High school football: 5 notable games worth watching in Week 3
With Week 2 of the high school football season in the rearview mirror, here’s a look at five games in Week 3 with intriguing storylines.
American Fork at West
American Fork and West both had back-and-forth grinds in Week 2, but they ended on opposite sides of the emotional spectrum.
American Fork, ranked third in 6A, scored midway through the fourth quarter to rally past Orem for the 24-20 victory.
Meanwhile, 5A’s second-ranked Panthers were on the road at Maxpreps top 100 Santa Margarita, California, but their rally attempt came up short 28-27 after a failed two-point conversion attempt with two minutes remaining in the game.
In Week 3, they’ll resume their recent series in one of the best games on paper in the state. Prior to a 2020 meeting between these teams that American Fork won 43-19, the teams hadn’t met since a 3A semifinal matchup back in 1984.
Last season, American Fork beat West 20-13 in a grind of a defensive game.
American Fork QB Dylan Story has passed for six touchdowns this season, and West needs to get third down stops against Story to keep it a more favorable defensive type of game again.
Lehi at Rigby, Idaho
A pair of defending 5A state champs clash in Idaho this weekend in a very intriguing showdown.
The Utah season got underway a week earlier than Idaho’s season, with Lehi entering the game with an impressive 2-0 record while Rigby sits at 0-1 after dropping its season opener to Coeur d’Alene, 27-21.
Lehi is riding a 21-game winning streak into Friday’s road tussle, the second-longest active streak in the state behind San Juan’s 27 straight wins.
Lehi’s two wins this season were over Davis and Desert Hills, strong results considering the program only had four offensive starters returning and one defensive. After this weekend, Lehi faces improved Maple Mountain and improved Herriman before diving into the gauntlet of the Region 3 slate of games as it makes the jump to 6A.
Lehi newcomer QB Jett Niu has played well in each of Lehi’s two wins, and another steady game from him will be critical for the Pioneers to prevail.
Timpview at Provo
The streak can’t last forever, can it?
Timpview has beat Provo in 31 straight games, most recently in 2020 when it won in the regular season and the playoffs.
Provo’s last win in the overwhelming lopsided series was a 13-0 triumph back in 1989. Ronald Reagan was still president of the United States back then and Ty Detmer was just a sophomore at BYU.
The Bulldogs will certainly be the underdog when they host Timpview in Week 3, but there’s reason to be optimistic. Last week on the road at Olympus, they overcame a 20-7 halftime deficit to rally for the victory on a late Drew Deucher to Bryant Larsen 66-yard touchdown pass.
Timpview showed similar comeback potential in Week 2 as it overcame a 21-7 deficit on the road at Lone Peak to rally for the 31-28 win.
Timpview’s offense has big play potential on every snap, and Provo’s success will depend on how well they limit those moments.
Emery at Enterprise
When top-ranked teams in various classifications clash, the outcome is always a great barometer about determining which classification is ultimately stronger.
The same should apply this Friday even though it’s No. 2 vs. No. 2.
Enterprise, the No. 2 team in 1A, hosts Emery, ranked second in 2A, in an exciting rural showdown in Week 3.
This is the first meeting between the teams since 2011, a game Emery squeaked out on the road 20-18.
Friday’s matchup should be just as exciting, and likely higher scoring.
Both teams won their first two games by multiple touchdowns, with Emery averaging 36.5 points and Enterprise 37.0 points.
The gap between No. 1 and No. 2 in both 2A and 1A seems pretty large with as dominant as No. 1s have been, but the winner of the No. 2 vs. No. 2 showdown would seemingly close that gap a bit as it will take a ton of quality to pull out the win.
Highland at Green Canyon
Highland and Green Canyon won a combined four games all of last season, but heading into Week 3 they’re each still undefeated and among the surprise 2-0 high school football teams in Utah.
Highland went 3-8 a year ago, but has played very efficiently in the first two weeks in comfortable wins over Juan Diego (35-13) and Cyprus (35-12).
Green Canyon, meanwhile, went 1-9 a year ago but has played outstanding defense the first two weeks in beating Hunter 14-0 and Stansbury 23-8. The Stallions were one of the most explosive offenses in 5A a year ago but Green Canyon held them to just eight points on late fourth quarter touchdowns.
One of the these surprising 2-0 teams is guaranteed to be 3-0 after this weekend as Green Canyon hosts the Rams.
The outcome will likely hinge on if Green Canyon finds an offensive rhythm to hang with a Highland team that’s scored five touchdowns each game. The Wolves, however, have only scored three total offensive touchdowns in two games, while the defense has scored twice.
