After dispatching Riverton and Brighton to open the season, Syracuse High football kept its early-season record spotless while knocking Herriman from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 21-10 victory.

Two weeks into the season, the wideout tandem of Shaun Blanton and DJ Mayes had been on the receiving end of 83% of the passing yards accrued by quarterback Jake Hopkins.

Coming in, Blanton had 19 catches for 243 yards, while Mayes had 18 grabs for 270 yards along with three touchdowns apiece. Blanton even threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to Mayes a week ago.

The Mustangs tempered the output of the 6-foot-3 seniors but didn’t adequately account for Syracuse’s defensive presence, which, once again, proved to be the unsung heroes.

While the offense struggled, the defense caused five Herriman turnovers, with linebacker Marriner Richards cashing two of them in for touchdowns to go along with a sack.

“I’m super happy for (Richards),” Syracuse head coach Mike Knight said. “He’s done a really good job this offseason. It’s funny because every time I’d see him at 6 a.m. he had his bag and he was ready to go. He’s excited to train and get better.

“I said, ‘You really want to play this year, don’t you?’ and he said, ‘Yes, I do, Coach.’ So it’s been great for him to reap what he sows.”

Out of the gate, the Titan offense took the opening kickoff 75 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown. Hopkins lofted an 18-yard touchdown pass to Mayes. Syracuse couldn’t find an offensive rhythm after that.

“I’m super happy with the way the defense played, turning (the turnovers) into two scores,” Knight said. “Field position was awesome for us. Our punter did a great job too.

“Offensively, we just stunk. I felt like we didn’t do very good at all. The penalties were bad and then we could never get in a groove. A lot of three-and-outs. We’ve got to get back to film and get ready to go.”

Eighteen seconds after its first score, the Titans found themselves up 14-0 when Richards picked off Herriman’s Frederick Ta’ai, returning it 19 yards for a touchdown.

Shortly after, Syracuse safety Tatum Martin fell on the first of his two fumble recoveries. The Titans were unable to convert when Richards came up 5 yards short on a fake-punt run attempt, which was about the only thing that didn’t go right for him all night.

Herriman continued to hang around after Imaj Hagan made a field goal early in the second quarter, while Syracuse missed one. Then, after Ta’ai was sacked, Richards scooped up his fumble and returned it 9 yards for his second visit to the end zone to make it 21-3 at the 3:10 mark of the second quarter.

“I trusted my guys; that’s how we win,” Richards said. “(Knight) drives us to be perfect every game. It’s all about the next play.”

The second half was essentially a back-and-forth standstill with Syracuse’s lead never threatened. It included seven punts, two more Herriman turnovers and a Hopkins jump-ball interception when he took a shot into the end zone.

The Mustangs finally put a touchdown on the scoreboard with 53 seconds to play on a 3-yard Ta’ai keeper

Before starting Region 1 play at Farmington on Sept. 15, the Titans will play one of the worst (Taylorsville) and the best (Corner Canyon) Salt Lake-area schools in consecutive weeks to conclude its non-region schedule.