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SALT LAKE CITY — Just four days after crowning champions in high school football the basketball season begins.
There is a full schedule of games tonight highlighted by Davis traveling to Riverton and a matchup between the defending 1A and 2A champions South Sevier and Layton Christian.
The team making the most buzz to start the season is Lone Peak. The two-time defending state champions are ranked 6th in the nation by Maxpreps.com and boast one of the best starting lineups in state history. The Knights are led by senior Nick Emery. The BYU signee is ranked No. 61 in the ESPN 100 class of 2013. They add 6-foot-8 senior center Erik Mika to the lineup who is also on that ESPN 100 list at No. 76. Like Emery he signed with BYU last week. The Knights also have junior TJ Haws, the younger brother of BYU star Tyler Haws. TJ is committed to BYU. They also have Talon Shumway in the lineup, a talented athletic wing who was offered by Dave Rose at BYU but decided to play football at BYU instead.
Can anyone in 5A challenge Lone Peak? There are several teams in the state that also have talented players. The Brighton Bengals are ranked 2nd in the 5A poll after reaching the state championship game last season. They return Utah signee Brandon Miller who averaged 21 points per game last year and Travis Devashyree who was all-state last season as well. Riverton is third in the poll and returns several key players led by sharpshooting Montana State signee Stephan Holm. Davis begins the season as the 4th ranked team in 5A. They bring back point guard Abel Porter and big man Cole Hally. American Fork rounds out the poll at No. 5. The Cavemen graduated a very talented lineup that included Utah State Aggies Marcel Davis and Quincy Bair but highly recruited center Ryan Andrus returns.
There is also a clear favorite in 4A. The Orem Tigers won the first state championship in the programs history last season and are poised to repeat as champs in 2013. They return their top three scorers from that championship team. 6-foot-7 junior Dalton Nixon is committed to BYU and was the MVP of the 4A state tournament as a sophomore. Point guard Zach Hunsaker and Jordan Darger also return from a team that finished 25-1 last year including a win over Lone Peak.
Sky View is ranked 2nd and will be led by Utah State signee Jalen Moore. No. 3 Bountiful will be back in the mix as well after reaching last year's semifinals. Provo begins the season ranked 4th and returns several key players from a team that made a surprise run to the semifinals last year. East is No. 5 and return all-state point guard and Utah signee Parker Van Dyke who led 4A in scoring last season with 24.7 points per game.
Unlike the other classifications, 3A looks to be wide open this season. 16 teams received votes in the preseason poll. Judge will begin the season ranked No. 1 in 3A. The Bulldogs are followed in the poll by state runner-up Desert Hills. They are followed by Dixie at No. 3, Morgan at No. 4 and Cedar No. 5. All these teams are inexperienced but have talented young players that hope to step in and lead their teams to a title.
South Sevier is a heavy favorite to repeat as state champions in 2A. They return Southern Utah signee Race Parsons who was one of the leading scorers in the state averaging 24 points per game. Wasatch Academy is ranked 2nd followed by Manti, South Summit and Richfield.
Layton Christian is the favorite to repeat in 1A and begin the season as the No. 1 team. They are followed by Panguitch, Bryce Valley, Duchesne and Rich.
