SALT LAKE CITY — We now have two weeks of high school football under our belt, and there's been a consolidating of powers at the top.
But could that change this week?
There were a few surprises in Week 2 action, while others made an early case to be the front-runner in their respective classification. There's still a long season to go, but there's already teams that appear to be at another level.
Here's where we see the teams entering Week 3.
1. Corner Canyon (2-0)
The unanimous No. 1 pick in the state of Utah didn't disappoint in a cross-country trek to Florida to take on West Broward in a non-region matchup. The Chargers jumped to an early 17-0 lead at half before West Broward got on the scoreboard.
But Corner Canyon added to the tally in the second half to pull away for a decisive 38-13 victory to stay undefeated on the season. A trip to Plain City on Friday to take on a hot Fremont team could provide some in-state fireworks, but the Chargers remain in the driver's seat until someone dethrones the reigning 6A champs.
2. Lone Peak (2-0)
In a game that pitted two top-10 teams against each other, Lone Peak had no trouble against a good Orem team to claim a 34-21 victory. One of the biggest highlights was Tate Barney connecting with Utah commit Jaron Pula for an 82-yard touchdown in the first half.
The touchdown run came just two minutes after Sa Tanuvasa picked off Orem quarterback Tayden Ka'awa for a 75-yard score to open the game.
Lone Peak has the fire power on offense, and it won't be easy to slow the Knights down.
3. Skyridge (2-0)
Skyridge is the last of our first three unanimous picks to start the rankings. The Falcons welcomed Liberty (Nevada) to Lehi and had little trouble putting the visitors away — we're picking up a theme — to the tune of a 45-27 win in a non-region game.
The Falcons scored the first 21 points of the game, which included two touchdowns from Kaneal Sweetwyne. The former BYU commit contributed five touchdowns in the game in another strong performance from the quarterback.
4. West (2-0)
West isn't slowing down after a great first two weeks of the season. The Panthers followed up a decisive Week 1 victory with a 48-0 shutout over Timpanogos on the road. Quarterback Kamden Lopati threw five touchdown passes, including an 80-yard toss to Louie Hamilton for the first score of the game.
Hamilton added a second touchdown on an 11-yard run in the second quarter. King Long added two receiving touchdowns of his own, including a 47-yard catch in the first quarter and a 61-yarder in the third quarter.
West gets its toughest test of the season at home on Friday as the team welcomes American Fork to town.
5. American Fork
American Fork followed West's beatdown of Timpview in Week 1 and took it to the Thunderbirds in a dominant 48-25 victory at home. The Cavemen utilized a two-quarterback system with Nate Childs and Kapano Manuela, and each threw three touchdowns apiece, with Childs adding another on the ground.
A trip to Salt Lake City to take on West is on the docket, and the winner will earn a valuable mark en route to what could be a special season.
6. Fremont (2-0)
In a tight battle against a tough Davis team, it took a made extra point in overtime for there to be a winner. Fremont secured a 35-34 win after Cade Hadley scored on a 2-yard rushing touchdown and Cam Graves hit the game-winning extra point. It's a game of inches.
Manase Tuatagaloa threw four touchdown passes, including three in the second half, to erase a once 21-0 Davis lead and help his team to victory.
7. Ridgeline (2-0)
There's few teams in the 4A classification who can combat the well-rounded Ridgeline team that traveled to Park City and rolled to a 39-3 victory. BYU commit Graham Livingston had two touchdowns on the night, including a 68-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter to leave no doubts.
For now, it's Ridgeline and everyone else in 4A.
@j_fur4 Highlight reel from Ridgeline's 39-3 win over Park City. #HSFB♬ Npsy Hussle Type Beat (Remastered 2023) - liuslz
8. Orem (1-1)
Simply put, Lone Peak was the better team in a Week 2 loss. But Orem remains one of the best teams in the state, with numerous talented players lining the roster. Quarterback Tayden Ka'awa threw three touchdown passes, including a 67-yard pass to Max Stonebraker in the first quarter and a 54-yard pass to Kai Wesley in the fourth quarter.
Up next: a road trip to Rocky Mountain High (Idaho).
9. Davis (1-1)
Davis let its Week 2 game against Fremont slip away, especially after taking a 21-0 lead to start the game. But it will certainly be a good lesson for a Davis team that look unstoppable in Week 1. Doubt the Darts all you want, but the Week 2 loss could be a turning point in the season — it just depends on whether it's good or bad.
10. Lehi (1-1)
Defense. Defense. Defense.
If you love watching offense, Lehi was not the answer in Week 2. The Pioneers managed only one touchdown on the night and dropped a defensive battle to Mountain Ridge in a 9-7 loss on the road. Lehi held a narrow 7-6 lead for much of the game before Mountain Ridge's Aidan Robison hit a game-winning 38-yard field goal.
The remaining Top 20:
- 11 - Olympus (2-0)
- 12 - Syracuse (2-0)
- 13 - Crimson Cliffs (1-1)
- 14 - Herriman (2-0)
- 15 - Mountain Ridge (1-1)
- 16 - Springville (2-0)
- 17 - Brighton (1-1)
- 18 - Riverton (2-0)
- 19 - Box Elder (2-0)
- 20 - Westlake (2-0)
Plus-1: Manti (1-1)
The 3A power put together a convincing performance against 4A Juan Diego in a lopsided 65-7 win. The Templars managed 58 points in the first half alone — including a 41-point second quarter — before calling off the dogs i the second half.
Ty Pringle led the team with three touchdowns, including a 55-yard punt return, and quarterback Carter Mason threw four touchdown passes in the win.
Talk about a bounce-back performance after a Week 1 loss.
