All games at 6 p.m. Friday unless otherwise noted
Liberty at Coronado
Liberty begins every season with a brutal pre-league schedule, so it’s always tough to predict how the team might play against local opponents.
The third-ranked Patriots come into this game at 1-3. They lost to Skyridge (Utah), Mililani (Hawaii) and Mission Viejo (California) before edging American Fork (Utah) 16-15 with a touchdown as time expired last week.
Fourth-ranked Coronado (2-1) opened the season with wins against mid-level opponents Sierra Vista and Kailua (Hawaii), but lost to Lincoln (California) 38-14 its last time out on Sept. 6.
Neither team has a signature victory yet, though Coronado has home-field advantage and quarterback Aiden Krause on its side. Krause has completed 52 of his 73 passes for 786 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.
The Patriots haven’t looked pretty so far, but their schedule has been tough. This game could go either way if they learn from their losses over the last month.
Desert Pines at Foothill
This league opener will be a matchup of two teams traveling in different directions.
The seventh-ranked Falcons are off to a 4-0 start behind quarterback Brennon Arthur, who has completed 46 of his 62 passes for 722 yards and six touchdowns. But their schedule — which has featured wins against SLAM Academy, Sunrise Mountain, Silverado and Clark — has not been particularly challenging.
The Jaguars (1-3) have had a tougher road, with their one win coming in Week 1 against Centennial. Running back Marcus Williams has 574 yards and six touchdowns on 70 carries for the Jaguars. Desert Pines could make this game interesting if he has another strong performance.
Palo Verde at Shadow Ridge
The ninth-ranked Mustangs (2-2, 0-1 5A Division II) have played a challenging schedule thus far.
Shadow Ridge fell to Coeur d’Alene (Idaho) and fifth-ranked Faith Lutheran, but scored noteworthy victories over Spanish Springs and Quartz Hill (California). Running back Tyrell Craven has been the driver of the Mustangs’ offense with 408 yards and four touchdowns on 46 carries.
Palo Verde (1-3, 0-0) may struggle to keep up with Shadow Ridge given it’s averaging just 9.75 points per game. Running back Bryant Johnson, who has 348 yards and two touchdowns on 45 carries this season, will need a big night to give the Panthers a chance.
Sunrise Mountain at Centennial
One team will leave this game with its first victory of the season.
The Bulldogs (0-4, 0-1 5A Division III) have home-field advantage and quarterback James Monaghan, who has helped the offense score 25 points per game.
The Miners (0-4, 0-1 5A Division III) might have to overcome some confidence issues after losing to 3A programs Virgin Valley and Boulder City. Sunrise Mountain’s largest issue is its defense, which is giving up 39 points per game.
Moapa Valley at SLAM Academy, 7 p.m. at Spring Valley
The top-ranked Pirates (4-0), a perennial 3A power, will be tough to beat this year. They’re already defeated 5A Division III Durango and 4A programs Cimarron-Memorial and Canyon Springs this season.
Quarterback Talon Shraft has 452 yards and four touchdowns on 54 carries for Moapa Valley.
The third-ranked Bulls (2-3, 1-0 3A South) are going to need to score against the Pirates to stay in the game. Damien Nevil has been SLAM Academy’s best player on offense this season, with 669 yards and a league-leading 12 touchdowns on 99 carries.
Contact Jeff Wollard at [email protected].
