Bountiful Redhawks Defense Busts Brighton Bengals In 5A Semifinals

SALT LAKE CITY – A suffocating defense and timely scoring helped the Bountiful Redhawks vanquish the injury-riddled Brighton Bengals 24-8.

Bountiful will face the Roy Royals in the 5A Championship game next week. The 4A, 5A, and 6A semifinals will be played at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, November 21.

RELATED: Roy Royals Advance To 5A Championship Game With Late Touchdown

.@RedhawksBhs takes a commanding lead on this Brock Mcswaine punt return TD. #GameNightLive #GNLonKSL @Burtbros pic.twitter.com/DWTOIsZCsv

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) November 15, 2024

First Quarter

Bountiful took the football first and relied on a dynamic running game to get on the scoreboard. Junior running back Siaki Fekitoa turned the corner in the red zone and scored on a 16-yard run.

Siaki Fekitoa gives Bountiful a 7-0 first quarter lead over @BrightonBengal  #GameNightLive #GNLonKSL pic.twitter.com/K5j5UjVF8i

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) November 15, 2024

Both teams traded punts before the quarter ended with Bountiful driving.

Second Quarter

Bountiful opted to punt on fourth down to open the quarter, and it was a good decision. A well-placed punt from Emerson Geilman punt was downed inside the five-yard line.

After trading punts for three possessions, Brighton found some success in the passing game. Following a long completion down the left sideline, the Bengals appeared to complete a pass in the red zone, but the officials ruled it out of bounds, forcing a punt.

After slowly marching into Brighton territory, Geilman dropped back to pass, but pressure forced him from the pocket. The senior wasn’t satisfied with a first down. Geilman cut back to his left and scampered untouched into the end zone to double the Redhawk’s lead.

Bountiful takes a 2️⃣ TD lead with its second rushing score of the first half. #GameNightLive #GNLonKSL pic.twitter.com/5IRrRhK6qc

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) November 15, 2024

Brighton missed a 35-yard field goal attempt to end the half.

Third Quarter

The Redhawks passed midfield on their first drive of the second half, but a Junior Tippy fumble gave Brighton the football near midfield.

Bountiful defense held, forcing Brighton to punt. Senior Brock Mcswain fielded the kick and used a burst of speed down the sideline to break a couple of tackles before pulling away for a TD return. The extra point gave the Redhawks a 21-0 lead late in the third.

Fourth Quarter

Two long Geilman runs early in the fourth moved Bountiful into field goal range for senior kicker Landon Zayas. Zayas split the uprights from 32-yards, giving his teammates a 24-0 lead.

Britton Tidwell intercepted a deep pass over the middle on the next Brighton possession to seal the Redhawks victory.

Brighton’s Mason Haertel added a late rushing touchdown to end the shutout.

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Brian Preece is a KSLsports.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball coverage here.

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