With just three weeks left before the end of the high school football regular season, the picture is beginning to form as to who the real leaders are across each region and classification.
Here are some of the most intriguing games that happened in Week 7 of the regular season.
Four. Overtimes.
We can’t possibly not talk about this game, one that took all the way until 10:30 p.m. to finish. It doesn’t get more thrilling than this.
Olympus clearly didn’t want homecoming to end, and the Titans’ battle with Alta lasted four overtime periods and 3 ½ hours to reach its conclusion. Ultimately, Olympus came away the winner, 35-33, with a walk-off two-point conversion.
“That game was definitely one we won’t forget,” Olympus coach Brandon Burt said. “We had to block a field goal just to get to OT. James Schlendorf was able to get the block. I feel so proud of the players. They will not quit. They have shown so much determination in the way they play for each other, their community and school.”
Olympus’ win was the conclusion of the 13th game in the history of Utah prep football to go four or more overtime periods. It was the first one ever to employ the application of the UHSAA’s new overtime rules, which mirror those established for college football by the NCAA. The third and fourth overtime periods constituted “sudden death” rounds where each team got one try at a two-point conversion.
Both Alta and Olympus scored in the third OT, but the Titans stopped the Hawks on the fourth OT attempt before subsequently delivering the final blow.
Weber rattles up Region 1
For much of the first six weeks of football, the race for the Region 1 title looked to be solely between Syracuse and Davis with little competition elsewhere.
Instead, Weber came out of left field to execute the biggest upset of the season in Region 1 and one of the biggest ones of the week. The Warriors went on the road and shocked Syracuse, 27-26, with a go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter after trailing, 20-7, earlier in the game.
“I’m so proud of our team,” Weber coach Jaysen Anderson said. “They have shown so much resilience and continue to battle no matter what circumstances get put in front of them. Syracuse is a good football team that is always well coached and prepared. We knew we would have to focus on one play at a time. This was a huge win for us, but we know we need to stay focused on one game at a time.”
The Titans’ loss suddenly turned them from the frontrunner in the region race to second fiddle behind Davis, which is 5-1 and undefeated in region play.
Juan Diego gets back on the winning track
For as long as Juan Diego has existed (1999), it’s virtually always been a powerhouse. This is, of course, the program that three-peated not once, but twice since 2008.
All that considered, it must have been a strange feeling to see the Soaring Eagle still slugging it out for their first win well into the second half of the season. Nevertheless, they finally got over the hump and posted an admirable win over Union, 31-18, to get to 1-5 overall.
No Juan Diego team had ever started the season 0-5 until now.
“We have felt as a team that we have not put together a complete game,” Juan Diego coach Ron James said. “To be able to get a win validates the hard work we have put in and encourages us to push through the rest of the season with confidence.”
With the monkey off its back, Juan Diego now looks like it can run through the final three weeks on a higher note before the playoffs come. The Soaring Eagle have typically fared well against Ogden and Ben Lomond, and Grantsville has struggled this season.
Dixie delivers a rivalry defeat on the road
For as long as Desert Hills has existed, its rivalry with Dixie has run deep, and the Thunder had gotten the edge on the matchup the last two years.
In the final minute of the fourth quarter, the Flyers turned the tide back in their favor. Trailing 24-14 at halftime, they outscored Desert Hills, 13-2, in the final period to come away with a wild comeback win on the road, 27-26. What a coincidence that two of the largest upset winners, Dixie and previously mentioned Weber, both won, 27-26, on the road.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Flyers’ first touch on the ball in the fourth was for points and Ran Sawyer returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown. Soon after, Desert Hills forced a safety for a 26-21 lead, meaning Dixie had to get a touchdown.
With just 1:01 left to go, Wyatt Truman answered the call and punched it in from 7 yards away for the game-winner.
“I was proud of the way that our kids kept battling,” Dixie coach Blaine Monkres said. “They didn’t quit. Desert Hills is tough, talented and well coached. They played hard. It was a great game, and our kids made big plays when we needed them.”
Good weather, bad weather, Starkweather
Manti coach Fred Taukei’aho really got lucky in his first year leading the Templars. After nearly two decades as an assistant for the team, he got to start his tenure with one of the best quarterbacks in the state.
Manti prevailed in one of the biggest games the Templars have played in the last 10 years, hosting undefeated Canyon View for homecoming and handing the Falcons their first loss in an absolute barnstormer, 61-40. The Templars piled up 670 yards of total offense, outpacing 527 total yards by the equally vaunted Canyon View offense.
Of those 670 yards, junior Manti quarterback Maison Starkweather accounted for 504 of them. He threw for 331 yards on 18-of-34 passing with three touchdowns, and he made himself the focal point of the Templars’ ground game with 27 carries for 173 yards and four TDs rushing.
It was already clear before that Starkweather was a talented quarterback who could singlehandedly win games for Manti. Last Friday went a step further, proving that the junior could beat the best teams in 3A by himself if he had to.
“After a game like that, making the reads he made and just dissecting things, and then he had 170 yards on his feet,” Taukei’aho said. “You’re not going to get a clean shot at him, and if you do, it’s a breakdown in coverage. Our confidence in him is 100%. Every week, he surprises us.”
Starkweather’s 326.4 passing yards per game lead the state, and he is one of just four QBs in the state with 25 or more passing TDs and has more rushing TDs than any of them. He’s also already the most prolific pass in Manti history, per the Deseret News’ records, setting school records in passing yards and passing TDs.
Top 5 upsets of Week 7
Upsets are determined using ratings given during the week by Noland Parry’s Power Guide. The rating differential between the two teams is the number in parentheses:
- Orem over Maple Mountain (28.1) — Maple Mountain wins, 31-14.
- Syracuse over Weber (25.8) — Weber wins, 27-26.
- Desert Hills over Dixie (14.0) — Dixie wins, 27-26.
- American Fork over Lone Peak (10.7) — Lone Peak wins, 17-14.
- East over Brighton (1.3) — Brighton wins, 21-20.