No. 9 Snow Canyon (6-4) at No. 1 Park City (11-0)
- 4A state tournament quarterfinal
- Friday, 5 p.m.
- Parry’s Power Guide: Park City by 3
- All-time series: Snow Canyon leads 3-0
- Coach vs. coach: First meeting between Snow Canyon’s Mike Esplin and Park City’s Josh Montzingo
- Last meeting: Snow Canyon 51, Park City 27 (2012)
PARK CITY — Park City is the team to beat in 4A.
The Miners made it through their regular season schedule unscathed and shut out Logan 20-0 in their first game of the playoffs.
“We’ve heard about this class of kids coming through, that they’re a really good team. It seems like they believe that they’re going to win every game, which is huge in high school football. (Dylan Bauer) has a lot of yards, a lot of touchdowns. Quarterback can run, so we’re going to have to prepare defensively for not just the run and the pass, but also to stop the quarterback,” Snow Canyon head coach Mike Esplin said.
Park City is averaging 40.2 points per game on offense, led by prolific passer Jack Skidmore. Skidmore has 1,550 yards and 20 touchdowns in the air and 472 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Adding to the Miners’ offensive attack is running back Dylan Bauer, who has 1,523 yards and 17 touchdowns.
“Dylan is a special running back. He has great vision, runs behind his pads really well. He does everything that we ask of him. Super blessed to have him out there. He just always seems to make the right decisions, the right reads,” Park City head coach Josh Montzingo said.
On defense, the Miners have Chase Johansen, who has an astonishing 126 tackles — best in 4A — to lead Park City’s defense, which allows just 10.5 points per game.
“Chase is great. He’s that heart and soul out there in the middle of our defense. He does a great job of making sure he’s always prepared every week and making sure that he’s plugging the right places and the right holes. He’s doing a great job. He’s just a tackling machine for us,” Montzingo said.
Montzingo’s keys to the game are to play a clean game, be mistake free, protect the football and execute.
Snow Canyon enters the game at Park City having completed a 42-31 comeback win against Desert Hills to open the playoffs. Down 28-7 at halftime, the Warriors outscored the Thunder 35-3 in the second half to advance.
“They’re a dangerous team. Snow Canyon is very talented, a lot of athletes, they have good size, they’re well-coached. They’re definitely going to be a great challenge for us. It should be a really good game,” Montzingo said.
Quarterback Landon Frei is at the helm for Snow Canyon, having thrown for 1,831 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. The Warriors are averaging 33.1 points per game.
“It’s great to have a returning starter and he’s gotten better every game this year at reading defenses and making the decisions with spread option, read option, concepts, RPOs. The kids believe in him and they’ve all got good relationships and are united, so I’ve got a lot of confidence in him helping us win a championship,” Esplin said.
Running back Bretton Stone has rushed for 710 yards and eight touchdowns.
On defense, Braxton Hickman has 85 tackles and six sacks to lead the Warriors’ defense, which is allowing 24.3 points per game.
“He’s a great team player. He’s doing everything for the guys next to him, and he’s just super aggressive. He’s super aggressive, a great tackler, has a great nose for the ball, can play multiple different positions. You can put him wherever you need him most,” Esplin said.
Esplin’s keys to the game are believing that you are supposed to win the game, having good practices, forcing turnovers, taking care of the ball and physicality.
Snow Canyon statistical breakdown
- Scoring offense: 33.1 ppg (8th in 4A)
- Scoring defense: 24.3 ppg (10th in 4A)
- Passing leader: Landon Frei (114-211, 54.0%, 1,831 yards, 15 TDs)
- Rushing leaders: Bretton Stone (124 carries, 710 yards, 8 TDs), Landon Frei (70 carries, 202 yards, 5 TDs)
- Receiving leaders: Jase Mendenhall (33 rec., 645 yards, 6 TDs), Austin Anderson (16 rec., 295 yards, 1 TD)
- Tackles leaders: Braxton Hickman (85 tackles), Jacorey McKeever (53 tackles)
- Sack leaders: Jayden McKee (7 sacks), Braxton Hickman (6 sacks)
- Interception leaders: Cole Warner, Logan Mendenhall, Austin Anderson (1 INT)
Park City statistical breakdown
- Scoring offense: 40.2 ppg (3rd in 4A)
- Scoring defense: 10.5 ppg (1st in 4A)
- Passing leader: Jack Skidmore (74-119, 62.2%, 1,550 yards, 20 TDs)
- Rushing leaders: Dylan Bauer (189 carries, 1,523 yards, 17 TDs), Jack Skidmore (60 carries, 472 yards, 6 TDs)
- Receiving leaders: Mark McCurdy (27 rec., 635 yards, 11 TDs), Jake Kohn (10 rec., 225 yards, 4 TDs)
- Tackles leaders: Chase Johansen (126 tackles), Brady Baumann (71 tackles)
- Sack leaders: Chase Johansen, Parker Napier (4 sacks)
- Interception leaders: Kirby Baynes (3 INTs)
Felt’s Facts for Snow Canyon High School
- All-time record: 156-114 (26 years)
- Region championships: 5 (1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2003 co)
- Playoff appearances: 17
- All-time playoff record: 23-14
- State championships: 2 (1996, 1999)
- State championship record: 2-2
Felt’s Facts for Park City High School
- All-time record: 436-446-23 (112 years)
- Region championships: 25 (1932, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1938, 1941, 1945, 1961, 1969 co, 1980, 1981, 1982 co, 1983 co, 1987, 1988, 1991 co, 2001 co, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2018 co, 2019)
- Playoff appearances: 44
- All-time playoff record: 31-43
- State championships: 0
- State championship record: 0-5