SALT LAKE CITY — The 4A playoffs field has been narrowed down to eight remaining teams as the quarterfinal round begins. The UHSAA RPI appeared to get most of 4A seeded correctly, as the No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 teams have advanced to the quarterfinals in a mostly chalk first two rounds. The lone upset in the second round of the playoffs was No. 9 Snow Canyon winning over No. 8 Desert Hills. With all of the best regular-season teams still in the running, the quarterfinals are bound to have some exciting matchups and outcomes.
The favorite to win it all is Park City. The Miners haven’t lost a game yet, going 11-0 in the regular season and winning their opening-round playoff game against Logan 20-0. Winning that game gives Park City confidence moving forward in the playoffs.
“It’s always nice to get a win in the playoffs. It’s one-and-done; there’s always that little extra pressure on you to make sure you play at the top of your game. It just kind of gets that initial nervousness off everybody so that we can settle in and get to work on the next week,” Park City head coach Josh Montzingo said.
Park City’s high-powered offense averages 40.2 points per game and is led by Jack Skidmore, who has thrown for 1,550 yards and 20 touchdowns. Its defense is led by Chase Johansen, who has 126 tackles. The Miners take on Snow Canyon, led by quarterback Landon Frei, who has thrown for 1,831 yards and 15 touchdowns.
The No. 2 seed, Sky View, enters the quarterfinals with a lot of momentum following a 62-0 win over Cedar Valley. The Bobcats’ offense is averaging 36.7 points per game and is led by quarterback Kason Carlsen. Carlsen has a 65.5% completion percentage and has thrown for 1,535 yards this year, while Scout Morris has eight interceptions. Sky View takes on Mountain View, who boasts dual-threat quarterback Duce Anderson. Anderson has thrown for 28 touchdowns and 2,804 yards this season.
At No. 3 is Dixie, who had an 8-2 regular season. The Flyers have a great dual-threat quarterback in Reggie Graff, who has thrown for 1,997 yards and rushed for 1,151 yards to command the No. 2 scoring offense in 4A at 41.8 points per game. Nolan Mahi has 84 tackles to lead the Flyers’ defense, which allows 19.7 points per game. Dixie takes on No. 6 Stansbury, led by quarterback Kru Huxford, who has thrown for 2,037 yards and 18 touchdowns.
No. 4 Green Canyon rounds out the top four seeds in 4A. The Wolves enter at 8-3 as they take on the No. 5 Pine View Panthers, who are 8-2. Jacob Lundin is another on the list of great 4A dual-threat quarterbacks, having thrown for 1,555 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushed for 1,315 yards and 14 touchdowns. Pine View is led by quarterback Macloud Crowton, who captains Pine View’s best-in-4A offense. Crowton has thrown for 3,612 yards and 43 touchdowns this season.