Bountiful-area eighth-graders Brandt Peterson and Jake Shoff watched Viewmont win the 1993 state championship in the Huntsman Center.
Each dreamed of repeating the task in their high school careers. However, only one will - and neither with Viewmont.A boundary change sent Peterson to Bountiful High and Shoff enrolled at American Fork prior to his senior season when his family moved to Utah County.
The 6-foot-8 pair will be reunited tonight at 6 when the Braves and Cavemen meet in the Huntsman Center for the 5A championship.
"It's ironic, you can say," said Shoff. "I hope it's me that wins it. This is absolutely unbelievable. Taking state has been my dream since I was a kid, Wow. Wow. Wow. I'm living a dream."
Shoff's remarks followed American Fork's 60-37 semifinal win over Alta Thursday. Two hours earlier, Peterson was equally enthused after Bountiful's 64-55 triumph against defending champion Brighton.
"I've been dreaming of this since the eighth grade," he said. "It's just great. Great for our team."
Bountiful hasn't won a boys basketball title since 1982, while American Fork has waited 35 years.
"If we beat their press we'll win," said American Fork senior guard Toby Christensen. "If we don't they'll win. It's that simple."
The Cavemen face a defensive scheme that interchanges aspects of three different full-court presses.
"Bountiful's pressure is so rentless," said American Fork coach Bob Eckles. "It'll start at the opening tip and continue for 32 minutes."
Eckles speaks from experience. He was American Fork's starting point guard in 1965 and 1966 when the Cavemen lost state championship games to Highland.
"They pressured the heck out of us," recalled Eckles.
The Rams were coached by Bountiful coach Mike Maxwell's father Larry, who passed on the value of pressing.
"The concepts are the same. It's very similiar," said Maxwell, who earned MVP honors for Highland's 1979 title team that pressed East in the finals. "We want to make it look like there's 10 Bountiful guys out there."
The Braves' starting five - Peterson, Jake Kilgore, Danny Wilbur, Brett Hewlett and Zach Jacobs - teamed for 13 steals Thursday.
American Fork, however, may be a tough team to rattle. Besides Shoff and Christensen, the Caveman have benefitted from poised play by others including 6-8 forward Mike Boice, Jon Schaack and Marc Wilson.
"They've got a lot of weapons that could give us fits," said Maxwell. "It's a formidable challenge."