SALT LAKE CITY — The guessing games are over as the real games began in high school football this week.
Now that the first week of tests has come and gone, where do the top teams in the state rank? And did some schools that were deemed contenders fall flat and drop off the rankings altogether?
Here's where we see the teams entering Week 2.
1. Corner Canyon
A 45-0 shutout of Bingham to start the season? Yeah, that'll do for the perennial top team in the state.
Four-star Texas A&M quarterback commit Helaman Casuga had an easy night with just a pair of passing touchdowns as the Chargers got four rushing touchdowns, including two from senior running back Weston Briggs.
Corner Canyon heads to Florida to take on the West Broward Bobcats next week before returning to Utah to face Fremont in Plain City, which saw a sizable rise of its own in this week's Top 20+1.
2. Lone Peak
The Knights had a bit of a mismatch to start the season with 4A visitor Crimson Cliffs in town, but still got the job done in a 49-14 win.
Kennan Pula accounted for two touchdowns, and his twin brother, Jaron, brought in another. Touchdown runs by senior Arami Ka'ili bookended the dominant victory for the Knights, who stay at home next week to take on Orem.
3. Skyridge
Kaneal Sweetwyne showed the Cougars what they might be missing out on after the senior quarterback decommitted from BYU on Aug. 4. The 6-foot-3 signal caller put up five passing touchdowns and added another on the ground in a 52-17 Week 1 win over Mountain Ridge.
The Falcons continue a three-game homestand to start the season with a game against Henderson, Nevada's Liberty, before welcoming East High to Lehi on Aug. 29.
4. Lehi
A year removed from a 1-point loss to Corner Canyon in the 6A semifinals, the Pioneers might have put together the most complete outing of the top four schools in Week 1 with a 55-0 shutout of Maple Mountain.
Devaughn Eka had three rushing touchdowns and Legend Glasker caught two touchdown passes from junior Cash Hollingshead in his first start as the new Lehi quarterback, with Jet Niu now with the Oklahoma Sooners.
The Pioneers continue a three-game road stretch to start the season with Mountain Ridge next week and a trip to Kuna, Idaho, on Aug. 29.
5. Davis
If any of the 6A semifinalists above falter in the coming weeks, Davis will likely be the first to pounce on a top-four spot after a dominant 56-21 win over Brighton in Week 1.
Boise State commit Tradon Bessinger put up five touchdown passes in the first half and added a rushing score in the second half to rout a Brighton team that made the 5A semifinals last season.
The Darts return to Kaysville next for a three-week homestand against Fremont, Mountain Ridge and Alta as the tests keep coming for the 6A title hopefuls.
6. Orem
Senior quarterback Tayden Ka'awa, who committed to Alabama last month, tossed four touchdown passes to four different receivers and ran in a fourth quarter score of his own in a 42-12 Orem win over Granger.
A major early challenge for the Tigers comes next week as they travel 12 miles up the road to Lone Peak.
7. West
The two-man tandem of quarterback Kamden Lopati and running back Louie Hamilton led West to its first-ever win over Timpview in Week 1, resulting in a jump from No. 11 to No. 7 in the rankings.
Hamilton ran in a pair of touchdowns, while Lopati threw two touchdowns and had two more on the ground in a 50-23 statement victory to start the season.
The Panthers travel to Timpanogos next week before welcoming American Fork to Salt Lake City on Aug. 29 in another big test at home.
8. American Fork
Speaking of the Cavemen, a 35-3 win over Pleasant Grove earned American Fork a slight bump from No. 9 to No. 8 after Week 1.
The Cavemen did it without a single passing touchdown, too, getting a fumble recovery score, a kick return touchdown and three rushing scores in the win.
Things will get serious quickly for American Fork, though, with Timpview coming to AF next week, followed by a trip up to West High.
9. Ridgeline
Senior wide receiver and BYU commit Graham Livingston contributed three of the Riverhawks' five touchdowns in a 34-14 home win over Morgan in Week 1.
Ridgeline travels to Park City and Brighton over the next two weeks as the Riverhawks' spot at the top of 4A could be cemented before September comes.
10. Fremont
The Silverwolves were the major risers into the top 10 this week, jumping up from No. 15 after a 42-10 road win over Weber to open the season.
Fremont got up to a 42-0 lead over the Warriors heading into the fourth quarter after senior running back Cade Hadley brought in three touchdowns in the first half.
The Silverwolves continue a 6A gauntlet to start the season, with Davis on the road next week and Corner Canyon visiting to close out the month.
The remaining Top 20:
- 11 - Timpview
- 12 - Olympus
- 13 - Herriman
- 14 - Crimson Cliffs
- 15 - Brighton
- 16 - Farmington
- 17 - Provo
- 18 - Syracuse
- 19 - Springville
- 20 - Mountain Ridge
Plus-1: Cyprus
The Cyprus Pirates celebrated the opening of its new school building and football stadium with a last-second field goal from senior Emilio Quezada to defeat Clearfield 9-6.
Clearfield scored in the first quarter and led until Cyprus senior Nick Lowe ran in a 22-yard touchdown to tie the game in the third quarter. Quezada's 20-yard field goal gave Cyprus its first lead of the game with just five seconds remaining.
With the Week 1 win, the Pirates already have as many victories as they had all of last season, as they finished 2024 with a 1-9 record.
