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Class 4A
Upper Bracket
Box Elder Bees (6-4) @ Highland Rams (6-4) Fri. 4pm
The question to ask about this game is which Highland team will show up. The one with wins over Lone Peak, Bountiful, and East or the team that lost to Woods Cross and was blown out by Hunter. This team is very talented and may have more speed than any other 4A team. They found a quarterback in junior Anthony Smithson who has scored 5 touchdowns on the ground and 8 through the air since taking over at mid-season. He has a talented receiver in Utah commit Nate Fakahafua to throw the ball to. Defensively the Rams are led by Fakahafua and defensive end Desmond Collins who both have 10.5 sacks this season. Smithson also stars on defense leading the team with 4 interceptions.
Box Elder is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2006 when they reached the 4A semifinals. Head Coach Robbie Gunter has turned this program around in his 2nd season. They have as many wins this season as they have had in three previous seasons combined. Quarterback Britton Gunter has rushed for 13 touchdowns this season while running back Sean Smith has rushed for 1,092 yards and 6 touchdowns. Gunter's favorite target through the air is Justus Brown who leads the team in receiving with 6 touchdowns.
The Bees have wins over Spanish Fork and Logan this season but the speed and size of the Rams may be too much for them to handle.
Prediction: Highland 35 Box Elder 21
Players to watch: Anthony Smithson QB/DB Highland, Nate Fakahafua WR/DE Highland
Maple Mountain Golden Eagles (3-8) @ Pine View Panthers (6-3) Fri. 5 pm
Pine View is making their 11th playoff appearance in 12 years. The program has been a consistent winner for a decade. Offensively they are led by quarterback Alec Mecham who has completed 60 percent of his passes for 1,872 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also makes plays with his legs rushing for 739 yards and 13 touchdowns. He is joined in the backfield by Prentiss Miller who rushed for 917 yards and 4 touchdowns. Connor Murdock is Mecham's top target at receiver. He has caught 61 passes for 835 yards and 5 touchdowns. Defensively they have been solid giving up just 16 points per game.
Maple Mountain is a great story. They won the first game in school history on October 8th beating Uintah 33-7. Since then they have won three of their last four games including Tuesday's play-in game that earned them a playoff berth. In their last four games they are averaging 34 points per game when they were just averaging 10 points per game. Offensively they are led by quarterback Tyson Jex and WR/RB KJ Hall. Hall has 7 rushing touchdowns and 6 touchdown receptions. On defense, the Golden Eagles are led by C.J. Hildebrand who has 88 tackles and 8 sacks.
Prediction: Pine View 28 Maple Mountain 14
Players to watch: Connor Murdock WR Pine View KJ Hall Maple Mountain
Logan Grizzlies (8-2) @ No. 1 Timpview Thunderbirds (9-0) Fri. 3:30 pm
The Timpview dynasty is alive and well. The Thunderbirds have rolled through another regular season and are the favorite to win what would be their 5th consecutive 4A State Championship. The offense led by quarterback Christian Covey is averaging 43 points per game to lead 4A. Covey has thrown 26 touchdowns, which leads the state. He is surrounded by talented players. Defensively they are only allowing 15.56 points per game.
Logan has had a great season earning a share of the Region 5 title. But after losing a coin toss their reward is a trip to Provo to face the No. 1 team in the state. The Grizzlies spread offense is led by a two-headed monster at quarterback. DJ Nelson and Luke Falk have combined to pass for 2,700 yards and 32 touchdowns. Only twice this season were they held to less than 30 points.
If the Grizzlies first round opponent were someone other than Timpview I would expect them to reach the final four at Rice-Eccles Stadium. I believe Logan is going to make this game interesting and the final score may be much closer than people think but the T-birds just have too much talent at home.
Prediction: Timpview 45 Logan 35
Players to watch: Colby Jorgensen DE Timpview DJ Nelson QB Logan
Olympus Titans (7-2) @ No. 2 Springville Red Devils (8-1) Fri. 2 pm
In just two years at the helm of his alma mater, Scott Mitchell has turned the Red Devils into a 4A power. They have an explosive offense and despite being undersized their defense is solid. Running back Marcus Case leads 4A with 1,164 yards and 19 touchdowns. The Red Devils also put up huge numbers through the air. Quarterback Steve Bate is 4th in the state with 23 touchdown passes and has completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,678 yards. It all adds up to 39 points per game. That doesn't mean the Red Devils don't play defense. They give up just 12.89 yards per game 2nd best in the state (Bountiful). Brody Swanson and Landon McKell have combined for 20 sacks.
Under Mike Smith, Olympus has returned to the winning ways they enjoyed in the late 90's and early ‘00's. They have wins over city rivals Skyline and Highland. Sam Williams is there playmaker on both sides of the ball. As a receiver he averages 20 yards per catch and has found the end zone four times. Then on defense he leads the state with 8 interceptions. Scott Porter has done a great job at quarterback with 18 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions. Brooks Green leads the defense with 9.5 sacks.
What makes you wonder about the Titans is how much they struggled against their two toughest opponents. In games against East and Bountiful, the Titans were outscored by 40 and 42 points. Springville is just as good as those teams.
