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Davis High's Spencer Clark steers through the Syracuse defense during the second round of the 6A boys lacrosse state playoffs on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Kaysville.

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Syracuse's Cole Murri (4, center) celebrates a goal vs. Davis during the second round of the 6A boys lacrosse state playoffs on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Kaysville.

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Syracuse's Isaiah Lambert (21) closes in on Davis High's Rocky Edelman (17) during the second round of the 6A boys lacrosse state playoffs on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Kaysville.

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Davis High's Andrew Murphy (1) runs upfield versus Syracuse during the second round of the 6A boys lacrosse state playoffs on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Kaysville.

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Syracuse goakeeper Jaxon Wilcox retrieves the ball following a Davis shot during the second round of the 6A boys lacrosse state playoffs on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Kaysville.

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The Syracuse boys lacrosse team gathers during the second round of the 6A boys lacrosse state playoffs on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Kaysville.

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Davis High's Ashton Wood (17) races around Syracuse's Ethan Thompson (28) during the second round of the 6A boys lacrosse state playoffs on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Kaysville.

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Davis High's Rocky Edelman (17) runs upfield versus Syracuse during the second round of the 6A boys lacrosse state playoffs on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Kaysville.

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The Davis High boys lacrosse team stands for the national anthem before the second round of the 6A boys lacrosse state playoffs on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Kaysville.

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KAYSVILLE — An unwavering first-half charge and staunch defense by No. 2 Davis produced 14-point advantage on No. 15 Syracuse before halftime, and the Darts’ road back to the 6A state boys lacrosse championship game narrowed with a 23-7 win Thursday in the second round.

Davis (17-0) hosts No. 7 Fremont, who edged out No. 10 Westlake 10-7 on Thursday, in the quarterfinals at 1 p.m. Saturday. It’s perhaps the final meeting between the pair as region neighbors as the Silverwolves (12-5) move to Region 5 next school year.

Davis senior Luke Donigan led with five goals, including four before the break. Fellow seniors Rocky Edelman (four goals) and Ashton Wood (four goals) padded the first-half scoring; sophomore Jamison Kerr led the Darts with three goals in the second half.

Striking early, Syracuse sat on two goals by senior Cole Murri and junior Keagan Thompson for the near-entirety of the first half. The Darts, on the backbone of junior Tristan Tucker in goal, rendered the Titans scoreless for 15-plus minutes heading into halftime.

Edelman hails his back line, led by fellow seniors Carter Sant and Luke Nosler, as the “most consistent aspect” of a 17-0 Davis team destined for a second consecutive state quarterfinal bid, hoping to make that a second consecutive title match appearance.

Sant entered Thursday’s second-round matchup with a team-high 50 takeaways on the season.

“They’re such a brick wall,” Edelman said. “It comforts my heart knowing they’re back there.”

That sort of breathing room enabled second-quarter goals by seniors Spencer Clark, Charlie Shupe and Brek Jensen for a 16-2 lead. Syracuse sophomore Lincoln Sohl finally broke through, scoring the Titans’ third goal with three minutes to play in the first half.

The dirty work — winning ground balls, physical rides in transition and sniffing out faceoffs — is where the Darts are setting themselves apart from the rest, Edelman said.

“When we’re later on in the playoffs, that’s the stuff that’s going to matter,” Edelman said. “All these good teams, we can all score and take advantage of the big opportunities, but the little things are where we’ll win out.”

Davis hardly adjusted its temperature in the second half, either.

Junior Joshua Davis was first to score in the third quarter, giving Syracuse its fourth goal of the match and lone score of the third quarter. Muri and Sohl each earned another goal in the fourth quarter; Junior Beau Bennion tacked on another late goal.

The Titans end their campaign 5-14 (2-8 Region 1) with a fifth-place region finish. Syracuse picked up some much-needed momentum by outlasting No. 18 Layton 16-10 in the first round for their first win since defeating the Lancers 19-7 on April 29.

Murri, one of six total seniors stepping off the field one last time, is confident Syracuse exits the season a ‘more disciplined program,’ even if its final record doesn’t reflect it. The Titans are in a far better position for growth with 13 seniors expected to return in 2026, Murri said.

“I’d rather make an impact on these kids to become better next year than just focus on myself,” Murri said. “That’s not what a captain does, that’s not what a leader does. Just looking to better the community and start traditions.”

In contrast, Davis continues its chase for the state championship this weekend with yet another region foe looking to shake up the 6A tourney. Fremont fell short of the Darts 13-0 in the pair’s first meeting on April 10, later dropping their regular-season follow-up 18-5 in Kaysville.

With defending champ and No. 1 seed Corner Canyon on the opposite end of the bracket, true restitution with the Chargers rests in a coveted title rematch May 23 at Zions Bank Stadium.

The gravity of a perfect season isn’t lost on Edelman and Wood who together, like many on the Davis roster, grew up playing the game long before it became officially sanctioned four years ago. The Darts are chasing the program’s first state title, which demands a perfect finish.

Doing so might seem like running while balancing an egg on a spoon, but Wood says it’s just the opposite with this particular roster.

“It seems scary, but with these guys, we’ll play for each other with a full heart,” Wood said. “As much as I can spend time on this field with them, I’ll work so hard to do that and to keep playing with them. Nothing can stop us if we’re giving it our all for each other.”

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