High school football: Mountain Crest wants to erase any 'yeah, buts'

Note: Mountain Crest finished with a 10-2 overall record in 2009 and a 5-0 mark in Region 5. It lost to Timpview, 38-21, in the 4A semifinals.

HYRUM — Just once, Alex Kuresa would like to finish a high school season without it ending at the hands of Timpview.

This is the last shot for Mountain Crest's superstar quarterback.

Kuresa, a starter since his freshman season, has quarterbacked the Mustangs in three straight losses to the T-Birds at Rice-Eccles Stadium in the 4A semifinals. With his senior season set to begin shortly, Kuresa can't help but think about another chance to play Timpview.

"They're definitely always in the back of our minds," Kuresa said. "We're trying to focus on Highland (Mountain Crest's first opponent) first, but they're always in the back of our minds. That's always a good motivator."

Having one last shot at the T-Birds — assuming the two teams meet up in the playoffs — is a pretty decent motivator for the Mustangs as well.

"This is the year we've all worked for our whole lives," Kuresa said. "We've all played together. We're playing with the team we grew up with, and we're ready for it. We're excited."

Obviously, both Mountain Crest and Timpview have a long way to go before they can even think about playing on The Turf for a fourth straight year. The Mustangs have a brutal nonleague and Region 5 schedule to get through before earning another rematch with Timpview is a realistic possibility.

Fortunately for Mountain Crest, it has the horses to contend for the 4A title.

Kuresa leads what should be a high-scoring Mustang attack. It all starts with Kuresa, who threw for 3,549 yards and 39 touchdowns with only eight interceptions as a junior. He'll be breaking in some new weapons in 2010, but there's no reason to think there will be any dropoff in Mountain Crest's production.

It's hard to fall off when you have the best quarterback in the state on your side.

"He's a special player," said Mustangs coach Mark Wootton. "He's a kid that people will always look back on as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play in Utah. We have one more season to try to enjoy it."

Fullback Nate Rigby will anchor the team's running game and make the offense more balanced than it was last season. Receiver Troy Pickett, at 6-foot-4, will be an important part of Mountain Crest's arsenal. Schofield Smith is expected to make plays at receiver for the Mustangs.