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SALT LAKE CITY — Three of the four teams in Friday's 5A state semifinals at Rice-Eccles Stadium are very familiar with playing on the big stage.
Bingham has reached the semifinals for the seventh time in the last eight seasons, including last season. They're seeking a spot in the championship game for the first time since 2010.
Defending state champion Jordan has reached the semifinals for the fourth straight year. Lone Peak is also in it's fourth consecutive semifinal game, winning the state title in 2011. Brighton hasn't reached the semifinals since 2005, but they have talent as good as the other three teams in the semifinals.
The combination of talent and experience should make for very compelling matchups on Friday.
Brighton (11-1) vs. Jordan (7-5), 2:30 p.m.
Jordan is back in the semifinals, but the path hasn't been as easy. Last year the Beetdiggers crushed in-state competition on their way to a 12-1 record and a 5A state championship, the 12th in school history. This year they entered the playoffs as a 3-seed out of Region 3 with a 5-5 record.
The Jordan offense has been breaking in new starters on the offensive line this season and they finally seem to have hit their stride. Since a 34-21 loss to Brighton on October 16, Jordan is averaging 61 points per game with an average margin of victory of 28 points.
Reigning Mr. Football, Austin Kafentzis, has once again put up huge numbers. He's racked up 4,507 yards of total offense and has accounted for 48 touchdowns passing and rushing.
Running back Clay Moss is also having a big year with 1,461 yards and 17 touchdowns. He is also the team's leading tackler on defense with 62.
Brighton returns to the semifinals for the first time since 2005 when Mike Hague was a standout for the Bengals. They are loaded with talent featuring BYU commit Isaiah Kaufusi, Utah commit Jackson Barton and top-rated junior Osa Masina.
Masina has had a tremendous season on both sides of the ball. He has rushed for 1,223 yards and 22 touchdowns behind an offensive line led by Barton. Masina averages 7.69 yards per carry. He also has 50 tackles and four sacks on defense.
Brighton won the first meeting between these two teams, thanks to a big game from Masina on the ground and the defenses ability to force turnovers. Kafentzis was intercepted three times in that game by Simi Fehoko.
If Brighton can force the same mistakes expect a similar result. But if the Jordan offense can take care of the football they will be very difficult to stop.
KSL prediction: Brighton 49, Jordan 45
Lone Peak (8-4) vs. Bingham (12-0), 6:30 p.m.
Bingham was the preseason favorite to win the 5A title, and 13 weeks later they are still undefeated and ranked No. 1 in 5A.
The Miners may be as balanced as any team in the state. Offensively, they have averaged 41 points per game while also giving up just 14 points per game.
Their offense features one of the best running backs in the state in Scott Nichols. He has rushed for 1,570 yards and 17 touchdowns. Bingham also has been solid in the pass game with junior quarterback Kyle Gearig and tight end Dalton Schultz, who is the top-ranked tight end in the country. Landen Measom has also been reliable catching a team high 32 passes for 589 yards and nine touchdowns.
Defensively, Bingham is loaded with talent. Sky Manu is a three-year starter at safety and has 85 tackles and a 5A best eight interceptions. Vaka Vehikite anchors the linebacker corps and has 78 tackles, four sacks and four interceptions. Spencer Tauteoli and Mahonrai Toki have combined for 14 sacks. Daniel Langi leads the team in tackles with 95.
Lone Peak is the biggest surprise of the four semifinalists, but is no stranger to the big stage of Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Knights are making their fourth consecutive semifinal appearance.
Quarterback Baron Gajkowski is playing in his third semifinal. He almost led Jordan to a victory over Lone Peak in the 2011 semifinals. He transferred to Lone Peak as a junior and will once again play on the turf at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Gajkowski has rushed for 1,431 yards and 21 touchdowns and he's passed for 1,898 yards and 12 touchdowns, but also has 13 interceptions.
Dylan Murdock has been his go-to receiver with 39 catches for 719 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Knights have several playmakers on defense and have been terrific in the postseason allowing just 13 points to Syracuse and 22 to Alta. They have returned interceptions for touchdowns in both playoff wins.
Bingham is the favorite in this game, but Lone Peak is one of the hottest teams in the state and should provide Bingham with one of their toughest challenges of the season.
KSL prediction: Bingham 24, Lone Peak 21
