As we start to approach the end of the 2008 prep football regular season — there will be just three weeks to go after this weekend — it's long since become blindingly obvious that there are two juggernauts in Region 8: Juan Diego and Delta.
Both have unblemished 6-0 records, both have outstanding defenses and both have terrific offensive weapons.
For whatever reason, however, considerable media attention has followed Juan Diego up to this point, while few outside Region 8 have paid much attention to Delta.
And that's just fine with veteran Delta coach Russ Henrie.
Entering a road game at Carbon on Friday evening, Henrie said he's enjoyed flying under the radar and hopes to continue to do so for as long as possible.
"Heck no," said Henrie when asked whether he was annoyed about the lack of media coverage. "We're out in the sticks, out in Millard County, out in the desert. I don't think most people realize football is played below Provo, and we're OK with that. We don't put much focus on what the newspapers say."
Indeed, the Rabbits are content to let their football do all their talking, and it's been screaming throughout the last month-and-a-half — regardless of how much people have noticed.
And it's all started with defense.
Through six games, Delta has yet to allow a single point against in-state opposition. The Rabbits surrendered points in out-of-state wins over Globe, Ariz., and Moapa Valley, Nev., but they've recorded four consecutive shutouts against Utah teams.
With a number of returning starters in tow, Henrie knew his defense would be good back in the preseason. But even he's been impressed with how solid that unit's been.
"I figured we'd have a pretty good defense," he said, "but yeah, I guess you could say I'm a little surprised."
Because of Delta's small enrollment — it's one of the smallest 3A schools — most of its defensive stars also start on offense and special teams, and that's enabled those units to also shine.
Henrie went out of his way to state that he believes Delta isn't on the same level as Juan Diego, Logan or Hurricane in Class 3A, but we'll get an idea of whether he's right or wrong when Juan Diego comes to town on Oct. 23 in what has the potential to be a mammoth contest on the final week of the regular season.
Not that Henrie will let his guys think about it. After all, as he pointed out, his Rabbits have three league games that they must win before that.
"That's the last thing on my mind," he said of the Juan Diego showdown.
NORTH SEVIER STATING INTENTIONS: Back in the preseason, many figured this could be the year for North Sevier to shine, and the Wolves certainly lived up to that billing last weekend when they throttled 2007 1A runner-up Rich, 40-9.
Leading 14-9 at halftime, North Sevier rattled off 26 unanswered points in the second half to clearly show everyone what it's capable of.
North Sevier faces tricky contests against Parowan and Enterprise over the next two weeks before traveling to No. 1 Kanab for a showdown with the defending champs on Oct. 15.
TOP 25 WATCH: There were several movers and shakers in the Deseret News Top 25 rankings following Week 6 of the prep season, which marked the beginning of full region play in Utah.
The top half of the rankings stayed relatively intact, but there were a number of teams that had big climbs or drops throughout the rest of the list.
Among them, No. 15 Jordan, No. 17 (tie) Lone Peak, No. 17 (tie) Viewmont and No. 19 Syracuse each rose at least four spots, while No. 20 Bountiful, No. 23 West Jordan and now unranked American Fork each fell at least four spots.
No. 25 Davis, a surprise loser to Weber, plummeted 10 spots and was lucky to simply stay in the rankings.
E-mail: drasmussen@desnews.com