High school football: 5 intriguing flashback results from Week 3

Week 3 provided many interesting results, including second-half comebacks and winless teams’ fortunes and more.

Here are some interesting results from Week 3:

Davis blows out another Region 2 opponent

After dominating Copper Hills 56-15 in Week 2, the Davis Darts blew out another Region 2 opponent in Week 3 with a 40-14 win over Mountain Ridge.

Davis quarterback Tradon Bessinger lit up the Sentinels’ defense with three first-quarter touchdown passes, which included a 50-yard touchdown pass to Jaxton Itaaheau and a 40-yard touchdown pass to Bode Sparrow.

While all three of Bessinger’s touchdowns came in the first quarter, he continued to dominate and ended Friday’s game with 425 yards on a .73 completion percentage and avoided throwing an interception. The Bessinger to Itaaheau connection was especially potent with Itaaheau ending the night with 172 yards on only six receptions.

“This Week 3 matchup we knew we had our hands full with a well-coached and talented Mountain Ridge team,” said Davis head coach Scott Peery. “What was important and what we stressed all week was to get a fast start to the game. Our boys did just that and Tradon Bessinger was on point all night to get the offense rolling.

“Coach Pribble dialed up another great scheme to limit the Sentinels’ offense and I was super proud of how it played out. It is always a fun night when you get both sides of the ball playing well.”

While its offense slightly slowed down, the Davis defense didn’t and the Darts jumped to a convincing 30-0 halftime lead after Owen Talbot ran into the end zone just before the end of the half.

Talbot struck again out of the half with another rushing touchdown to push Davis’ dominant lead to 37-0. Copper Hills finally got on the board with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but it was much too late to mount any comeback.

Westlake wards off Cedar Valley

Westlake entered Week 3 with a 0-2 record after losing to Weber and Alta in Weeks 1 and 2. The Thunder traveled to Eagle Mountain and finally put a win on the board with a 14-7 victory over Cedar Valley on Friday.

Westlake jumped to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter with a 5-yard touchdown run from Nusi Taumoepeau. The Aviators managed to tie the game 7-7 right before the half with a rushing touchdown from Ayden Laws with 1:16 left in the first half.

The Thunder’s defense kept up its strong play in the second half, shutting out the Aviators from another score. Taumoepeau scored for the second time behind a 15-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, pushing Westlake to a 14-7 lead.

Westlake held onto its lead throughout the fourth quarter to secure its win and avenged its 13-7 home loss to Cedar Valley last year. The win improved Westlake’s season record to 1-2.

“Our boys fought til the end, but the difference maker was Nusi Taumoepeau. He made plays at QB, linebacker and rushing the passer. He is a special player. This was definitely a much-needed win for our program,” said Westlake coach Arnold Ale.

Hope is sparked as Clearfield snaps 31-game losing streak

It had been over three years since the Clearfield Falcons had seen a single win, with the last win being a 27-17 win over Bear River on Aug. 20, 2021.

Following their win over Bear River, the Falcons lost 31 consecutive games, until Clearfield’s game against Jordan in Week 3.

At the beginning of the season, Clearfield hired new head coach Cody Caputo in hopes of turning things around this season. After Week 3, Caputo seems to have found some improvement with Clearfield’s 40-23 win over Jordan on Friday.

Despite its losing streak, the Falcons were clearly in the driver’s seat throughout the game, especially in the first half. Clearfield’s Landon Hittle scored the opening touchdown, followed by two touchdown runs from Tino Rader to push its lead to 19-0 at halftime.

While the Beetdiggers’ offense broke through with a touchdown in the third quarter, Clearfield kept pushing its lead scoring twice more in the third quarter. Falcons’ Jayden Peterson capped off the third quarter with a 38-yard pick-six to push the lead to 33-7.

Jordan scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, but a 47-yard touchdown pass from Clearfield’s Jordan Tovey to Alyric Kelley all but sealed the win for the Falcons.

“I am so happy for the team and the student body, they traveled all the way out to Sandy to cheer us on and still met us back at the school to congratulate us as we got off the buses,” said Caputo. “I think our boys are starting to believe in themselves and believe in our system. I think they trust the coaching staff, and the techniques and fundamentals we have taught them have helped them gain confidence in their game.

“I’m proud of the team, guys were making plays. The offense was converting on third downs and putting up points, and our defense was getting off the field on 3rd downs and getting turnovers too.”

Orem knocks off another 6A opponent behind second-half comeback

On Friday, the first half belonged to the Farmington Phoenix.

Farmington dominated Orem to start the game, with a 19-3 halftime score. The Phoenix first scored off an 11-yard pass from Will Peterson to Kava Fiefia in the opening minutes of the game. Farmington’s defense also contributed to the scoring effort with a safety in the final seconds of the first quarter.

A field goal from Jaxon Beynon and a 73-yard touchdown run from Travis Hoopes solidified a strong 19-0 start for Farmington.

Orem got a consolation field goal from Kaue Akana to end the first half 19-3.

However, the second half belonged to the Orem Tigers.

The Tigers’ Feleti Iongi got the game within 19-17 with a pair of third quarter touchdown runs, but Orem didn’t find the go-ahead score through most of the second half.

With only four minutes remaining in the game, Orem quarterback Tayden Ka’awa found Akana for a 47-yard go-ahead touchdown.

Orem’s defense kept Farmington from finding another score and it held on to win 24-19. The Tigers started its season with three back-to-back-to-back games against 6A opponents and they passed with a 3-0 record after Week 3. Farmington will enter Week 4 still looking for its first win of the season.

Murray finds first win of the season

The Murray Spartans entered Week 3 with only one win since the 2022 season. Murray came close to adding to that total in Weeks 1 and 2 with a 26-20 loss to Northridge and a 24-19 loss to Taylorsville.

The Spartans finally broke through in Week 3 with a convincing 41-20 win over Hunter.

The Spartans started with a modest 7-0 lead in the first quarter after a touchdown pass from Conner Whitehead to Spencer Bushman.

The Spartans’ offense got started in the second quarter with a 30-yard field goal from Dillon Curtis. Hunter’s Saiosi Kolomatangi then broke away for a 68-yard rushing touchdown to bring the game within 10-7.

However, Murray’s offense exploded. Spartans’ Phil Holland pushed their lead with three touchdown passes in the second quarter, one to each of Bushman, Dax Jensen and Evan Talbot.

The pass to Talbot was caught with only seconds left in the first half, and Murray claimed a 31-7 halftime lead.

Hunter scored two more touchdowns before the end of the game, but another field goal from Curtis and a rushing touchdown from Sam Pehrson clinched the win for Murray and ended a five-game losing streak.