Going into week 2 on Friday night, the Rams needed to move past their disappointing game last week, where they lost by one point, and learn from their mistakes. Although some mistakes were still made, the Rams did a good job of improving from last week’s performance and beat the Layton Lancers, 35-0.

Off to a quick start in the first quarter, senior Trayton Keyes ran for 28 yards, scoring Highland’s first touchdown within the first two minutes of the game. Still in the first quarter, with 1:26 left, Keyes ran for another 69 yards giving Highland a 14-0 lead going into the second quarter.

“After the first quarter, I needed to change my form because I hurt my ankle,” Keyes said. “It got stepped on during a fumble…but after that, it was really focusing on what I had to do and getting it done.”

The Rams increased their lead in the second quarter, with senior Marlon Jones scoring his first touchdown of the night with 5 minutes left to go. To end the first half, the Rams were up 21-0. Not only was the offense on a roll, but the Highland defense was sharp and pitched a shutout in the first half.

In the third quarter, junior Colton White ran for 2 yards scoring his first varsity touchdown, making Highland’s lead 28-0. With 3:15 left in the third quarter, senior quarterback Cole Peterson threw a 25 yard pass to senior Elijah Shelton, who made a nice diving catch to score another Highland touchdown. The score at the end of the third quarter was 35-0. In the fourth quarter, Highland made sure to keep Layton from scoring and came out with the victory with a final score of 35-0.

After losing to the Mountain Crest Mustangs last week, the Rams had to refocus going into this game. They played inspired and with a lot of emotion.

“There was a much different mood this week than at last week’s game,” Coach Benson said. “We were working together as a team, and cheering each other on.”

Throughout the whole game, Highland’s defensive and offensive lines remained strong and did their jobs. Highland’s defensive line was overpowering, limiting Layton to -17 rushing yards. On the other hand, the offensive line and rushing attack was just as successful, racking up a total of 332 rushing yards.

“The offensive line did a good job, establishing the line of scrimmage and taking charge of the game,” Coach Benson said.

Although Highland had a strong performance from both their defensive and offensive lines, they still need to cut back on penalties moving forward. They won’t be able to consistently win games, especially against stiffer competition, if they don’t decrease their total of 11 penalties from last night’s game. That is one thing they will have to focus on as they prepare to play Hillcrest next Friday, September 1.