This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
"Hesitant" is the word Pine View coach Ray Hosner used to describe his team's 38-7 loss to Dixie in Week 5.
"Obviously, they're a good football team. You got to fly around. The first game we were a little hesitant. We need to be more aggressive," Hosner said.
When the Panthers square off against the Flyers at 6 p.m. on Friday at Southern Utah University in the Class 3AA semifinals, however, they'll resemble an entirely different team. Traveling to Tooele and knocking off the Buffaloes, who advertised one of the top rushing attacks in the nation, was an enormous confidence-booster for a young, core group of kids, Hosner said.
"We've grown a ton," Hosner explained. "They've grown throughout the season. The journey has been good for them, and now all of sudden they started playing varsity football and understanding the speed of the game. It was a big learning curve."
The Flyers, who have yet to lose to an opponent situated within the 3AA classification, are making its fifth consecutive appearance in the semifinals, while Pine View is back for the third time in four years.
While the two southern teams clash in Cedar City, Stansbury and Desert Hills will play at Rice-Eccles Stadium at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The Stallions punched their ticket to the semifinals for the first time in school history, while the Thunder have made the semifinals their second home, appearing for the fifth time in six years.
"We've told them, 'The stadium is big, but the football field is the exact same size as it is in your stadium,' " said Stansbury coach Clint Christiansen when asked how he's kept his roster from bursting with too much emotion. " 'Try and block out the surroundings. Once they kick the ball off, it's just a football field.' We've been preaching that to them all week: 'Go have fun and play the game.' "
In terms of individual talent, Desert Hills advertises the most next-level players, highlighted by four-star Class of 2018 offensive tackle Penei Sewell, but Christiansen said his team often loses the "pre-game battle."
"Desert Hills is the cream of the crop. We've got our hands full," he said. "We're small and they're huge. We got to try and weather the storm, and I think the first quarter is going to tell us how the football game is going to go. Hopefully we don't get in trouble in the first quarter and hang with them and keep it close, and our kids will build some confidence."
Twitter: @trevorphibbs —
Football playoffs
Class 5A
Semifinals
Thursday, at Rice-Eccles Stadium
• American Fork vs. Lone Peak, 11 a.m.
• Fremont vs. Bingham, 2:30 p.m.
Class 4A
Semifinals
Friday, at Rice-Eccles Stadium
• Maple Mountain vs. East, 11 a.m.
• Springville vs. Alta, 2:30 p.m.
Class 3AA
Semifinals
• Stansbury vs. Desert Hills, Thursday, 6:30 p.m., at Rice-Eccles Stadium
• Pine View vs. Dixie, Friday, 6 p.m., at Eccles Coliseum (Cedar City)
Class 3A
Championship
Saturday, at Eccles Coliseum (Cedar City)
• Delta vs. Juan Diego, 4 p.m.
Class 2A
Championship
Saturday, at Eccles Coliseum (Cedar City)
• Beaver vs. South Summit, 11 a.m.
Class 1A
Championship
Saturday, at Eccles Coliseum (Cedar City)
• Kanab vs. Duchesne, 1:30 p.m.