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The Class 5A, 4A and 3AA state football championship games Friday at Rice-Eccles Stadium offer more than a few storylines.
There are powerhouse programs Bingham and Timpview, both back to defend state titles. The Miners are in their sixth championship game in the past 15 years while the Thunderbirds will be playing for their eighth crown since 2004.
Then there are the upstarts who have waited years for the chance to play for a state title.
Region 4 champion American Fork, which will play Bingham for the 5A crown, is playing in its first state title game since 1962. Roy, which meets Timpview for the 4A crown, has waited since 1981 for the chance to play in the championship game.
Finally, there are Hurricane and Dixie, who finished third and fourth in their league and came up with huge upsets of higher-ranked opponents to make surprise appearances in the Class 3AA championship game.
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Class 5A
Bingham 12-1 vs. American Fork 11-2, 2:30 p.m. • The big question in this one will be how the Miners respond to the loss of starting quarterback Kyle Gearig, whose elbow injury in the semifinals will more than likely keep him out of this one.
Backup senior Ben Boelter filled in admirably for the Miners in their semifinal victory over Riverton. And Bingham coach Dave Peck's teams have so much depth that they typically overcome injuries.
Nationally-ranked Bingham's only loss this season came at the hands of Las Vegas' Bishop Gorman, the No. 1 team in the U.S., a 23-20 overtime thriller. With the exception of giving up 41 points to Jordan, the Miners' defense has been superb, with senior Daniel Langi leading the way. Cameron Smith and Michael Green are able receivers and Bingham is so fundamentally strong that it will take a great effort on the part of American Fork to pull an upset.
That said, the Cavemen and all-around star Zach Katoa who plays running back, defense, punts and even throws the occasional touchdown pass, seem to be peaking at the right time.
After losing to Brighton 24-23 in the first game of the season, American Fork blasted the Bengals 58-28 in last week's semifinals, with defensive back Ben Cummings enjoying a big game. The Cavemen and coach Aaron Behm have a solid quarterback in Tanner Smith and a good tight end and linebacker in Nate Heaps.
While both Bingham and American Fork put up big numbers last week, expect a more low-scoring affair in the title game.
Class 4A
Timpview 13-0 vs. Roy 12-0, 6:30 p.m. • How rare is it for two unbeaten teams to play in a state championship game?
According to Utah football stats guru George Felt, that has only happened 18 times in the 278 previous championship games, meaning there is a 6.5 percent chance of two unbeatens playing for the title. The last time it happened was 2008, when Timpview beat Cottonwood for the title.
Timpview continues to be one of Utah's most successful football programs and features one of the state's best players in veteran quarterback Britain Covey. In a fine high school career, he has been part of 109 touchdown plays. In addition to passing and rushing, he has seven receptions for scores and three kickoff returns.
Add to that star receiver Jordan Espinoza and there is a good reason why Cary Whittingham's Thunderbirds are playing in their eighth title game since 2004.
Roy is one of the feel-good stories of the year, with coach Fred Fernandes returning to his alma mater to revive what had been a struggling program. Expect the Royals to bring one of the biggest crowds of the day.
Roy is led by quarterback Tyler Skidmore, a four-year starter, and star receiver Cody Hobbs. Tailbacks Baby Tee Eteuati and Matty Matautia add plenty of firepower.
Class 3AA
Dixie 9-4 vs. Hurricane 8-5, 11 a.m. • If the trend from the past two years holds, then Hurricane should be the favorite to win its first football title since 2011. That's because the third-place team from 3AA South won the last two titles (Dixie and Desert Hills), and that's where the Tigers finished this year.
But there is the little matter of Dixie's 34-14 head-to-head victory over Hurricane on Sept. 26 to contemplate.
The Flyers, who finished fourth in Class 3AA South, needed to come from 28 points back in the second half to beat Stansbury to reach this game. Players such as quarterback Ammon Takau, running back Tre Miller, receiver Bret Barben and linemen Jeff Martinez and Jackson Davis make Dixie dangerous.
"Our kids are peaking up at the right time," said Dixie coach Blaine Monkres. "The kids are stepping up and doing their job."
Hurricane first-year head coach Steve Pearson, who was an assistant the last time the Tigers won the title in 2011, said things are different this time.
"In 2011, we were the odds-on favorite to go through the ranks and season undefeated," he said. "We were a juggernaut that everybody had to stop. This year, we started out the season picked at the bottom of our range. We were a no-name and an under-the-radar team people didn't count on. We have gotten better and played some good football down the stretch. This year, it's more of an underdog excitement."
The Tigers are led by fullback and middle linebacker Jeremiah Ieremia and defender Charlie Fifita. Sophomore Josh Parker, who had never taken a varsity snap before the playoffs, has performed admirably in relief of starting signal-caller Caden Langston, who broke his ankle in the first round of the playoffs.