It's been a tough week for Riverton coach Mike Miller.

Just a day before beginning his third season as the Silverwolves' coach, his father, Dewey, unexpectedly passed away from complications of esophageal cancer.

He could've easily taken the night off, but Miller instead opted to brave the sidelines during Riverton's season-opening 21-9 win over Taylorsville last Friday.

"That's how my dad would've wanted it," said Miller, who gave all the credit for the win on his players and coaching staff. " ... The kids did it all. I was like mush on the sidelines."

According to Miller, complications from the cancer took him away so soon, not the actual cancer.

Obviously, Miller will be dealing with a heavy heart for quite some time. He said his assistant coaches have been an invaluable help so far.

"There's no way I could've gotten through the week without them," he said.

The Silverwolves now set their sights on a surprising test against West on Friday. West upset Woods Cross last week in comfortable fashion, and it appears the Panthers will be vastly improved in 2006.

TOP 25 WATCH: Skyline debuted as the top-ranked squad in this week's Deseret Morning News top 25 rankings. Logan opened at third, behind Skyline and Bingham. Fremont and Timpview round out the top 5.

On the heels of a 35-7 loss to Highland, defending 4A champion Mountain Crest was knocked down to 18 in the rankings.

NOWHERE TO HIDE: East (0-1) could easily start out with three defeats and still wind up with a very successful season. That's because the Leopards face an extremely tough nonregion schedule.

It opened with Northridge, which appears to be back on track. East travels to top-ranked Skyline this week before hosting American Fork in Week 3.

Several other teams also face grueling non-league schedules. Here is a look at some of them:

Bingham, which beat Alta last week, has dates vs. Taylorsville, at Fremont, at Jordan and at American Fork.

Skyline, a winner over Bear River, will face East, Highland and Las Vegas during nonregion action.

Highland, which defeated defending 4A champion Mountain Crest, still must face American Fork and Skyline in the preseason.

And finally, there's Logan. It dispatched 5A powerhouse Hunter last week and will play Park City, rival Sky View, highly regarded Helix High of California and Alta during the season.

OUT OF STATE DATES: Several Utah teams face out-of-state competition this weekend, highlighted by Pine View's game with Nevada's Centennial High.

In total, seven Utah squads will take on out-of-state teams this weekend.

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E-mail: drasmussen@desnews.com