Thursday’s Top Games
Girls Soccer
5A Quarterfinals
Thursday, Oct. 15th
Fremont (14-1-2) at Bingham (12-4-1)
The Silver Wolves road to Rio Tinto Stadium goes through a quarterfinal matchup with Region 3 champion Bingham. It should be an evenly matched contest between two explosive offenses, but Fremont definitely has the edge on defense. The Miners were able score six goals in their 6-4 victory over Jordan in the first-round of the 5A playoffs. Liz Christensen and Shay Haddow combined to score five of the six Bingham goals. Fremont comes into the tournament on a roll. The Wolves beat second-ranked Davis in the final week of the regular season and then shutout Murray in Tuesday’s first-round. Fremont’s balanced offensive attack saw four different players score goals and a suffocating defense did the rest in 4-0 blanking of Murray. So can Fremont do the same to a more powerful Bingham team? In a word …Yes. Our pick: Fremont
4A Quarterfinals
East (17-0) at Bonneville (14-2)
No question East got the short end of the stick in this draw. Bonneville won Region 5 and has enough talent to upset the No. 1 ranked Leopards. East will have to slow down Bonneville’s big gun Jaiden Thornock. She’s the third leading scorer in the state, with 23 goals on the season. On the other side of the field East has been the ultimate team this season. No real superstars on the roster, they just know how to win. Saralyn Drury, Tessa Nickolaides and Sarah Skanchy have been the leaders on a team that’s won three games in overtime and seven games by just a single goal. East is no stranger to pressure situations and that’s what the playoffs are all about. Our pick: East
Friday’s Top Games
Football
Friday, Oct. 16
Davis (5-2) at Fremont (5-3)
Last week Fremont went to Viewmont and upset the Vikings on their home turf. That makes this week’s game with Davis meaningful for both teams. Both Davis and Fremont have secured playoff spots, but the Region 1 title is still up for grabs. With a win at Fremont, Davis would only need to beat last place Roy to win the Region 1 title. Current leader Syracuse (6-1) still has to play at Layton and that looks like an easy win for the Titans. If the Darts are going win at Fremont and have a chance to win the region, Davis better make sure stud running back Tanner Hines gets plenty carries Friday night, he’s the hart and soul of the offense. Fremont can still grab a share of the region, with a win over Davis and a Syracuse loss next week. But rebounding from last year’s 1-9 season and qualifying for the playoffs is a tremendous achievement for Fremont. Think baby steps here. Our pick: Davis
Hunter (5-3) at Skyline (6-2)
Raise your hands if you saw this coming. Hunter has managed to win four straight games, secure a playoff spot, and with a win at Skyline, the Wolverines can wrap up the Region 2 championship. Hunter’s ball-control offense shut down Cottonwood last week, but that may not work against Skyline. The Eagles will try to run bruising tailback Algernon Brown (102 yds. vs. East) and if that doesn’t work, Brown can throw the ball. Against Cottonwood, the Eagles running back completed two halfback passes to receiver Brian Orr, both went for long touchdowns. Either way, Brown is productive when touches the ball. He averages almost 9-yards per carry and has 11 rushing touchdowns on the season. The last equation in Skyline’s offensive is starting quarterback Chase Dunford. The senior can beat defenses in a variety of ways. Expect the Eagles to mix it up and keep the Hunter defense guessing. Our pick: Skyline
Comments: