This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
In an effort to get fans ready for this weekend's high school football playoffs, here's a closer look at the Class 5A and Class 1A matchups, with thanks to maxpreps.com for the statistics and state prep football guru George Felt for his tidbits of knowledge. If you're looking for previews of other classes, you can find Class 4A and Class 2A here and Class 3AA and Class 3A here. And check out our TribPreps Radio podcast for more news and tidbits. It's ready to be downloaded.
Class 5A quarterfinals
Alta (5-5) at Lone Peak (7-4), 3 p.m. Friday • The Hawks knocked off the Knights 35-17 on Aug. 30 behind a pair of touchdowns from Mack Richards. And Alta nearly tamed Bingham before falling 33-27 in the regular-season finale. Chipper Lucero has thrown for 2,595 yards and 30 touchdowns this season and has the offense firing. The Hawks have averaged 45.25 points over their last four games, including a 49-21 win over Taylorsville to open the playoffs. Lone Peak also is playing well, having won five of its last six, and the loss was at Timpview when QB Baron Gajkowski didn't play. Gajkowski, a Utah State commit, led the Knights past Syracuse in the opening round of the playoffs by rushing for 170 yards and two scores. So this one comes down to a pair of talented quarterbacks who know how to chuck the ball. The teams' lone common opponent — Timpview — beat both teams (41-28 over Alta and 29-6 over Lone Peak).
Pleasant Grove (9-2) at Jordan (6-5), 4 p.m. Friday • The Vikings will roll because they have three more wins than the Beetdiggers, right? No way. Jordan, the reigning Class 5A state champs, suffered losses to out-of-state opponents Cathedral Catholic (38-6 on Aug. 30) and Bergen Catholic (56-26 on Sept. 14). The Beetdiggers also fell to East 59-36 on Sept. 6. Jordan, led by Wisconsin commit Austin Kafentzis at QB, has scored 121 points in its last two games. Kafentzis, a junior, set the state record for career yards gained by collecting 369 against Hunter in the playoff opener. He's now at 13,179 for his career, according to Felt, and he's just the sixth player in the nation to reach 13,000 yards. That's a load of trouble for Pleasant Grove. But the Vikings, who last won a quarterfinal game in 2006, upset previously undefeated Davis in the first round. And the Vikings like to live dangerously, with a one-point win over Herriman, a three-point victory over American Fork, a late rally to down Lehi 37-34 and a four-point win over Timpview. Jeremiah Evans is doing a great job at QB in his first season with the Vikings, and TJ Wind has rushed for 1,270 yards and 20 TDs. It seems a shootout is in store. The teams didn't play any common opponents.
Brighton (10-1) at Herriman (6-5), 5 p.m. Friday • Two standout running backs will face off with a trip to the state semifinals on the line. Herriman's Brandon Farmer has rushed for 1,527 yards and 15 TDs to spark the Mustangs' attack. Brighton's Osa Masina, who is drawing interest from a number of big-name college programs, is a load to bring down. The Bengals' lone loss came at Bingham — a 38-27 decision — on Oct. 4, and they have averaged 41.8 points per game. The Brighton defense has collected two shutouts and held the opposition to only a field goal in two other games. The Mustangs earned a share of the Region 4 title after falling to Pleasant Grove in the regular-season finale. They are averaging 42.3 points per game over their last three contests. The teams played four common opponents, and Brighton went 3-1 against them, while Herriman finished 1-3. The Bengals downed American Fork 41-28, West Jordan 55-7 and Jordan 34-21 but lost to Bingham 38-27. Herriman beat West Jordan 42-15 but lost to American Fork 38-36, Bingham 37-24 and Jordan 49-27.
Riverton (8-2) at Bingham (11-0), 5 p.m. Friday • The Miners earned their 10th consecutive trip the quarterfinal round, thanks in big part to running back Scott Nichols. The senior has rushed for more than 1,000 yards this season and ran for three TDs in a 48-27 win over Jordan. He's aided by Dalton Schultz, the top-rated tight end in the country. And the Miners' defense, which has posted three shutouts, doesn't allow much. That defense will get a workout against the Silverwolves, who scored 71 points against Lehi. The Silverwolves run the wing-T, and Cameron Christensen leads the way with 890 yards and 11 scores. Paden Cayias has added 813 yards and 10 TDs. Bingham beat both common opponents — 42-0 over Granger and 37-24 over Herriman. Riverton beat Granger 47-7 but fell to Herriman 20-17.
Class 1A semifinals
Diamond Ranch (6-5) vs. Duchesne (11-0), 11 a.m. Friday at SUU • The Diamondbacks fell to the Eagles 33-13 on Oct. 4 behind 134 yards and two TDs on the ground from Matt Dye. The Eagles enter riding a 45-game winning streak, the fifth longest in the nation. They had a couple of close calls, namely a 20-19 win over Rich on Oct. 11, but the streak lives. Dylan Despain has rushed for a team-high 727 yards, while Dye is next at 594 yards. Quarterback Trent Roberts has run for a team-high 13 TDs. The Diamondbacks downed Altamont 48-19 in the quarterfinals but lost three of their last four to close the regular season.
Rich (8-2) vs. Kanab (6-5), 1:30 p.m. Friday at SUU • The Cowboys won the first five meetings between the programs, but the Rebels' lone win against Kanab came Oct. 7 of this season, a 41-13 victory for Rich. This is the Rebels' eighth consecutive trip to the state semifinals. —
Playoff schedule
Class 5A
Friday's quarterfinals
3 p.m. • Alta at Lone Peak
4 p.m. • Pleasant Grove at Jordan
5 p.m. • Brighton at Herriman
5 p.m. • Riverton at Bingham
Class 4A
Friday's quarterfinals
3 p.m. • Olympus at Logan
3:30 p.m. • Corner Canyon at East
3:30 p.m. • Sky View at Timpview
4 p.m. • Salem Hills at Woods Cross
Class 3AA
Friday's quarterfinals
4 p.m. • Snow Canyon at Juan Diego
5 p.m. • Cedar City at Dixie
5 p.m. • Desert Hills at Stansbury
5 p.m. • Hurricane at Pine View
Class 3A
Friday's semifinal
at Southern Utah University
4 p.m. • Juab vs. Judge
Saturday's semifinal
at Southern Utah University
4 p.m. • Morgan vs. Manti
Class 2A
Saturday's semifinals
at Southern Utah University
11 a.m. • Grand County vs. North Summit
1:30 p.m. • South Summit vs. Beaver
Class 1A Friday's semifinals
at Southern Utah University
11 a.m. • Diamond Ranch vs. Duchesne
1:30 p.m. • Rich vs. Kanab