Players on the Davis football team felt they had tried too hard. They tried to force things that weren't there and couldn't find their rhythm offensively. That resulted in a 24-0 loss to Brighton on Aug. 21.

It wasn't the way the Darts wanted to open the season but more importantly, they knew they only had a week to correct mistakes. With nine teams in Region 1 and eight region games, Davis didn't have the luxury of playing anymore preseason games. The Darts didn't have time to figure out how their strengths and weaknesses were. They had to realize it soon and capitalize on it.

"We saw the schedule and we knew that we would have to get it together. After the first game, we realized it needed to start to come together fast or else," said senior lineman Josh Kariya. "We had to focus on the games that really mattered and we got to basics. We're each doing our own job and focusing on ourselves."

The Darts have bounced back well since that season-opening loss. Heading into the week, Davis has won four straight region games and sit atop the Region 1 standings.

Davis went back to what it's known for -- running the ball and playing solid defense. The Darts have allowed just over seven points a game in their four wins. And offensively, running back Tanner Hinds has been carrying a big load. In the first game, he was held under 50 rushing yards. In the following four games, his rushing yards have more than tripled.

"He's a fantastic football player and a lot of the success is due to the guys around him," Davis coach Ryan Bishop said. "When you have a player that plays that high of a level, you have kids rallying around him."

Hinds is the first player to give his teammates the credit.

"[The line], they all make plays and support me," Hin ds said. "We know that we have to prepare faster and harder and just focus on one game at a time."

That's something Bishop has tried to stress. As a coach, it's hard to find the balance of pushing his players to work harder, but not hard enough to the point where injuries become an issue.

Although there's not much depth on the offensive and defensive lines, Bishop is comforted by the fact this year's team has 33 seniors. The Darts have experienced players, making the depth issue less concerning.

"Those seniors, any one of those kids would do anything you ask," Bishop said. "One of the reasons why our kids have been able to win a few region games is because they've really prepared hard. But there's such a fine line between preparing them well and still maintain our health. It's challenging to get everyone to do it week in and week out but we're really trying to breed that mentality."

The Darts will take that mentality into their game against Northridge this Friday, a team that has been able to get the best of Davis three of the last four seasons.

No matter which team stands in their way, Davis is aiming toward a region championship.

"It seems surreal. As a kid, you always think about your senior year and then all of a sudden it's homecoming and you're walking out of the tunnel," Kuriya said about last week's game against Layton. "Because it's our senior year, we're trying to make the most of what we get and try to do everything we can right now."

mthach@sltrib.com