Utah 6A High School State Quarterfinal Matchups

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – As it currently stands, there are three teams remaining from region 1, one team from region 2, and all four teams from region 4 still have state championship aspirations.

Region 3 went 0-4 in the opening round including a surprising loss from East, who was upset 27-21 at home by Pleasant Grove.

Just one team from region 2 advanced to the second round when Kearns won its first playoff game in 25 years with a last second field goal over Northridge.

Here Are The Quarterfinal Matchups For 6A

Region 1 No. 1-seed Weber Warriors (7-3, 6-0) vs Region 4 #3 Seed American Fork Cavemen (9-2, 3-1)

This is a rematch of a week one game between the Cavemen and Warriors. In the first week match up, American Fork quarterback Boone Abbott threw for five touchdowns including three to star wide receiver Chase Roberts in a 38-15 win. The two haven’t slowed down as Abbott threw for 403 yards, five touchdowns, including four to Roberts in the first round game against Riverton.

Weber went on to win seven of its next nine games after the loss to American Fork including a 6-0 run in region play. The Warriors used a balance attack to beat Granger in the first round. Hudson Schenck hauled in four passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns while quarterback Kohl Hogan carried the ball 11 times for 52 yards and found the end zone twice and Hunter Nielson had nine carries for 61 yards and a score.

Region 2 No. 1-seed Kearns Cougars (8-3, 4-0) vs Region 4 No. 2-seed Bingham Miners (9-1, 3-1)

Last week was a big one for Kearns with the Cougars winning their first playoff game in 25 years. But it didn’t come easy. Tied at 37 with just seconds left on the clock, back up kicker Jason Rodriguez hit a 29-yard field goal to give Kearns the win. In the game, Jeff Bassa had three touchdowns, two through the air, and the other on a 99-yard kickoff return. The last time Kearns and Bingham played was in 2011 when the Miners beat the Cougars 38-0 in the first round of the playoffs.

Bingham hasn’t lost a playoff game since the 2015 semifinals when Lone Peak beat the Miners 26-9. With the winning streak sitting at nine-straight, the Miners are looking for their 10th straight win. In the first round, Bingham beat Herriman 20-10 behind two rushing touchdowns from Andrew Wimmer. The Miners carried the ball 47 times rushing for 201 yards and three touchdowns.

Region 4 No. 1-seed Lone Peak Knights (7-3, 3-1) vs Region 1 No. 3-seed Davis Darts (7-3, 4-2)

Lone Peak made quick work over West Jordan in the first round scoring 31 points before the Jaguars would gets points on the board. The 57 points scored by the Knights are the most in the 2018 season and is a major step in the right direction for a team which averaged just 25.7 points per game. Quarterback Braden Siri threw for three touchdowns while Daniel Yamada rushed for 176 yards on just 10 carries. Masen Wake added another 91 on 11 carries and found the end zone once in the win.

Davis moves on after beating Hunter in the first round 27-14. The Darts scored 13 points in the second half after being tied with the Wolverines through the first two quarters of play. Quarterback Garrett larson threw for two touchdowns, both to Trey Baggett who had six receptions for 94 yards on the night. Davis looks to move past its woes against current region 4 teams. The Darts’ last win against a region 4 team was in 2009 against Pleasant Grove in the quarterfinals. In the time since, the Darts are 0-6 which includes two losses to Lone Peak in 2011 and 2012.

Region 1 No. 2-seed Fremont Silver Wolves (8-2, 5-1) vs Region 4 No. 4-seed Pleasant Grove Vikings (7-4, 1-3)

Another early season matchup, Pleasant Grove got the best of Fremont in week two winning 43-22 behind five touchdowns from Dayne Christiansen. Teams have struggled stopping the Pleasant Grove senior who has 13 rushing touchdowns and 10 receiving touchdowns on the year. The Vikings are bolstered by the return of three-year starting quarterback Jake Jensen who was injured against American Fork and missed additional games against Lone Peak and West Jordan. Jensen threw for three touchdowns in the Vikings’ upset win against East. The big play quarterback has 20 touchdowns to just three interceptions on the year with just one coming since the August 24th game against Fremont.

Since the loss to Pleasant Grove, the Silver Wolves reeled off eight wins in nine games with strong defensive play, allowing 15 points per game. While establishing an offensive identity behind the arm of quarterback Mitch Stratford who has 30 touchdowns passes on the season. Fremont left no question against Cyprus in the first round taking a 21-0 lead at halftime before cruising to a 35-7 lead against the Pirates. Stratford threw for five touchdowns in the win including three to Calvin Peterson who hauled in nine receptions for 216 yards.