High school football: 5 notable games worth watching in Week 2
With Week 1 of the high school football season in the rearview mirror, here’s a look at five games in Week 2 with intriguing storylines.
Bishop Gorman, Nevada, at Corner Canyon
In Week 2 last season, Corner Canyon took it on the chin in a 42-7 loss at nationally-ranked Bishop Gorman out of Las Vegas.
The Chargers will get a chance for some redemption on their home field this Friday in a much-anticipated rematch between No. 2 Bishop Gorman and No. 32 Corner Canyon in the MaxPreps national rankings.
On paper, Corner Canyon seems like it’s in a much better position to compete.
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For starters, quarterback Isaac Wilson has a full year of varsity football under his belt compared to last year, when he was making just his second-ever start.
The roster is collectively more talented, aided by three notable transfers, Isaiah Garcia (formerly Cyprus), Bo Tate (formerly Skyline) and Jerome Myles (formerly West Jordan).
In last week’s 55-7 win over Granger, Tate led the defense with six tackles while Myles led the team in receiving with seven catches for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Garcia, meanwhile, anchored a dominant performance by the line.
None of the three were on the field last year in Corner Canyon’s humbling loss in Las Vegas last season but they could be some of the difference makers if the Chargers are to flip the results.
Pine View at Canyon View
It’s been over two decades since Canyon View beat Pine View, but is this the year that trend changes?
Canyon View is coming off a surprising 3A semifinal appearance last year and then a 57-29 thrashing of Mountain View last week after the Falcons scored 35 points in the second half.
Pine View, meanwhile, came into the season with a lot of question marks after last year’s stunning 0-9 season under interim head coach KJ Boyer.
Boyer is in charge full time now, and there seemed to be more continuity within the team in Week 1 as Pine View rolled past Logan 43-19.
In years past, when Pine View and Canyon View were in the same region, when the Falcons were on the schedule that usually meant Pine View’s younger players could expect varsity player time.
This week could be different based on Canyon View’s upward trajectory in recent years.
Canyon View’s last win over Pine View was a 21-14 victory back in 2000. Since then Pine View has won 16 straight, most recently a 67-27 win in 2000. Its average margin of victory in those 16 wins is 39 points.
Orem at American Fork
Since 2017, which coincided with Orem’s returning to high school football relevance, the program has taken pride in playing as tough a schedule as possible against in-state and out-of-state teams.
The lofty ambition, however, hasn’t translated into wins when it comes to 6A teams in Utah.
Since the start of the 2017 season, Orem is 1-8 against 6A teams, with that lone win over a down Pleasant Grove team in 2021. During that stretch, it has lost to Skyridge four times, Corner Canyon once, Lone Peak once and Bingham twice.
In Week 3, Orem once again gets a chance at a signature win over a 6A program when it travels to American Fork.
Orem is coming off a 21-20 win at East in Week 1, while American Fork prevailed at Roy 42-14.
Even though Orem has never found success against those 6A elite, many of those losses still proved beneficial as the experience gained helped the program win four straight state titles from 2017 to 2020.
Both Orem and American Fork are currently ranked third in the Deseret News in their respective classifications.
San Juan at Juan Diego
San Juan moved into ninth place in state history with its 26th straight victory in a Week 1 offensive onslaught over Layton Christian, 66-43.
There are obviously some defensive questions that need answering after allowing six touchdowns, but the offensive explosiveness on display is a big reason why San Juan is the heavy favorite to 3-peat as 2A state champs.
This week, San Juan faces arguably its only tester on the schedule the remainder of the regular season when it travels to Juan Diego. The Broncos are notable favorites against the 3A Soaring Eagle — the only 3A team on the schedule — but barring a major upset later on during the regular season, this week’s game is the only thing that could derail a 34-game winning streak heading into the playoffs.
If San Juan were to tack on three more wins in the playoffs, it would end the season with 37 straight wins, the third longest in state history and a chance to break the 48-game winning streak by both Duchesne (2010-2014) and Corner Canyon (2018-2021) in the 2024 playoffs.
You can’t get to 48 until you get to 27, and that will be the goal at Juan Diego in Week 3.
Crimson Cliffs at Bingham
The top-ranked team in 4A, Crimson Cliffs, gets a unique chance to play one of the big boys in 6A this week as it travels to Bingham.
Even though Bingham lost its opener last week to Lone Peak, 27-7 — and isn’t the state power it once was — it’s still a top 10 program in 6A and will be looking for a bounce-back win this week.
Crimson Cliffs will be looking to secure another feather in its cap on Friday. Last week, the Mustangs beat 3A No. 1 Morgan, a team that beat 4A programs Bear River and Green Canyon a year ago.
After a slow start, Crimson Cliffs kicked things into gear as Steele Barben tossed three touchdown passes as his team scored 35 straight points during a stretch between the second and fourth quarters.
Crimson Cliffs has the athletes to compete with Bingham, and actually doing so and pulling out the win would further solidify its spot above the 4A rankings.
