Final high school football picks

It’s a great, glorious and sad day all rolled into one today. The high school football season wraps up today with Championship Friday at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

It’s a great day because championships will be decided and hopefully the games will be exciting. It’s glorious because some teams will fulfill their dreams and be crowned state champions. It’s a sad day because high school football is over, and outside of our all-state section and the naming of Mr. Football, there’s little to look forward to until next summer when it comes to high school football.

In the picks competition, John leads me by one game. Trevor is a little behind and we’re wondering if Friday Night Rider has withdrawn from the competition since he signed off last week saying he’d see us next season. We’ll see.

JC: We are at the final week of this competition and I can’t wait to taste victory. Andrew and Trevor have made it competitive, no doubt. But it is hard to knock off a champ in the midst of building a dynasty. It has gone down to the wire. Still, like Michael Jordan in game 6 of the NBA finals between Chicago and Utah, I’m about to drill the game-winning and championship-clinching shot. All the other Jordan stuff — gambling, golfing, bad baseball and even more gambling — doesn’t apply to me though.

AA: John, don’t you know you can never compare yourself to Michael Jordan? They’re going to retire his jersey number throughout basketball, baseball, football, tennis, golf, the Nugget Casino and auto racing. They’re doing that because he was … a great player? Anyway, if anyone should be compared to Michael Jordan it’s me. I used to be dominant in these picks, looked like MJ circa 1995 last year, and this is my time to return to the top like 1996. So there you go.

TP: I’m going to try a different approach this week…hopefully it works. It’s my last shot. Well, here it goes. Good luck guys. May the best man win.

AA: That’s it? I’m really worried about Trevor. He witnessed John’s near-death experience at the 2A championship game last week and then he sent me a text like he was breaking up with me later that night. What’s going on here? Let’s just move on.

Friday:
Timpview vs Springville
JC: Based on what happened in the semis, these teams seem to be headed in opposite directions. Springville barely survived a fourth-quarter meltdown that let Dixie back into the game. Timpview essentially dominated a good Mountain Crest team from start to finish. The T-Birds will be gunning for a fourth state title in a row and seem to have the number of every Utah County football team during this decade. Timpview 42, Springville 21.

TP: OK. I forgot that the New England Patriots of high school football were back in town (inside joke). Timpview has looked virtually unbeatable since their loss to Alta. Trevor Brown looked like the bus last week against Mountain Crest. Who could blame him? With such a wicked first name, no wonder he’s amazing. I’ve heard from a bunch of people that they think this game is gonna be awful and that they’d rather watch Cher’s final goodbye tour. OK, maybe I exaggerated with the Cher part, but you get the point. I’m going to disagree. Teams with a chip on their shoulder are dangerous. It’s like a stereotypical middle school bully. The ones that are always flexing their muscles, and getting in the most confrontations are the fakes. However, the quiet kid in your English class could probably take down four or five guys by himself. It’s a weird analogy but I’m trying to make a point. Springville has nothing to lose and nor do I. I have to try to make up some ground. Springville 21, Timpview 20.

AA: That was great. All of it. Our inside joke was beaten to death in the press box last week, and somehow it made us chuckle every time we said it. So in the spirit of that, Timpview offensive coordinator Chad Van Orden was the Roger Goodell of high school football last week and ordered me to bury the hatchet with head coach Louis Wong and I did. Wong and I were the Kobe Bryant and Jim Gray of high school football and a heartfelt, sit-down interview on the 50-yard line at Rice-Eccles Stadium. OK, that’s an exaggeration but the hatchet is buried and Timpview wins handily. Timpview 35, Springiville 7

Bingham vs Davis
JC: The best chance for Davis in this game might be to keep it low-scoring and establish its run game early. The Darts can perhaps pull of an upset if they are able to dominate time of possession and get Tanner Hinds to pile up more than 180 rushing yards for the fourth straight game. It’s a moot point, though, because Bingham might be too much for Davis to handle. If the Miners can use three linemen to stop Alta’s running game, they should be able to control the Darts in that area too. Plus, Bingham already faced two Region 1 opponents — Viewmont and Syracuse — and outscored them by a 66-11 margin. Bingham 23, Davis 6.

