This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
"Jackpot: 7-7-7" is our prep football series published every Friday morning at 7 a.m. It analyzes the best seven games kicking off at 7 p.m. that evening.
*****
Week 2 recap: I finished 6-1 (pure luck), Tom Wharton went 5-2 and Brennan Smith struggled at 1-6. We've jabbed Brennan several times throughout the week for his picks, but he's no slob when it comes to knowledge on the prep scene. Watch for him to rebound with a vengeance this week.
Season standings:
AMERICAN FORK AT BRIGHTON
Nitty-gritty: This is a rematch from last season's Class 5A semifinals, where American Fork stuck a 58-point grenade on Brighton. They actually split the series though, with the Bengals winning the opening game at AF in 2014. The Cavemen are fresh off a loss in Potato country, losing to Idaho powerhouse Highland by seven points after knocking off Hunter in Week 1. Tanner Smith has already equaled one-third of his interception total from last season with three on the year including one late in the fourth quarter when his team had an opportunity to pull even. Obviously ball security needs to be an emphasis this week. Without Drew Jensen at quarterback, Brighton still knocked off an underrated Fremont team, which is expected to contend for the Region 1 title. Hunter Albert and Andrew Covey split reps behind center, with Albert accounting for the majority of the snaps. Simi Fehoko is carrying this team right now. He has 15 receptions for nearly 400 yards and two touchdowns. The next closest reception total is three. Sione Heimuli-Lund currently leads the state with 28 tackles.
PREDICTIONS
Trevor Phibbs: Brighton
Tom Wharton: Brighton
Brennan Smith: Brighton
NORTHRIDGE AT LAYTON
Nitty-gritty: Northridge won three games in 2014 including a 28-26 win in the final game of the year against Layton, which only won two games all of last season. Both clubs are 2-0 heading into the crosstown rivalry. The Lancers posted 41 points on the board in both of their wins against Weber and Clearfield behind the three-headed dragon of Tayler Katoa, Julian Blackmon and Keoni Larsen. The Knights, on the flipside, have tapped into some magic primarily from Jrue Perkins a converted receiver playing quarterback who has accounted for nine touchdowns and 861 yards of total offense in the first two games. The magic we speak of though? Northridge scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns and held on a goal-line stand against Bonneville last week, and when the Lakers connected on 40-plus yard pass with five seconds left the Knights survived when the ensuing PAT sailed wide after Bonneville was whistled for an unsportsmanlike penalty.
PREDICTIONS
Trevor Phibbs: Layton
Tom Wharton: Layton
Brennan Smith: Layton
PLEASANT GROVE AT JORDAN
Nitty-gritty: The Vikings coughed up 442 yards of total offense, including 300 through the air, in their 41-0 loss against Del Oro (Calif.) last week. It was the second consecutive game Pleasant Grove tossed four interceptions. The inability to maintain possession paired with the shaky defensive secondary spells disaster if PG can't clean things up against Jordan. Beetdiggers' quarterback Drew Lisk has already reached the 1,000-yard plateau of total offense in two weeks, but he's needed every yard, as Jordan's defense is allowing 439.5 yards per game. The Vikings won the 2014 meeting, 55-52, with both teams combining for 1,200 yards of offense. Expect the same type of shootout.
PREDICTIONS
Trevor Phibbs: Jordan
Tom Wharton: Jordan
Brennan Smith: Pleasant Grove
ALTA AT DIXIE
Nitty-gritty: The Hawks are 2-0 in the Alema Te'o era, but the wins are against Cyprus and Hillcrest not exactly death row. If Alta beats Dixie in St. George that's an entirely different story. Tre Miller is one of the top tailbacks in the state for the Flyers who went toe-to-toe with ninth-ranked Springville on the road in the opening week of the season. Alta will need big performances from quarterback Braxton Kerr and running back Josh Davis if it expects to escape the heat with another victory.
PREDICTIONS
Trevor Phibbs: Dixie
Tom Wharton: Dixie
Brennan Smith: Dixie
MURRAY AT TOOELE
Nitty-gritty: Murray has allowed 588 yards on the ground in its first two games, which it split against Taylorsville (loss) and Copper Hills. Tooele, behind Ryan Brady who is not a household name but should be has rushed for 585 yards in two games. It doesn't take a wizard to state the obvious: The Spartans need to tune up the rush defense to win this game. Murray had a solid rebound win against Copper Hills, which granted isn't a win for the resume, after the surprisingly lopsided loss against the Warriors. Tooele, despite the lower enrollment, will serve as the real measuring stick of what type of team Murray is this season.
PREDICTIONS
Trevor Phibbs: Tooele
Tom Wharton: Murray
Brennan Smith: Murray
RIVERTON AT FREMONT
Nitty-gritty: Saxton Morby has been spectacular at quarterback for Fremont, as has Haze Hadley at receiver. Fremont nearly knocked off Brighton at home last week, but couldn't find a way to stop the Bengals on defense after alternating score for score for the duration of the game. For the first this season, Riverton will play against a program not named Sky View/Skyview (Idaho). The Silverwolves (one word compared to Fremont's Silver Wolves) lost against Utah's version and routed Idaho's last week. Simeon Page already has 25 tackles and five sacks in two weeks for Riverton, which showed it is starting to find rhythm again offensively.
PREDICTIONS
Trevor Phibbs: Fremont
Tom Wharton: Fremont
Brennan Smith: Fremont
BISHOP GORMAN AT BINGHAM
Nitty-gritty: Bingham has shown it isn't intimidated by anybody. The Miners won't back down in this one. Bishop Gorman is loaded at every position, especially offensively with Tate Martell at quarterback. Last season, Bingham escaped its conservative approach and converted three of four called-fake punts. Expect the same aggressive strategy again Friday night. The Miners are no joke on the dark side, but if they're going to upset the consensus top-ranked program in the nation they need to score points.
PREDICTIONS
Trevor Phibbs: Bishop Gorman
Tom Wharton: Bishop Gorman
Brennan Smith: Bishop Gorman
Analysis by Trevor Phibbs