scoring catch leveled things at 38 going to the second OT.
On fourth down at the 2-yard line, Davis threw a screen that Lone Peak's defense read and promptly blew up. The Knights ran three running plays and set Barker up on the left hash, and his kick sailed through.
On one side of the field, there was pure pandemonium as the Knights mobbed their kicker and celebrated. They'll face the Region 3 rival Skyridge next Friday at 2:30 p.m. MST at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
On the other side, one of the best Davis teams in years was dead silent, knowing it was potentially 30 seconds away from a first semifinal appearance since 2009.
