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Davis High's Jaxton Itaaehau (88) and Bode Sparrow (2) celebrate a touchdown during a nonregion football game at Brighton on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, at Freestone Stadium in Cottonwood Heights.

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Davis High's Tradon Bessinger (4) receives a snap during a nonregion football game at Brighton on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Cottonwood Heights.

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Davis High's Bode Sparrow, right, leaps for a catch during a nonregion football game at Brighton on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Cottonwood Heights.

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Davis High's Tyson Baggett (1) fights to stay upright during a nonregion football game at Brighton on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Cottonwood Heights.

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Davis communicates through crowd noise during a nonregion football game at Brighton on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Cottonwood Heights.

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Davis leaves the field after a stop during a nonregion football game at Brighton on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Cottonwood Heights.

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Davis High's Jaxton Itaaehau (88) and Bode Sparrow (2) celebrate a touchdown during a nonregion football game at Brighton on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Cottonwood Heights.

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Davis, left, and Brighton line up during a nonregion football game on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, at Freestone Stadium in Cottonwood Heights.

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Brighton's Ryce Palepoi looks to the sideline during a nonregion football game against Davis on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, at Freestone Stadium in Cottonwood Heights.

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Davis High's Jaxton Itaaehau, center, dives for the goal line during a nonregion football game at Brighton on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Cottonwood Heights.

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Davis High's Jaxton Itaaehau (88) celebrates a touchdown against Brighton on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Cottonwood Heights.

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Davis High's Tradon Bessinger (4) calls out before a snap during a nonregion football game at Brighton on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Cottonwood Heights.

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Davis streams into Brighton High's Freestone Stadium before a game Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Cottonwood Heights.

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❮ ❯

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — If it wasn’t clear before, Davis High’s Tradon Bessinger is firmly set on putting the football just about anywhere he wants.

The Boise State commit launched his senior season Thursday night, completing 31 of 38 passes for 384 yards and five touchdowns — three alone in the first quarter — in leading the Darts to a 1-0 start with a domineering, 56-21 win over Brighton at Freestone Field.

Bessinger connected with three separate receivers — junior Bode Sparrow (eight receptions 113 yards), senior Isaac Morrison (seven receptions, 112 yards), and junior Jaxton Itaaehau (five receptions, 32 yards) — for a three-score advantage before the end of the opening quarter.

In his fifth season, Davis coach Scott Peery didn’t mince words about his 81% passer’s season debut.

“When Tradon goes, we go,” Peery said. “I think you saw his brilliance tonight. I’m fortunate, I get to see it every day at practice, where I just sit there and be like, ‘Man, he’s a good football player.’ We’re fortunate to be able to coach him, and it’s fun to sit back and watch him do that.”

Brighton (0-1) didn’t manage its first stop (a fumble by Sparrow recovered by senior Jaxon Nettleton) until midway through the second quarter, trailing 28-0 on the heels of a second Itaaehau touchdown catch. The subsequent drive ended in disaster, as Davis senior Cameron Mason took a tipped punt 69 yards for a fifth unanswered touchdown.

Junior quarterback Ryce Palepoi led the Bengals on a five-play, 80-yard scoring drive, ending on a 9-yard touchdown catch by senior wideout Mason Lynton. It wouldn’t be without response, however, as Bessinger fired off another 26-yard touchdown pass, caught this time by Tyson Baggett (seven receptions, 84 yards) on the very next drive.

With 15 seconds left in the first half, Palepoi tried for a receiver but found Davis junior Bennett Kearl instead for the first of two interceptions thrown by Brighton’s starter. Kearl cleared 78 yards of green for a pick-six and the Darts checked out of the first half leading the Bengals 49-7.

“We knew we had some skill set and that was our strength,” Peery said. “Their strength is up front, O-line and D-line. We tried to take it out of their hands in the beginning. Fortunate to do so because if we play Brighton again, I think it’s a different story.”

In just 24 minutes of regulation, Davis took almost every expectation of Thursday’s season opener and threw it out the window. A Brighton program that, a year ago, earned a semifinal berth in the 5A state playoffs, found itself unable to deny the Darts at any and every juncture.

More impressively, Davis went toe-to-toe with a visually larger Bengals line for four quarters.

Senior center Masi Hasson and senior tackle Will Smith were the sole returning starters to the Darts’ offensive line, directed by the father of sophomore tackle Noah Bingham.

“He’s really been pushing our O-line to the limits,” Hasson said of Bingham’s father. “We’re way better than last year, and I think (with) him as our coach, we’re just going to keep getting better. … I’d say the main thing working was our pass (protection). We’re working on that, and film and studying before the game. That puts our minds right, and we expect to see it happen.”

With the clock running, the second half saw Palepoi manage one touchdown pass in each quarter. The fourth quarter also featured Bessinger’s first rushing touchdown and the final Davis score of the night on a 19-yard keeper; Bessinger led the Darts with 44 of the team’s 59 total rushing yards.

Davis senior kicker Luke Jolley finished at 100%, going 8 of 8 on PATs.

While the numbers certainly speak for themselves, it’s also worth noting that Davis saves an additional day of practice with Thursday night’s win as the remainder of the state kicks off their season Friday. Peery praised his group’s camp period, especially the enthusiasm brought into practice the week leading up to their televised road opener.

“I tell the boys all the time, ‘We’re not going to tell you anything, we’re going to show you everything,'” Peery said. “I think they did that tonight. We want to see where we stacked up with a good team.

“Brighton’s a great team, we all know that, so it’s fun to kind of live up to — you know, there’s a lot of question marks with Davis in certain areas and they’re not completely answered yet, but I think that’s a great start for us.”

Davis opens its home schedule on Friday, Aug. 22, hosting former region foe Fremont.

Connect with reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.