I started the day at Timpview, and saw the T-birds dismantle Roy, 40-7. I then went to Orem High, where Bountiful earned a gut-wrenching 17-14 victory over the Tigers. I finished the day seeing the final 2 1/2 quarters of Alta's 56-10 win over Kearns.
If you've played high school football, coached it, parented a player, or simply been a fan, you know what a thrill it is when the season becomes a win-or-go-home proposition.
The first day of the high school football playoffs is always one of the most glorious, exciting and unpredictable days in the entire prep sports year. Mountain View beat East? Bonneville beat Highland?
The first day of the high school football playoffs is also one of the saddest, most depressing and emptiest days in the entire prep sports year.
More football teams have their season ended on the first day of the state playoffs than any other day, and almost all of the players from the losing teams will never wear a football uniform again.
It's a helpless feeling when you return to your locker room and take off your gear for the last time. Hundreds of kids took off their pads, shed tears and realized that all the hours they spent conditioning and lifting weights did not pay off with a state championship. The pain is almost enough to leave a player speechless.
"It's tough," said Roy quarterback Luke Hobbs, who proved to be a warrior while standing up to Timpview's relentless pass rush all game long. "I really don't know what to say about it. It's something I don't want to experience again."
The threat of feeling like Hobbs is part of what makes playoff football so special. You understand it by "the shrieks." When there's a big play being made, the opposing crowds simultaneously let out roars. If it's a positive play, fans scream their support. If it's negative, fans are screeching almost in fear.
Roy fans are among the state's most loyal and vocal. But they mostly were silent at Timpview. The T-Birds put the Royals away when Mark Ercanbrack returned the second-half kickoff for a 91-yard touchdown, leaving Roy fans little to cheer about.
Bountiful's victory over Orem was a classic. Jamie Rigby turned a screen-pass from quarterback Jason Maughan into a 54-yard touchdown to give the Braves a 10-7 lead in the third quarter. He then gave Bountiful a comfortable lead with a 66-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
The combination of joy and exhaustion on Rigby's face was priceless.
"It's nice when you have an athlete like that," Bountiful offensive coordinator Clark "Boog" Stringfellow told me after Rigby's second score.
The Braves know what's at stake in the playoffs. They stay even-keeled under pressure, probably because they make the state playoffs every year.
"We think that every down is our last play," Rigby said. "We know that one play can change a game's momentum. We just try our best on every play."
I arrived at Alta in time to see Sausan Shakerin look like the Shak of 2006. He scored on a 49-yard run to put the Hawks up 20-0 in the second quarter. Warning for Timpanogos: He really is back.
What impressed me the most about the Hawks was the same as what floored me about Timpview - how well their defense played. I saw Kearns put up 40 points against West Jordan. Alta's defense seemed to be playing at a different speed than Kearns' offense.
Roy, Orem and Kearns at least got to experience the drama and intensity of the state playoffs.
Hobbs was grateful for the experience.
"We came out ready to play," he said. "We wanted to shock the world, you know? Great group of guys we have here, my best friends. I wouldn't want to play with anyone else."
aaragon@sltrib.com
