High school football: 6A quarterfinal playoff previews
6A quarterfinal previews
Pleasant Grove at Skyridge
Pleasant Grove (9-2) will face off against Skyridge (9-2) in a highly anticipated 6A quarterfinal game this Friday. The defending 6A state champion Falcons will very much be seeking revenge after their heartbreaking loss to Pleasant Grove earlier in the season in overtime.
The Vikings averaged 29.0 ppg this season while allowing an average of 17.8 points. Leading the offensive charge for Pleasant Grove is quarterback Carson Rasmussen, who has completed 57.4% of his passes for 1,739 yards and 20 touchdowns. He’s also the Vikings’ top rushing threat with 524 yards and 15 TDs this year. Rasmussen has spread the ball all around all season to receivers Kael McCoy, Makai Peterson, Shawn Cottle and Bronco Winterton.
On the defensive side, Pleasant Grove is led by Ryker Mikkelsen, Trevyn Gates and Mataira Brown.
As for Skyridge, it’s averaging an impressive 40.1 ppg this season, while allowing just 19.6 points. Quarterback Jackson Stevens has been a standout performer, completing 63.3% of his passes for 3,636 yards and 42 TDs. Wide receiver Trevan McClellan has been his top receiving threat with 63 receptions for 897 yards and 12 touchdowns. Trent Call also has 787 yards and 11 TDs.
Fotu Moeai is one of the standouts defensively with 61 tackles, while Jackson Fenton has recorded 53 tackles and seven sacks.
In their previous meeting, the Vikings pulled off a stunning upset in overtime, winning 34-31. They scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to force the extra period and eventually secured the victory with a touchdown pass from Rasmussen to Winterton. The Falcons will be hungry for revenge in this rematch.
The winner of this quarterfinal match will advance to play either No. 8 Bingham or No. 1 American Fork in the semifinals.
Related
Lone Peak at Corner Canyon
Corner Canyon and Lone Peak are set to square off in a highly anticipated 6A quarterfinal on Friday. The Chargers, with an impressive 10-1 overall record, have been dominant this season, averaging 47 ppg while allowing just 16. Led by quarterback Isaac Wilson, who has completed 66.7% of his passes for 3,632 yards and 42 touchdowns, Corner Canyon boasts an explosive offense. Wilson’s favorite target, Tate Kjar, has caught 94 passes for 1,565 yards and 16 touchdowns.
On the other side of the field, the Lone Peak Knights enter the game with a 5-6 overall record having navigated a difficult schedule with inconsistent performances.
Lone Peak quarterback Jackson Blake has thrown for 1,870 yards and 19 touchdowns despite missing five games this season. Trey Robinson has been the top receiving threat for Lone Peak QBs with 59 receptions for 740 yards and nine touchdowns.
These teams already met earlier this season back in Week 3, with Corner Canyon dominating for the 51-36 win. Wilson threw for two touchdowns and Brady rushed for a 54-yard score in that win.
Related
Corner Canyon is riding an eight-game winning streak heading into the quarterfinals, including a 56-0 thrashing of Layton in the second round. Lone Peak beat Mountain Ridge 14-3 in the second round, and is the only team this season to hand top seed American Fork a loss. To have any hope of upsetting tournament-favorite Corner Canyon, Lone Peak needs to play its best defensive game of the season.
The winner of this quarterfinal matchup will face either Davis or Lehi in the semifinals.
Bingham at American Fork
Back in Week 5 this year, American Fork blanked Bingham 28-0, handing Bingham its first shutout loss since 2005, a streak of 239 straight games. When they meet in the 6A quarterfinals, top seed American Fork (10-1) will be hoping for similar dominance against No. 8 Bingham (6-5) as it looks to get back to the semifinals.
American Fork comes into the game on a five-game winning streak, with an offense averaging 37 ppg and a stingy defense that allows 14.0 ppg. The offense is led by Jacob Eardley, who has rushed for 1,170 yards and 16 touchdowns on 227 carries. Quarterback Dylan Story has thrown for 3,087 yards and 30 touchdowns, with Davis Andrews (652 yards, 11 TDs) and Jett Nelson (784 yards, 6 TDs) as his top targets.
The American Fork defense is led by Caleb Peterson, who comes into the quarterfinals with a team-high 75 tackles, while Lucas Segura has 70 tackles and four sacks.
Bingham comes into the quarterfinals having won five of its last six games, including a 29-21 win over Syracuse in the second round. It averages 24.6 ppg while allowing an average of 21.8 ppg.
Arona Ka’ili leads the team in passing with 623 yards and four touchdowns as he missed several games with injury this season. Triston Brimhall and Carson Sudbury are the primary running backs for the Miner offense as they’ve combined to rush for 1,559 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Bode Pedersen is a standout defensively for the Miners with 73 tackles, while Will Van Cott has a knack for making big plays as well with 47 tackles and nine sacks.
The winner of this game will advance to face the winner of the Pleasant Grove-Skyridge game in the semifinals of the 6A playoffs.
Davis at Lehi
No. 3 seed Lehi (9-2) is set to host No. 6 Davis (10-1) in the 6A quarterfinals on Friday in a rematch of a competitive Week 1 game nearly three months ago.
Lehi has won four straight games heading into the quarterfinals, including a 31-0 drubbing of Riverton in the 6A second round last week. Lehi won the 5A state championship last year, and outside of losses to American Fork and Skyridge during the regular season, it has acclimated to 6A very well this year.
Lehi has a balanced offensive attack led by quarterback Jett Niu, who has thrown for 2,319 yards and 27 touchdowns this season. Running back Devaughn Eka has been a force on the ground with 937 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Niu has spread the ball around to multiple receivers, with Cooper Justice, Mays Madsen and Grayson Brousseau all tallying over 400 receiving yards this year with multiple touchdowns.
On the defensive side, Paul Latu has led the way for the Pioneers this year with 100 tackles, with Carson Wren chipping in with 98.
Related
Davis hasn’t lost since that season-opening loss to Lehi, riding a 10-game winning streak into the quarterfinals, including a 17-13 win over Weber last week.
Quarterback Tradon Bessinger leads the Darts’ offense, completing 67.84% of his passes for 2,627 yards and 29 TDs. Running back Owen Talbot leads the ground attack, accumulating 490 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Receivers Kash Gates and Bode Sparrow have been outstanding targets for Bessinger as they’ve combined for 1,605 yards and 22 scores.
Defensively, Carter Dorius leads the way for the Darts as he’s tallied 82 tackles, two sacks, three interceptions and one defensive TD.
The winner advances to the 6A semifinals to face the Corner Canyon-Lone Peak winner.
This report was compiled with the assistance of ChatGPT.
