It's not surprising to find teams like Bonneville, Davis, Brighton and Skyline among this year's eight-team field in the 4A prep football quarterfinals. But it has been some time since we've seen the likes of Provo, Bingham, Cyprus and Kearns advance this far in challenging for the title.
The foursome of Bonneville, Davis, Brighton and Skyline are the types of teams that most folks label traditional powerhouses, penciling them in as postseason contenders before the season begins. So it's not surprising to see the four back for a near-annual appearance in this week's quarterfinal action at Rice Stadium - remember, Bonneville and Davis were 1988 quarterfinalists, Brighton was a semifinalist last year, and Skyline was a 4A finalist two seasons ago.But you'd have to go back to the early 1980s to find when Bingham and Cyprus made 4A quaterfinal appearances. Meanwhile, Provo has spent the past decade-plus among the 3A ranks, while Kearns hasn't been this far in the playoffs since 1974.
"It's new for us to be there," said Bingham Coach Son Sudbury. "It's new for Cyprus to be there, and it's new for Kearns, too. The kids are excited to be there, but I hope we don't fall to the `oohs' and `aahs' of the state tournament."
Ironically, the four so-called experienced teams will pair off with the four 4A-playoff newcomers in quarterfinal play Thursday and Friday.
Kearns vs. Skyline, 11:30 a.m. Thursday: The 7-2 Cougars shared the Region 3 title with Granger, with their only losses being to Bonneville and Granger - two teams that were ranked among the 4A's top five throughout the regular season. Boasting a no-single-star attack that spreads out the heroics from game to game, Kearns comes in with a five-game winning streak and a 34-point scoring average during that stretch.
Meanwhile, the 8-2 Eagles can boast an eight-game win streak, following preseason losses to Mountain View and American Fork. A wishbone-oriented offense that isn't afraid to air out the attack, Region 2 titlist Skyline has scored no fewer than 27 points in its last 7 games - the same scoring average for throughout the season.
As for regular-season results against the other 4A quarterfinalists, Kearns beat Cyprus and Bingham and lost to Bonneville, while Skyline beat Brighton - the only other 4A-playoff opponent the Eagles have faced so far this fall.
Looking at common opponents between the two teams, Skyline lost to American Fork 13-10 early in the season, while Kearns clobbered the Cavemen 34-17 in last week's first-round contest. And both teams beat Clearfield in preseason play - Kearns by a 14-13 score and Skyline by a 16-0 margin.
Bingham vs. Bonneville, 6 p.m. Thursday: To accentuate - or perhaps exaggerate a bit - his team's lack of size, Sudbury says that when the 8-2 Miners take the field at Rice Stadium, folks may confuse them with a Little League team. But the Miners still play like Mighty Mites, with Bingham logging four shutouts this season, winning four of its last five games, allowing double-digit scoring in only three games (and low teens in two of them), and averaging 20 points in its wins.
With a balanced offense that can capitalize on the smallest of mistakes, the 9-1 Lakers have won six straight since losing a 9-0 nailbiter to Roy. In sharing the Region 1 crown with Roy and Davis, Bonneville allowed opponents to score more than 10 points only four times and never more than 20.
In games against 4A quarterfinalists, Bonneville beat both Davis and Kearns, while Bingham claimed victories against Brighton and Cyprus while losing to Kearns.
Kearns is one opponent common to both teams, with Bonneville winning 19-7 in a preseason contest and Bingham losing 28-7 to the Cougars in the regular-season finale. Both also played - and beat - Taylorsville this season - Bonneville 28-7 and Bingham 30-0.
Brighton vs. Provo, 11:30 a.m. Friday: Losing their last two games of the regular season, the Bengals now carry a 7-3 overall record. Brighton has scored fewer than 21 points only twice and more than 30 points three times, while the defense has three shutout victories and two other games in which they held opponents to single-digit scoring.
The 5-4 Bulldogs followed a 3-1 start with a 1-3 finish before upsetting formerly top-ranked Granger in last week's first-round playoffs. After being a high-scoring 3A team in previous seasons, Provo has been a low-scoring squad this season, breaking the 20-point barrier only three times. And the defense has kept pace in the low-point affairs, never allowing more than 17 points until the past two weeks against former No. 1 teams Mountain View and Granger.
Brighton is 0-2 so far against other 4A quarterfinalist teams, having lost regular-season games to Bingham and Skyline. Provo played only one such team this fall, losing 14-7 to Davis.
The two teams share only one common opponent - Olympus, with Brighton claiming a 28-0 shutout triumph while Provo gained a 20-7 victory.
Davis vs. Cyprus, 6 p.m. Friday: After suffering back-to-back defeats to Highland and Bonneville, the Darts have won five straight en route to a 8-2 overall record and last week's first-round playoff road victory against defending champion Alta. During that five-game stretch, the Region 1 tri-champion Darts have averaged 28 points a game.
Cyprus also enters the quarterfinals after a big first-round road triumph last week, eliminating previously undefeated and top-ranked Mountain View. The Pirates started the season 1-3 but have won their last four contests and five of their last six for a 6-4 overall record.
The two teams have no common opponents from the 1989 season. Davis has beaten both Provo and 3A playoff quarterfinalist Woods Cross while suffering a loss to Bonneville. Cyprus has played two 4A quarterfinalist teams, losing to both Kearns and Bingham.