Springville, Wasatch battle for Region 8 supremacy


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HEBER CITY — Undefeated Springville and 5-1 Wasatch can go a long way Friday night toward establishing the dominant force in Region 8. The winner takes sole possession of first place in the region with three games to go for the Wasps and two for the Red Devils.

The game will be streamed live on KSL.com at 7 p.m. MT, with a 30-minute pregame show airing from the Heber City campus beginning at 6:30 p.m. MT on KSL 5 TV.

Springville (6-0, 3-0 Region 8) had a wild first two games in region play, winning by a total of five points — all decided in the final seconds.

"Our defense coming through for us for two games is really big-time," Springville safety Noah McCray said. "We came up with a blocked PAT against Maple Mountain, and (against) Spanish Fork we got a safety. But offense was big in the last game when we put up 49 points (against Uintah)."

The close-game atmosphere hasn't deterred the Red Devils' confidence, though.

"I think we have the advantage now having two close games at the beginning of the season," Springville's Scott Averett said. "When we get later on into the state playoffs, we know how to win those close games."

Photo: Stacie Scott, Deseret News
Photo: Stacie Scott, Deseret News

This is Wasatch head coach Steve Coburn's first senior class while in charge of the Wasps. At 5-1, they are seeing the rewards of buying into his system.

"He started a new weight program and all of us started that program as freshmen," Wasatch quarterback Kaden Baxter said. "We built up and got a lot stronger, faster. I think that has been a key for the senior class."

Wasatch has a unique advantage over most other teams in the state: BYU commit Skyler Southam was recently selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, and he is considered one of the top kickers in the nation with a range as long as 57 yards.

But Southam credits his personal success to Coburn, as well.

"Our whole senior class pulled through together as a team," Southam said. "With him coming in, we all bought into the system."

In the Wasps' 23-10 win over Salem Hills a week ago, Southam booted a 42-yard field goal for the 29th of his career, passing former BYU kicker Justin Sorensen for the all-time career state record.

Both teams love to run the ball and control the tempo of a game, but the team that is more physical Friday night will have a distinct advantage.

"They're a great team," McCray said of Springville's opponent. "They have a quarterback who can run, who can throw and they've got a great kicker who can kick field goals from so far out."

The Red Devils can move to 4-0 in Region 8 play, making them the odds-on favorites to win a region title with a win in the Heber Valley.

"This is huge," Springville quarterback Jantsen Thorpe said. "We like to think every week is a region championship week, and that's definitely the case this week."

But Wasatch may have something to say about that.

"We all have really high expectations this year, and we have a lot of confidence going into this game," Southam said. "Our whole team is fired up. We have a great student section, and I think we are all pumped about this week's game for sure."

Live streaming on live.ksl.com
High school football: Oct. 2, 2015
6:30 p.m. — Summit Academy at South Summit
6:51 p.m. — Riverton vs Westlake
7:00 p.m. — Alta at Spanish Fork
7:00 p.m. — KSL Game Night Live: Springville at Wasatch
7:00 p.m. — Cottonwood vs Bingham
7:00 p.m. — North Sanpete vs Richfield
7:00 p.m. — Layton Christian vs Duchesne
7:00 p.m. — Manti vs Delta
7:00 p.m. — Emery at Union
7:00 p.m. — Grand vs Beaver
7:00 p.m. — Maple Mountain at Uintah

Other top games of the week include Mountain Crest's attempt to move to 6-0 overall against 3-1 Roy. Neither team is having difficulty adjusting from the jump up to Class 5A this season either.

Roy's only loss came at Jordan in the season opener, and Mountain Crest is averaging 43 points per game while only giving up only eight.

Both teams are undefeated in Region 1 play, and both are trying to keep up with fellow unbeaten Sky View, which plays Brighton in a nonregion matchup of top-five teams, according to the Deseret News. The Bobcats have rolled through their schedule to a 6-0 start with an average margin of victory of 29 points.

But they haven't faced an opponent like the Bengals, who will look to bounce back after suffering their first loss of the season last week to Jordan by two points.

American Fork and Lone Peak meet up in another rivalry game, this time with first place in Region 4 on the line. The Knights (3-0) host the Cavemen (2-0), and this one could be about the quarterbacks. Lone Peak's Talmage Gunther has thrown 15 touchdown passes with only two interceptions, and American Fork's Tanner Smith has 12 touchdown tosses.

Herriman will also try to stay unbeaten in Region 4 when it hosts Pleasant Grove. After losing three straight during a brutal early schedule, the Vikings have won two in a row, and a win over the Mustangs would put Pleasant Grove right back into the region title race.

A win for Herriman, meanwhile, will tie the Mustangs with the AF-Lone Peak winner on top of the region with three games to play.

For a complete list of high school football broadcasts, visit live.ksl.com.

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Rod Zundel

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