SALT LAKE CITY — The final four in the 5A playoffs are set and there are no surprises.

Three of the top four ranked teams in the state have reached the turf of Rice-Eccles Stadium. Three of the four teams, Syracuse, Lone Peak and Jordan, are back after reaching the semifinals in 2011 and the fourth team, Bingham, is no stranger to the semifinals.

The lack of upsets in the first round and quarterfinals of the 5A playoffs has created two terrific match ups. One features two of the best defenses in the state while the other is an intriguing rematch from last year's dramatic semifinals. Here is a breakdown:

No. 2 Syracuse (11-0) vs. No. 4 Bingham (10-2), Thursday 11 a.m.

It's a play that still haunts Syracuse WR/DB Diante Mitchell. It happened in the 2011 5A semifinals. Region 1 rivals Syracuse and Fremont went into overtime. Down seven points and facing fourth down Syracuse needed a touchdown to stay alive. Mitchell caught a pass and stretched forward to the goal line while getting tackled. His stretch came up just inches short and the Titans season came to an end.

There isn't a day goes by that Mitchell doesn't think about that play. It has motivated him and the rest of his teammates to get another chance.

"It means a lot to be able to redeem myself from last year," Mitchell says. "I promised my guys on our senior retreat that I was not going to come up short for our team and we were going to state."

The Titans are back to give it another shot in the 5A semifinals. It's the third trip to the turf of Rice-Eccles Stadium for the Titans in their six years of existence. Head Coach Russ Jones has done an impressive job building this program into a winner in a short period of time. This team wants to take the next step and become champions but they suffered a major setback in their quarterfinal victory over Alta.

"We get a second chance at going to Rice-Eccles and getting a state title," Mitchell says. "That's what we've been playing for all year and we are one step closer."

Starting quarterback Brock Anderson suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the 4th quarter ending his season. He was also the team's place-kicker. His loss is devastating but the team must move ahead without him.

Syracuse will turn to Spencer Johnson or Kole Tracy at quarterback. They will have help around them with talented players at skill positions. Mason Woodward has been a solid running back with 727 yards and 7 touchdowns while Johnson will have talented and dependable wide outs Kiwa Mo'o and Diante Mitchell who have combined for 7 touchdowns. The Titans will rely on their defense. Mitchell and Kavika Fonua lead a tough pass defense combining for 8 interceptions. They also have a fierce pass rush led by Cardon Malan and Jace Purser who have combined for 16.5 sacks.

The Bingham Miners are back in the semifinals after a one-year hiatus. They have reached the semifinals in six of the last seven years. They look to be peaking at the right time. Since getting upset by Lone Peak on September 27, the Miners have been dominating their opposition. They have averaged 44 points per game and shutout three opponents during that stretch while giving up just 5 points per game. Head coach Dave Peck has said this defense may be the best he's ever had at Bingham which is saying a lot. Lowell Lotulelei, Durrant Miles and Drake Miller will all play at the next level after high school and are just three of several talent players on defense for the Miners. Miles leads the team with seven sacks, Miller leads the team in tackles with 99 and Lotulelei is one of the best run stoppers at the high school level in the Western United States. The Miners also have plenty of talent on offense. Bingham has used two quarterbacks this season, Jantzen Bowles and Coleman Stout. BYU commit Hayden Weichers provides them with a reliable target at the receiver position. He has caught 35 passes for 641 yards and 7 touchdowns. Tonga Manu and Scott Nichols have combined for 1355 yards and 22 touchdowns at the running back spot.

This is a matchup of two of the top defenses in the state. Points will be hard to come by. Which offense can take better care of the ball will likely determine the final outcome. The injury to Anderson may be too much for the Titans to overcome against a team as good as Bingham.

KSL Prediction: Bingham 14 Syracuse 10

Lone Peak (10-2) vs. No. 1 Jordan (10-1), Thursday 2:30 p.m.

Lone Peak and Jordan met in last year's 5A semifinals, a matchup that gave us the game of the year. Jordan led by as much as 11and took a 41-38 lead with 4 minutes left in the game. Lone Peak quarterback Chase Hansen would rally the Knights and scored a touchdown with: 31 seconds left in the game to give Lone Peak a thrilling come-from-behind victory.

Now we get a rematch with a twist. Last year quarterback Baron Gajkowski stepped in for an injured Austin Kafentzis and almost led the Diggers to the upset. A year later Gajkowski has transferred to Lone Peak and is now the starting quarterback for the Knights.

Kafentzis is healthy and putting up crazy numbers running the Jordan offense. The super sophomore has passed for 2,417 yards, 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing 63 percent of his passes. He has also rushed for 1,520 yards and 19 touchdowns. Kafetnzis is a special player but this is not a one man team. Jordan is loaded with playmakers. Running back Clay Moss has rushed for 862 yards and 17 touchdowns. Kafentzis' top targets in the pass game are Mason Krueger and Nick West. The two receivers have combined for 1544 yards and 17 touchdowns. The success of this team all starts on the offensive line anchored by four year starter BJ Cavendar. It has to be considered the best offensive lines in the state and has allowed Kafentzis and others to run wild against opposing defenses. Defensively Jordan is much improved. Tyler Swan leads the team in tackles with 107 to go with 2.5 sacks and two interceptions. Cooper Clark has 95 tackles and 7 interceptions.

Lone Peak is not the dominant, top ranked team they were last season but they still have the talent to contend for a 5A title. BYU commit Talon Shumway is the player to watch for the Knights. He has caught 63 passes for 941 yards and 14 touchdowns and has also shown the ability to run the football if needed. Gajkowski has put up big numbers especially in the run game. He is the team's leading rusher with 1,050 yards and 13 touchdowns to go with his 1,941 yards and 17 touchdowns passing. Defensively the Knights may be better than they were last year. Josh Buck leads the way with 130 tackles, 3 sacks and an interception along with Spencer Reinstein who has 119 tackles and 2 sacks.

The Knights have played in six games this year decided by 4 points or less. They have been tested in the first two games of the playoffs. They needed a late touchdown and defensive stand to hold off Brighton and a blocked extra point was the difference in their quarterfinal win over Davis. The Knights beat Bingham to claim a share of the Region 4 title but a talented and experienced Jordan team will be a different challenge. The Beetdiggers remember that semifinal loss in 2011 and have been waiting for this chance for revenge all season.

KSL Prediction: Jordan 35 Lone Peak 21

Related topics