TP: I’m actually very excited about this game. Once again everyone is saying that the semifinal game was the true championship game. Nah, Davis is a very talented team – so it would be wise not to overlook them. Tanner Hinds has a great shot of winning Mr. Football win or lose. The run he made against Hunter, where he exploded to the sideline, and in a split second he threw a nasty stutter step and immediately shifted into a deadly spin move leaving everyone wondering what just happened. He looked like the Barry Sanders of high school football. I think if Davis can get Hinds going, and play that slow paced region 1 football – they have a shot. However, I don’t think they can. Not only could Alta not run the ball last week, they had a difficult time passing the ball. The crazy thing is that was against a three man rush. If Bingham’s defensive line is that dominant, they deserve to win the state championship. Bingham 24, Davis 14.

AA: I’m very excited about this game, too. Last week, Bingham was the 2000 Baltimore Ravens defense of high school football and did a number on Alta. That game was nowhere near as close as the final score indicated. But Davis has Tanner Hinds, the Adrian Peterson of high school football, and could keep this game close. The Darts have a great formula for running the ball and playing great defense, so they look like the Vince Lombardi Packers of high school football. I think Davis hangs in there for a while, but Bingham is a team of destiny and the Miners will pull away in the second half. Bingham 24, Davis 10

Hurricane vs Juan Diego
JC: Deja vu. The Tigers and the Soaring Eagle battle it out for a state title for the second year in a row. It hurts Juan Diego to lose Keegan Andersen. The Soaring Eagle will be forced to rely almost exclusively on their running game. Good thing they have solid backs like Tana Vea and Lars Gunderson. Hurricane has some nice weapons in the backfield too. Jarom Healy, Jacob Pugh and Robert Reeve have all shown a penchant for gaining big yards at different times this season. This will be the best game of the day by far. I think this one might come down to defense, a category where Juan Diego has been superior as of late. The Soaring Eagle have given up just 24 points in their last six games. Juan Diego 13, Hurricane 10.

TP: During the Hurricane – Park City game last week. One person caught my eye. Ian Gates for Hurricane. I love this kid’s game. He was so physical on the defensive side of the ball, but it was actually his attitude that impressed me the most. During one play, he brought the hammer down on a Park City offensive lineman. However, instead of being the Plaxico Burress of high school football – he helped the kid up. I thought it showed a lot of class. I think this game is going to be the best of the night. These teams are good. I could care less if they’re 3A. However, after spending the entire week with Juan Diego, I came away with a great feeling. I’ll go with my gut instinct. Juan Diego 27, Hurricane 24.

AA: I have to disagree with John somewhere in these picks and give myself a chance to win, so call me the Bill Belichick of high school football – I’m going to take a chance and go against conventional wisdom. But I’m also the Herm Edwards of high school football – I play to win the game. And with that said, I’m going with Hurricane in an upset. The Soaring Eagle will sorely miss Keegan Andersen and the Tigers will find a way to win. Hurricane 17, Juan Diego 15.

Bonus pick for next week:

Utah at BYU
JC: Someone who lives in my apartment complex in Sugar House has a bumper sticker that says: Honk, if you intercepted Max Hall. That about sums it up for BYU during Hall’s stint as quarterback. Big Game Max is the John Walsh for this decade. He piles up nice looking stats against bad teams, but rarely shows up against good teams. Getting pounded at TCU aside, Utah seems to be on the rise. Jordan Wynn gives the Ute passing game more teeth than it had under Terence Cain. The Utes also have a bigger punch in the backfield with Eddie Wide as the lead back instead of the injured Matt Asiata. By the 4th quarter, Cougar fans are going to be counting down how many days are left until the start of the Jake Heaps era. Utah 35, BYU 21.

TP: Do I need to write anything on this one? Oh, actually I do. Andrew is going to try to say I was cheering for BYU against Oklahoma even with this clarification, but I thought I’d try anyway. But, even if I knew deep down in my heart, I’d never pick the team down south. However , I think that team in Provo doesn’t have the speed to keep up with Utah anyway. I know, typical analysis…but it’s true. Go Utes. Utah 100, BYU 0. Just joking. Utah 24, BYU 13.

AA: Ha ha, that is an awesome bumper sticker, I can’t believe Trevor is still denying that he was cheering for the Cougars in that game. Denying his guilt, he’s basically the players in the Starcaps case of high school football. So, I um, need to disagree with John on another pick and I guess it comes down to this one. So, cough, here it um, goes. BYU 35, Utah 34.