Prediction: Springville 35 Olympus 17
Players to watch: Sam Williams WR/DB Olympus Marcus Case RB Springville
Lower Bracket
Mountain View Bruins (5-5) @ Spanish Fork Dons (6-3) Fri. 4 pm
Spanish Fork is just 3 yards away from a Region 8 championship and a No. 1 seed in the 4A playoffs. As it turns out, getting a No. 2 seed may give them a better chance to get to Rice-Eccles Stadium for the semifinals. The Dons are fun to watch. Quarterback Hayden Neilsen can throw the football. He completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,792 yards, 19 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions. His top target is also a recruiting target of the University of Utah. Wide Receiver Travis Still will be a Ute next season. He leads the entire state with 12 touchdown receptions. Running back and return man PJ Inoke makes big plays running behind the offensive line that feature another future Ute Isaac Asiata.
Mountain View started the season 0-5 against five of the best 4A teams in the state. They have since gone 5-0 with an average margin of victory of 24 points. It's no secret that the Bruins want to establish the run. Quarterback Brandon Bingham and running backs Tanner Houston and Bennett Maxwell have combined for 2,290 yards and 26 touchdowns. Defensively they have improved ending the season with a shutout against Orem.
This is a rematch from week one where the Dons beat the Bruins in Orem 30-13. The game will be much more competitive this time around but expect the same result.
Prediction: Spanish Fork 35 Mountain View 21
Players to watch: Travis Still WR Spanish Fork, Isaac Asiata, OL, and DL Spanish Fork
Orem Tigers (3-7) @ No. 4 Bountiful Braves (7-3) Sat. 1 pm
Bountiful has been snake bitten the past two seasons. After outstanding regular seasons the Braves were upset in the first round of the playoffs. They hope to avoid the same fate this season. The Braves have hung their hat on defense. They have given up just an average of 12.6 points a game, which leads 4A. They've also done a great job forcing turnovers led by Kyle Pawlowski with 4 interceptions. The offense has been steady but struggled most of the season to score points. That changed in the last two weeks with the Braves racking up 98 points in their last two games. If they can combine that type of point production with their stellar defense they will be tough to beat in the playoffs.
Orem needed to win a three-team play-in game in region 7 just to earn a shot at Bountiful. The Tigers are a very run heavy team and are led by quarterback Josh Steele and running back Josiah Tiatia.
These teams have some postseason history. This is the 5th time these teams have met in the first round of the playoffs with the teams splitting the previous four games. The Braves are huge favorites in this game and should have no trouble bringing their first round jinx to an end.
Prediction: Bountiful 28 Orem 0
Players to watch: Kyle Pawlowski DB Bountiful
Payson Lions (4-5) @ No. 3 Mountain Crest (7-2) Fri 4 pm
Mountain Crest quarterback Alex Kuresa is about to take his game to BYU next fall. But before he does, this 4-year starter at quarterback for the Mustangs wants to make another run at a state championship. In his previous three years the Mustangs have reached the 4A semifinals only to see their season end at the hands of Timpview. In the process he has become Utah's all-time leader in career total offense career passing yards and career touchdown passes. With Kuresa under center the Mustangs offense averages 37 points per game. After a shocking one-point loss to rival Logan the Mustangs have rebounded nicely scoring a combined total of 93 points in their last two games.
Payson's best player this season on both sides of the ball has been Brady Loveless. He has rushed for 424 yards and 4 touchdowns, caught 37 passes for 504 yards and 5 touchdowns, and intercepted two passes on defense.
The Lions are making just their 3rd playoff appearance since 1990 and they haven't won a playoff game since October 31st 1986 when the Lions beat South high school in the first round. Making history Friday will be difficult. The Mustangs are just too good.
Prediction: Mountain Crest 42 Payson 7
Players to watch: Alex Kuresa QB Mountain Crest Brady Loveless RB/DB Payson
East Leopards (7-2) @ No. 5 Westlake Thunder (8-1) Fri 5:30 pm
It didn't take long for Westlake to become a force in Utah high school football. Head Coach Jason Walker, a former Timpview assistant, has this program hosting a playoff game in just it's second year of existence. The Thunder have talent starting with junior quarterback John Ursua. He has completed 62 percent of his passes for 1, 478 yards and 22 touchdowns. He can also beat you with his legs rushing for 723 yards and 12 touchdowns. They also have a talented running back in Nick Waitkevich who has averaged 10 yards per carry and has 10 touchdowns. Both players helped the offense average 41 points per game thanks in part to a big, physical offensive line.
East has also been a big surprise in 4A. Head coach Brandon Matich took over a program that just one win last season and has turned them into winners. He has installed his triple option offense and instilled an intensity and confidence in his players. Quarterback Tanner Curtis leads the offense and has rushed for 1,004 yards and 14 touchdowns while throwing 10 touchdowns passes. Liti Molisi who has rushed for 786 yards and 7 touchdowns joins him in the backfield. While running behind a big physical offensive line the Leopards have averaged 32 points per game while playing a challenging schedule in Region 6.
This may be the most compelling and competitive first round matchup in 4A. Both teams are good enough to reach the semifinals but we get to see this matchup in the first week of the playoffs. This game is very evenly matched and when it's that close you have to go with the home team.
Prediction: Westlake 27 East 24
Players to watch: John Ursua QB Westlake, Tanner Curtis QB East
