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Class 3A
The results of the first round of the 3A playoffs were stunning. The Cedar Redmen looked like a legitimate state championship contender after the way they handled region rival Hurricane in the final week of the regular season. Instead, their season is over after falling to Judge 24-21. The Bulldogs pulled off the upset despite playing their 3rd game in 8 days. Emery's upset of Park City was just as improbable. The Miners were the region 10 champs, finished the season ranked 5th in the final KSL Coaches' Poll, and also looked like state title contenders. Yet, the Spartans made the trip to Park City and willed their way into the quarterfinals.
After going 6-2 in my picks last week, I expect all but one higher seeded team to advance this week. But as we learned in the first round anything can happen and that is what makes this so much fun.
Here is a look at the matchups in the 3A quarterfinals.
Juab Wasps (8-3) at Juan Diego Soaring Eagle (9-1), Friday 3 p.m.
Juan Diego is just 3 wins away from a three-peat. The Soaring Eagle look like the clear favorites to make that happen based on their recent performance. Their defense has been dominant. They have three shut outs in the last four weeks and have given up a total of 14 points in their last five games. It was their defense that fueled their 17-0 first round win over Manti.
Now the Soaring Eagle face another region 12 team, Juab. If the Wasps are fortunate enough to force overtime against the defending champions on Friday they will be prepared. They played in 4 straight overtime games this season going 3-1 in those games. They will try to keep things close on Friday and hope to put their experience in close games to the test.
This is a rematch of a first round playoff game last season; a game Juan Diego won 56-0. Expect this game to be much closer bur the result to be the same.
Prediction: Juan Diego 21 Juab 0
Judge Memorial Bulldogs (6-5) at Wasatch Wasps (7-3), Friday 4 p.m.
The Judge Bulldogs weren't supposed to be playing this week. They were huge underdogs against Cedar, a team that had their way with the No. 1 team in the state the previous week. They had to win a play in game just 4 days earlier just to reach the playoffs. That didn't stop them from pulling off the upset of the week with a 24-21 win over the Redmen. They scored 17 points in the final 11 minutes to rally for the win. Now the Bulldogs will make a much shorter trip to face former region rival Wasatch with a real chance to make it to Rice-Eccles Stadium for the semifinals.
Wasatch took care of business in the first round by beating Richfield 28-14. After suffering a tough loss to rival Park City to end the regular season, the Wasps are now hosting a quarterfinal playoff game with a chance to advance to the semifinals for the 3rd time in the last 4 years.
These teams are very familiar with each other and played in week four with the Wasps winning on their home field 24-14. That game was close and this one should be as well. The Bulldogs win over Cedar was impressive but this will be their 4th game in 14 days. Winning a quarterfinal game on the road after that kind of grind may be too much to ask.
Prediction: Wasatch 24 Judge 21
Emery Spartans (7-4) at Hurricane Tigers (10-1), 5 p.m.
There were two major upsets in the first round of the playoffs and Emery pulled off one of them. The Spartans stunned Region 10 champion Park City on the Miners home field to advance to the 3A quarterfinals. If the Spartans want to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 1999 they must travel to Hurricane and knock of the 2nd ranked Tigers.
Hurricane bounced back nicely in round one after losing for the first time in the regular season finale against Cedar. They defeated 5th ranked Morgan 35-10 and outscored the Trojans 21-0 in the 2nd half. Their run game led by 1.000 yard rusher Jarom Healey is always tough to stop and this team is on a mission after falling short in the final seconds of the past two 3A title games. Thanks to Emery's upset over Park City the Tigers get to host this game, which should make things even more difficult for the underdog Spartans.
Prediction: Hurricane 35 Emery 7
Desert Hills Thunder (7-3) at Delta Rabbits (7-4), 1 p.m.
The Delta Rabbits seem to be in this position every year. They have reached the postseason a state-high 36 straight times and have now won 6 straight first round playoff games. Reaching the quarterfinals seemed like a long shot back in September. The Rabbits started the season 0-4 thanks to a tough non-region schedule that featured Westlake, Hurricane, Park City and South Summit, all playoff teams. It looks as though that tough schedule prepared them for a deep playoff run. Sine that rough start they have won 7 in a row and swept their Region 12 schedule winning their region games by an average of 22 points. After defeating American Leadership in the first round 48-0 they hope to reach the 3A semifinals for the first time since 2006.
Getting there won't be easy, even with home field advantage. Traveling 375 miles from St. George to Garland didn't seem to bother Desert Hills last Saturday. They shocked Bear River with a two-point conversion in double overtime to defeat the Bears and advance to the quarterfinals. It was the first playoff victory in school history for the Thunder and they seem poised to win another. They have played a tough schedule in region 9 so another road trip to face a tough, hard nose team like Delta isn't going to intimidate them.
Prediction: Desert Hills 17 Delta 14
