With just two weeks left in the high school football regular season, here are five key games that will impact region races and RPI rankings with the playoffs just around the corner.
East at West
After a decade hiatus, the East-West gridiron rivalry is finally set to resume this Thursday.
These programs have played 112 times in their history, including playing in 109 straight seasons from 1917 to 2008. Both those numbers are state records.
The first meeting was in 1914, but they haven’t played since 2012. East won that game 48-9, but later had to forfeit because of an ineligible player. East leads the all-time series 60-45-7.
The rebirth of this great rivalry has been made possible by UHSAA realignment as these teams have been lumped together in the same region for the first time since the 2008 season.
While East leads the season series, West is the slight favorite in this Week 9 matchup. The Panthers own a 4-0 region record and have outscored their opponents 165-69.
East, meanwhile, sits at 2-2 in Region 6 after losing close games to both Olympus and Brighton.
For West, a win on Thursday guarantees itself at least a share of the Region 6 title.
Snow Canyon at Dixie
Lady Luck has been smiling on Dixie High’s football team the past three weeks as the Flyers have won all three games by a combined five points.
It scored 20 points in the fourth quarter in Week 6 to rally past Pine View 29-28. In Week 7, it outscored Desert Hills 13-2 in the fourth quarter to win 27-26. And then last week it beat Dixie 31-28 on a game-winning field goal in the final few minutes.
Do the Flyers have another dramatic win up their sleeve in Week 9 as they host Snow Canyon?
While three of Dixie’s four region wins have been decided in the final minutes, Snow Canyon’s four region games have all been decided by double digits. The Warriors are 2-2 in Region 9, losing to Desert Hills 31-21 last week as the Thunder iced the win with a touchdown in the final minute.
For Dixie, a win on Friday would set up a showdown with Crimson Cliffs in Week 10 for the Region 9 championship.
Crimson Cliffs and Snow Canyon shared the Region 9 title a year ago with 5-1 records.
Canyon View at Richfield
Coming off its most impressive win of the season, a 28-7 commanding win over red-hot Manti, Richfield’s football team is on the cusp of achieving something that hasn’t happened in over a half a century.
With a win over visiting Canyon View this Friday, Richfield will improve to 9-0 and match its best-ever since 1971.
A win is anything but a foregone conclusion, though, as Canyon View is one of the top teams in 3A as well, and enjoying its best start ever.
Canyon View beat Juab 40-24 last week in a great bounce-back performance after a wild 61-40 loss to Manti the week prior.
A Richfield victory realistically clinches the Wildcats the outright region title, whereas a Canyon View win likely creates a three-way tie for region if things shake out in Week 10 as expected.
Roy at Bountiful
Roy and Bountiful haven’t met on the football field in six seasons, but the stakes will be high when the rivalry resumes this Friday.
Roy, Bountiful, Bonneville and Box Elder are all tied atop the Region 5 standings with 4-1 records. A shared region title seems inevitable, and the winner of this game will likely grab a piece of it.
Bountiful is coming off its best win of the season, a 34-28 overtime win over Box Elder as it handed the Bees their first loss in 2023. Quarterback Emerson Geilman had a terrific game as he passed for 236 yards and three touchdowns, with Josh Brooks clinching the win with a TD run in overtime.
Conversely, Roy has won three straight games by double digits after narrowly losing to Box Elder in Week 5 42-34.
Both teams have played in numerous high-scoring games this season, which seems likely as well in this matchup.
Salem Hills at Timpanogos
Salem Hills and Timpanogos have both lost to Provo this season, which means a region title is out of the equation. But these two 6-2 teams still have a ton to play for in this Week 9 showdown.
The winner likely locks up the runner-up finish in Region 8, but more importantly puts itself in a great position at securing a first-round by in the 4A state tournament and a home game in the second round.
Timpanogos is currently ranked No. 7 in the UHSAA RPI rankings, while Salem Hills checks in at No. 8. Only the top eight seeds get a first-round by and a home game in the second round.
The loser will inevitably fall out of the top eight spots, and it’s unlikely to climb back in with one week left in the regular season.
Salem Hills is in the midst of a four-game winning streak since getting blanked by Provo in Week 4 35-0. That streak includes tight wins of Spanish Fork and Uintah.
Timpanogos lost to Provo with a running clock as well, falling 48-13 in Week 6 after leading 13-0 after the first quarter.
Since then, the T-wolves have wins over Mountain View and Payson to build momentum into this key matchup.