Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Survive and advance. Several teams did just that in last week's high school football playoff games. This week there is more at stake, and with that comes more pressure.
A trip to Rice-Eccles Stadium is on the line Friday for teams in the three largest classifications, while a spot in a state championship game is up for grabs in the three smaller classifications with semifinal games being held Friday and Saturday at Southern Utah University.
There are teams like Bingham, Timpview, Juan Diego and Duchesne who seem to reach the quarterfinals every year and then there are teams like Herriman, Salem Hills and Corner Canyon who have reached the quarterfinals for the first time in school history. All have hopes of taking that next step toward a state title.
There are plenty of compelling match ups and story lines. Here is a look at the top five playoff games to watch this week:
Coleman Meier, Olympus
Meier scored five touchdowns including the game winning double hook and lateral to give Olympus a 43-37 win over Springville.
Mack Richards, Alta
Richards returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, returned a punt 86 yards for a score and also added a 9-yard touchdown catch in Alta's 49-21 win over Taylorsville.
Xequille Harry, Woods Cross
Harry caught seven passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns and also returned an interception for a touchdown in a 42-14 win over Box Elder.
Preston Curtis, East
Curtis scored three touchdowns which included a 67 yard run, a 13 yard reception and a 25 yard interception return in East's 65-14 win over Roy.
Jake Wagner, Desert Hills
Wagner had three sacks and forced fumble which was returned for a touchdown and he returned a blocked field goal 79 yards for a touchdown in the Thunder's 40-7 win over Uintah.
Olympus (9-1) at Logan (11-0), 3 p.m.
It seems we can't get through a season without a little controversy, and we had some this week. Logan starting quarterback Chase Nelson was suspended for this quarterfinal game after getting ejected in last week's first round playoff win over Bountiful. They will miss their leader who has amassed more than 4,300 yards of total offense and 50 touchdowns.
Whoever steps in at quarterback for the Grizzlies Friday afternoon will have plenty of weapons to the throw the ball to. Taylor Compton has 81 catches for 1,112 yards and 14 touchdowns while Hartman Rector, Chad Artist and Tanner McIntire have combined for 25 touchdowns.
The only thing separating Olympus from an undefeated season is a missed extra point against Corner Canyon. They are coming off a dramatic win over Springville thanks to a double hook and lateral in the final seconds. It was one of Coleman Meier's five touchdowns in the game. The Titans will rely on their 1,000 yard rusher once again as they try to win their first quarterfinal game since 1998 when they went on to win a state championship.
Pleasant Grove (9-2) at Jordan (6-5), 4 p.m.
The 5A quarterfinals feature four matchups between Region 3 and Region 4. Pleasant Grove is coming off a stunning 21-15 win over undefeated and No. 2 Davis. Three weeks ago they were in danger of missing the playoffs and now they are one win away from their first semifinal appearance at Rice Eccles Stadium since 2006. If it comes down to the final minute, they will know what to do.
Their last three wins over American Fork, Herriman and Davis all required the Vikings to rally from a fourth quarter deficit. They will have to win on the road for the thrid straight week against a Jordan team that features the reigning Mr. Football, Austin Kafentzis.
Jordan has not been the dominant team they were last year that steamrolled opponents on their way to the 5A state championship. They don't have the same level of talent on the offensive and defensive line, but they do have tremendous athletes who have put up big numbers led by Kafentzis. He has more than 4,000 yards of total offense and 42 total touchdowns. Clay Moss is also a 1,000 yard rusher this season. They have averaged 37 points per game this season.
Jordan destroyed Pleasant Grove in the first round last year 56-7. Expect a much closer game this time around.
Alta (5-5) at Lone Peak (7-4), 4 p.m.
Based on seeding, neither of these teams should be in this position, yet here they are one win away from a trip to Rice Eccles Stadium.
Lone Peak is hosting a quarterfinal game as a 3 seed thanks to a stunning 21-13 upset of No. 4 Syracuse in the first round. They are led by quarterback Baron Gajkowski, who has almost 3,000 yards of total offense and 29 touchdowns this season.
Alta got here by crushing Region 2 co-champ Taylorsville 49-21 in the first round. The Hawks finished fourth in Region 3, but that tough schedule may be paying off now in the postseason. They should enter this game with confidence after crushing Lone Peak 35-17 back on August 30.
Mack Richards has been their instant offense this season with 1,076 yards receiving and 13 touchdowns. He also showed last week that he is a major threat on special teams after returning a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown and also a punt return 84 yards for a score. Alta will try to get the ball in his hands and it will be the Knights' challenge to contain him.
The playmaker with the biggest game, Gajkowski or Richards, will likely come out with the victory. That is going to be the challenge for the defenses in this game.
Desert Hills (8-2) at Stansbury (7-3), 5 p.m.
These two 3AA schools are separated by 300 miles but are very familiar with each other.
They first met in the 3A quarterfinals in 2011 and the Thunder enjoyed the long bus ride home after a 26-7 win. They met again in the regular season in 2012 at Stansbury, and the Stallions had revenge with a 12-7 victory on their home field. This year the teams met once again in the season opener, with Desert Hills shutting out Stansbury 12-0 in St. George.
The Stallions get a boost this week with starting quarterback Chase Christiansen returning to the lineup after missing much of the season with a high ankle sprain. They hope to have better luck this time against the stout Desert Hills defense, which held Stansbury to just 98 yard of total offense in the season opener. The Thunder have held opponents to just 9.5 points per game this season, which leads all of 3AA.
If Desert Hills can get their offense rolling they're a state title contender and a win would give them their third straight trip to the semifinals.
Manti (9-2) vs. Morgan (9-2), Sat., 4 p.m.
One of the biggest beneficiaries of the new realignment has been Morgan. The Trojans haven't reached the semifinals since 2008 and haven't played for a state title since 1997. They entered the season in the new 3A as the preseason favorite to win a state championship and were ranked No. 1 for much of the season before falling to Judge on the road in the final game of the season. The Trojans just need one more win for a potential rematch with Judge in the 3A state championship game on a neutral field at Weber State.
To get there they must first take care of business against No. 3 Manti, who knows how to win big games like this. The Templars won the last two 2A state championships and are now vying for a 3A state title. A win Saturday would be their third straight semifinal victory. Morgan is the one semifinalist Manti hasn't played this season. They beat Juab 41-33 and fell at Judge 49-20.
Both teams will try to establish the run. Manti has Kamren Fowles, who has rushed for 1,211 yards and 19 touchdowns, while Morgan's Kade Kerrigan and Matt Murdock have combined for 1,612 yards and 27 touchdowns.
