Prep football: Metcalfe interception turns tables for Syracuse for 30-0 win at Layton
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- Syracuse’s Bo Metcalfe (1) takes a hard hit from Layton High’s Liam Arismendi (2) during a region football contest at Layton High School on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Layton. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner).
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- Syracuse’s Ledger Wight (4) pictured during a region football contest at Layton High School on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Layton. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner).
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- Layton High’s Easton Thomas (4) pictured during a region football contest at Layton High School on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Layton. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner).
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- Syracuse’s Jace Cook (71) and Layton High’s Luke Byers (7) scramble for a loose ball during a region football contest at Layton High School on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Layton. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner).
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- Syracuse’s Kao Prom heads for the end zone during a region football contest at Layton High School on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Layton. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner).
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- Syracuse’s Kao Prom (7) carries the ball during a region football contest at Layton High School on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Layton. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner).
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- Layton High’s Miles Neuteboom (20) boots the ball off the tee during a region football contest at Layton High School on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Layton. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner).
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- Syracuse’s Kaleb Hall (0) darts past Layton’s Beckett Godfrey (10) during a region football contest at Layton High School on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Layton. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner).
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- Layton High’s Tillman Thomas (5) pictured during a region football contest at Layton High School on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Layton. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner).
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- Syracuse’s Kaleb Hall (0) brings down Layton High’s Benson Lawson (82) during a region football contest at Layton High School on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Layton. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner).
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- Layton’s Thatcher Rowe (39) brings down Ledger Wight (4) during a region football contest at Layton High School on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Layton. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner).
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- The Layton High football team runs onto the field during a region football contest at Layton High School on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Layton. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner).
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- Syracuse students get loud during a region football contest at Layton High School on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Layton. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner).
LAYTON — Syracuse High wide receiver Bo Metcalfe dropped a sure touchdown pass in the north end zone late in the first half against Layton on Friday.
Twenty-two seconds of clock time later, Metcalfe was standing in the same north end zone early in the third quarter, this time holding onto the football after an interception as a defensive back.
“We were in cover three. My coaches told me to go back, rob the slant, and the ball came straight into my hands and I had an easy pick-six,” Metcalfe said. “Honestly, it’s not me; my coaches are the best in the state. They’re putting me in the right positions. Everything they told me, I did.”
The Titans scored in all four quarters and eventually rolled the Lancers 30-0, after a lethargic first half, in the Region 1 opener for both schools.
“We came out slow. We didn’t play our best half. (At halftime) we fixed a little bit, tweaked a couple of things,” Metcalfe said. “We were confident in the second half; listened to what our coaches were saying and that led us to victory.”
Metcalfe actually had a memorable one minute, 16 seconds that closed out the second quarter and carried over into the third period after the break.
He intercepted a pass at the 1:05 mark of the second stanza, giving the Titans the ball at the Layton 46.
“I was deep across the middle and was in my peddle. I saw the seam and the quarterback put his arm up, and I knew he was going to throw the ball, so I came down and got (it),” Metcalfe said.
On fourth and goal from the 25, Metcalfe muffed what would have been a touchdown toss in the north end zone with 11 seconds left in the half.
“I should have caught that pass. I was too focused on the kid getting there early, but I should have had that ball. It was a perfect ball by Ledger (Wight),” Metcalfe said. “Coaches tell us if you make mistakes, forget it and just go to the next play; that’s the mindset.”
After a penalty on the second-half kickoff return, Layton had the ball at its own 5-yard line, and on the initial play from scrimmage, Metcalfe put the first-half miscue behind him by the touchdown interception, making it 16-0 for the Titans with 11:49 on the clock.
Metcalfe then caught a touchdown pass on the offensive side, racing for a 48-yard TD reception from Wight midway through the fourth quarter and the final 30-0 margin.
“It was a trick play. I lined up on the sideline, and they didn’t see me outside, so Ledger snapped the ball. I was wide open, and he threw a beautiful ball right down the sideline,” Metcalfe said. “I was thinking ‘please don’t drop it, please don’t drop it.’
“I thought, ‘I’ve got to speed up,’ and went and got the ball. I almost fell out of bounds, but stayed in and got to the end zone,” Metcalfe said. “I’ve got great teammates that have confidence in me, which makes me play way better. I’m so happy to play on this team.”
Syracuse (3-3, 1-0 Region 1) had two long drives in the first half that finally resulted in points, but the Titans had to work for it.
Their opening possession went 15 plays and took over six minutes off the clock, ending when Jed Beutler kicked a 23-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
The second possession took 12 plays and five and a half minutes, before sophomore running back Kao Prom scored from five yards out, making it 9-0 with 8:08 left in the half.
“Take what the defense was giving us. I felt we handled it well; we’re well-conditioned and can deal with situations like that,” Prom said. “We came out a little empty. We were driving the ball, then started putting things together later in the game.”
Metcalfe’s pick-six was the only Titan tally in the third quarter, but Syracuse added two scores in the fourth period, where Prom’s second touchdown with 11:08 remaining preceded Metcalfe’s clinching catch.
“It was a shovel pass; it’s supposed to hit inside, but we had different blocks set up, so I bounced it out and it was open for me to go for the end zone and I got it,” Prom said of his 14-yard play.
Prom also plays on both sides of the ball, and assessed his performance this way:
“Last year I started as a freshman and coming in as a sophomore, I’m starting both ways. I thought it was a pretty good game; I had a lot of total purpose yards because the O-line played really good,” Prom said. “My responsibility was nothing over the top, so I was very pass-heavy…not a lot of help in the run game. We played great defense; obviously a shutout.”
Metcalfe once again gave a shout-out to the coaches for the shutout.
“We’ve got amazing coaches. They know what they’re doing, telling us what to do, and we’ve got the players to do it,” Metcalfe said. “Our players are super confident, and we’re super aggressive. We know what to do, and it’s been really successful.”
Layton (2-4, 0-1) was blanked for the second week in a row.
Bob Judson has covered high school sports for the Standard-Examiner for 51 years.
