The high tide that lifted Weber to six wins in the final eight games of 2023 is still crashing on the south slopes of Ben Lomond. The Warriors are 3-1 after thumping Wasatch 35-16 on Friday night behind equal parts, offense, defense and special teams.

It served as a good response following last week’s loss at Roy: a big win with plenty to learn from in the film session.

“Practices were really good, we were all locked in. We were all just kind of like down about the loss, but we knew we had to bounce back,” senior Tyson Higgs said.

The key sequence came late in the second quarter when Weber turned a three-point lead into a three-possession lead over 2:17 of game time spanning halftime.

Leading 13-10, Higgs threw a wide-receiver pass to Ian Elmore for a 22-yard touchdown, ending a comical drive in which each player had a different TD catch called back due to penalties.

Then, Higgs housed the second-half kickoff from 98 yards for a 28-10 lead.

“I was just being patient, waiting for all my blocks to set up, saw the hole, everyone got their blocks, everyone executed greatly and then just found the crease and ran it in,” Higgs said.

Weber’s defense went from allowing 48 points against Roy last week to 16 against Wasatch (1-3), and the 16 points included a 6-yard field, a field goal after a late hit extended a drive and a TD pass against the backups.

The Warriors picked off Wasatch quarterback Mack Nelson three times — Brock Dean, Tyler Payne and Preston Gerritsen — over a span of 1:36 late in the second quarter, yet missed two field goals, threw a pick of their own and led 21-10 at the break.

“We definitely have a lot better football in the tank. I’m not very excited about the way that (the win) was done but I couldn’t be prouder to come out with the win, because winning football games is really hard,” head coach Mo Cannon said. “We’ve just got to learn to start fast and not play down to our opponents, do what we do best.”

Caden Lindholm bulldozed in for a 3-yard rushing score (35-10) to cap a 7-play, 57-yard drive where junior Dyson Parker ran for 32 of those yards.

Aiden Rodarte grabbed his third interception of the season, and Weber’s ninth as a team, on Wasatch’s next drive to make it four picks total in the game.

Last year, these two teams played a 103-point shootout that Weber won 62-41 amid significant off-the-field turmoil stemming from a recruiting scandal.

This year, the Warriors mustered 18 yards on their first eight offensive plays before Cannon called timeout during their second drive.

What happened next: Elmore caught a 25-yard pass, Parker picked up 17 yards over the next three plays and then Elmore caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Carter Payne in the corner of the end zone. A missed PAT kept Weber behind 7-6.

Payne entered the season as the third-string quarterback and is playing as solid as one could expect from a ninth-grader, helping shepherd Weber’s 31-points-per-game offense.

“He’s a Payne, they’re built different. That kid is a stud and I’m excited to see him continue to grow,” Cannon said.

After a Wasatch field goal, Weber’s offense rolled. Parker, who’s having an electric season so far, took a screen pass on the right side for 67 yards.

Two plays later, Payne found Parker for a 10-yard TD pass and a 13-10 lead to cap a four-play drive with 6:36 left in the second quarter, setting up the odd sequence that turned the game in Weber’s favor.