By Friday night, late Friday night, mind you, Utah will have four new high school football champions.
Between the noon start of the 4A final and finish of the 5A final just before the 10 o'clock news, four state championships will be played, including a tripleheader at University of Utah's Rice Stadium.Suprise finalists Judge Memorial and Pleasant Grove start it off, followed by Wasatch and Union in the 3A final at 3 p.m. Then at 7 p.m., when the thermometer will be dropping into the 20s, Skyline and Orem will k-k-k-kick off.
At Mountain View High School, Morgan and San Juan will meet in the 2A final at 3 p.m.
Both the 4A and 5A championship games will be televised live on KUTV-Channel 2.
Here is a look at each of the championship contests:
Skyline (12-0) vs. Orem (11-0), 7 p.m., Rice Stadium - For only the 15th time in history, two unbeaten teams will do battle in the state finals.
This will mark the third state final between the two schools with the Eagles owning a win in 1970 and the Tigers taking the 1987 title.
Both schools feature strong running games and tough defenses.
The Eagles are led by fullback Nick Morgan, who is coming on strong after a nagging midseason injury. The Tigers counter with Nate Huntsman, who has rushed for 21 touchdowns already this year.
Defensively, the Tigers are led by defensive end Barratt Straton, tackle Cory Ramage and linebacker Matt Rasmussen.
The Eagles have linemen such as 225-pound Travis Gardner, 270-pound Ben Erwin and 270-pound Rob Davis to contend with.
And don't forget the quarterbacks. Skyline junior Brandon Doman can do it all, run, pass and play a mean defensive back, while Orem's Garrett Ducher has completed 58 percent of his passes with only two interceptions this year.
Both coaches are heaping plenty of praise on their opponent.
"Orem is one of the great teams. They don't have many weaknesses, if any," said Skyline's Roger Dupaix.
"They're a very good football team - we'll have to play our best game of the year to beat them," said Orem's Paul Clark.
Last week, Skyline players were unhappy about being picked to lose to Kearns after being ranked No. 1 all season. And they came out and won convincingly. So this week we'll see how they do as they favorites . . . Skyline by 4.
Judge Memorial (8-4) vs. Pleasant Grove (9-2), noon, Rice Stadium - About a month ago, you'd have never believed either of these two teams would end up in the state 3A championship game. The Bulldogs dropped a 34-0 decision to Wasatch, a 3A school for crying out loud, on Sept. 30. A week later, the Vikings were trounced at home by Timpview 28-7.
Since those embarrassing losses, the Vikings have been unbeatable, going 5-0, while the Bulldogs have gone 5-1, losing only a 2-pointer to Woods Cross.
The last time the Bulldogs won a state title in 1983, they came in with an 8-4 record and upset Jordan for the title. The Bulldogs players are determined to go all the way this year. Still Coach John Colosimo is concerned his team may have a hard time getting up for this week's game after consecutive upset, come-from-behind wins over Olympus and West. "Even though we've talked about it, it's hard trying to get back up after two emotional wins," said Colosimo.
The Vikings have primarily run the ball the last four weeks with Justin Wilkes and Travis Despain doing the damage. Coach Bill Mikelson reminds that Greg Williams can throw the ball .
The Bulldogs have a fine runner in Anthony Jefferies while Mike Gallegos has been the big-play man during the playoffs.
This one could turn out to be a low-scoring defensive battle with breaks determining the winner . . . Judge by 3.
Wasatch (8-3) vs. Union (8-2), 3 p.m., Rice Stadium - While the southern teams from Region 9 captured most of 3A's attention this year, it's a couple of Region 10 teams that have survived to the finals.
Both teams have looked impressive in the playoffs. Union has averaged 42 points in two games, while Wasatch crushed Emery last week 57-0.
The Wasps are a well-balanced, senior-dominated team. "Every game it's been a different kid," says coach Monte Morgan. Quarterback Casey Jarvis throws, Adam Larsen runs and Cam Brown catches, while Eric Vincent is the team's top lineman.
Union quarterback Scott Rasmussen has been hot lately, throwing several touchdown passes, while Robbie Abercrombie has averaged nearly 7 yards per carry.
Both teams can light it up offensively, but the Wasps' defense should be the difference . . . Wasatch by 7.
Morgan (11-0) vs. San Juan (10-1), 3 p.m., Mountain View High - The Trojans have hardly broken a sweat in cruising to 11 straight victories this season. The Broncos are unbeaten in Utah this year, losing only to a Colorado high school early in the season.
The Trojans are led by three-year starters Lindsay Hassell and Nate Larsen, who anchor the large dominating line. Ryan Van Tassell and Danny Fry lead a strong running attack.
The Broncos have a couple of good runners in Nate Thornton and J.J. Bradford, but they also have a top quarterback in Josh Nielson, who has passed for 18 touchdowns and nearly 1,800 yards.
San Juan will challenge, but the Trojans should win their first state title in a decade . . . Morgan by 8.