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OREM — When Park City’s football team walked off Mountain View’s field last Friday with a 42-16 win over the Bruins, it didn’t just mean the Miners were victorious against the second-best team in Region 10.
It didn’t just mean Park City was 7-0 for the first time since 2006.
It didn’t just mean that the Miners — the old silver mining town that has rebuilt itself into a steady challenger in Class 4A — was in the driver’s seat for a Region 10 title.
No, if you ask Park City quarterback Jack Skidmore, it meant something much more important than any of that.
It meant the Miners were 1-0 last week — and they hope to be 1-0 again this week when they host Ben Lomond at 7 p.m. MDT.
"It feels good, but we’re not done yet," said Skidmore, who completed 9 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown in the win. "We still have three more games, and we’ve got to win those first."
Being 1-0 and getting better every week isn’t just a mantra for the Miners; it’s the theme of Skidmore’s career.
The 5-foot-8 senior isn’t the biggest signal caller in the state, or the most athletic, or the most gifted passer with arm strength to boot. But he’s smart, he makes his reads, and he knows when to get the ball to the right playmaker — like he did last Friday, when Dylan Bauer ran for 160 yards and three scores and added a 32-yard TD grab from Skidmore.
In a lot of ways, Skidmore, who has thrown for 1,171 yards and 14 touchdowns with three interceptions, and ran for 311 yards and three more scores, is emblematic of his squad: short, feisty, but able to get the job done.
"We're usually half the size of everybody we play, so we have to have that chip on our shoulder every year," Park City coach Josh Montzingo told the Utah Preps Zone podcast. "We like it. I think it motivates them.
"We're blessed having Jack. It’s like having a coach on the field at times …. He does everything you could ask of him, athletically and mentally. We are very blessed to have him."
But the Miners (7-0, 4-0 Region 10) don’t want to be that one-trick pony that cruises through the regular season only to see an early postseason exit. They’ve already been there, after last year’s 9-4 season that ended with a loss to Dixie in the 4A state semifinals.
These Miners have higher goals, bigger aspirations, and state titles on their minds; who doesn’t, right? If you don’t want to be the best, why are you playing?
Maybe that’s why the Miners run a multiple offensive set, with a spread base but an ability to shift into a pro-style or play-action set, led by Skidmore, Bauer or a host of top receivers like Mark McCurdy or Jake Kohn.
Park City’s offense will take whatever the defense gives them, and the Miner defense will give up just 14.7 points per game. They’re hoping it’s good enough to lead them to a state championship — eventually.
For now, they’re mostly just hoping it leads them to a 1-0 performance every week.
"We want to win a state championship," Skidmore said. "But this week, our goal is to win our next game and to improve until we reach our final goal. It’s one step at a time until we reach our final goal."
Here are three more games we are watching as the closing stretch begins with Week 8 of the Utah high school football season. Watch the week unfold Friday on live.ksl.com.
Provo (5-2, 3-0 Region 8) at Salem Hills (7-0, 3-0)
After holding on for a 28-22 win over Springville, all that seemingly stands in the way of Provo and quarterback Luke Haslem from a Region 8 title is Salem Hills.
Of course, that’s unbeaten Salem Hills, led by quarterback Jarret Elmer who has the Skyhawks flying off to its best start in school history.
Pleasant Grove (6-1, 1-1 Region 4) at American Fork (4-3, 1-1)
Top-ranked Corner Canyon has established itself on top of Region 4, but the case for second place behind the Chargers is clearly muddied.
That race could clear up significantly this week when Skyridge hosts Lone Peak on Thursday and Pleasant Grove travels to American Fork on Friday night.
All four teams are tied with identical 1-1 records in region play, but Friday’s matchup could tip in favor of the Vikings, who are 6-1 overall and led by quarterback Caleb Campbell (1,388 yards, 13 touchdowns) and a trio of tailbacks in Rex Connors, Porter Connors and Evan Robinson.
Davis (4-3, 4-1 Region 1) at Weber (5-2, 4-1)
Equally unclear are the standings in Region 1, where Syracuse, Weber and Davis are all tied for the top spot at 4-1 in region play.
One of those teams will take a loss Friday night, when the Darts travel to Plain City, where the two-time defending region champions are led by a new coach and a pair of dynamic rushers with nearly identical numbers in Kohl Hogan (66 carries for 435 yards) and Logan Payne (74 carries for 418 yards).
