High school football: Brighton Reutzel’s 7 scores power Stansbury past Woods Cross
· Yahoo Sports
With as many talented quarterbacks as there were in the 4A football ranks last year, it was not an embarrassment for Brighton Reutzel to be named to the Deseret News’ all-state second team.
This season, he’s making a bid to move higher.
Visit tr-sport.bond for more information.
Stansbury’s senior signal caller passed for five touchdowns and ran for two more Friday night as the Stallions beat previously undefeated Woods Cross, 45-28.
Simply put, the Stallions’ offense couldn’t be stopped. Reutzel completed 19 of 27 passes for 267 yards as Stansbury rallied from a 14-0 deficit and improved its record to 2-1 going up against powerful opponents like Skyline, Herriman and now the Wildcats.
Woods Cross didn’t have an answer.
“We knew we could score,” said Stansbury coach Jason Walker. “We have a talented group of fast receivers, and it always helps to have an experienced quarterback who can get the ball to them.
“We definitely beefed up our schedule this year so we could be better prepared for our region,” he added. “All of our games have been physical. Last year, we didn’t have a physical game until Green Canyon (whom the Stallions play next week). This time, we want to be better prepared.”
Woods Cross and Stansbury play at Woods Cross on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Woods Cross and Stansbury play at Woods Cross on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Woods Cross and Stansbury play at Woods Cross on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Woods Cross and Stansbury play at Woods Cross on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Stansbury’s Robert (Peti) Vaka fights to get away from Woods Cross’ Cory Flanders as they play at Woods Cross on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Woods Cross and Stansbury play at Woods Cross on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Woods Cross and Stansbury play at Woods Cross on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Woods Cross and Stansbury play at Woods Cross on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Stansbury’s Robert (Peti) Vaka fights to get away from a group of Woods Cross defenders as they play at Woods Cross on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Stansbury’s Lincoln Reutzel blows up the option toss as Woods Cross’ Tage Ita tries to toss the ball to teammate Wyatt Hunter as they play at Woods Cross on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Stansbury’s Drake Perkins goes up for an interception in front of Woods Cross’ Abram Webre as they play at Woods Cross on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Stansbury’s Brighton Reutzel passes as they and Woods Cross play at Woods Cross on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret NewsThey also have more experience from that squad that tied for second in Region 11 and lost in the 4A quarterfinals.
After Reutzel connected on scoring throws with Junior Helu, Peti Vaka and his brother, Lincoln Reutzel, to earn a 21-14 halftime lead, Stansbury started to warm up.
The Stallions scored touchdowns on four of their next five possessions and never released any of the momentum they created. Woods Cross never got to within 12 points, and their frustration showed as they tried to apply more pressure.
Brighton Reutzel was occasionally sacked, but he also had touchdown runs of 23 and 34 yards. The last one came with 1:18 left and allowed Stansbury to finally start feeling like it could celebrate.
“We just couldn’t stop them,” said Woods Cross coach Brody Benson. “It’s not like we overlooked them. We knew what they had. They just outplayed us. That’s a good team over there.”
The Wildcats are known for their powerful running attack but had trouble containing Vaka, who nearly outgained the entire Woods Cross team with 145 yards on 18 carries.
Running back Sam Bahr was the Wildcats’ top threat. He rushed for 80 yards and scored twice as Woods Cross got off to a fast start. He carried the ball four times on the game’s initial five-play drive, which ended in his 8-yard touchdown run.
Woods Cross then took advantage of its own short punt, which hit an unsuspecting Stansbury blocker in the back of the neck and was recovered by the Wildcats. On the next play, Tage Ita connected with Bronson Martin on a 30-yard scoring pass.
However, that was last time Woods Cross felt good about this game as Brighton Reutzel needed only four plays before rifling a 54-yard scoring pass to Helu.