4A high school football preview: Logan at Timpview

Logan (8-2) at Timpview (9-0)

4A state tournament first round

Friday, 3:30 p.m.

Parry's Power Guide: Timpview by 16

All-time series: Logan leads 3-1

Coach vs. Coach: Logan's Mike Favero and Timpview's Louis Wong, first meeting

Last meeting: Sept. 10, 2004 — Timpview 43, Logan 7

PROVO — Football is a physical game. It requires speed, power and athleticism. But Timpview coach Louis Wong says there is also a comparison to one of the more mental sports invented.

"It is a lot like a chess game," said Wong.

So what exactly does he mean?

"Anytime you are going up against a Mike Favero coached team, you have to be able to think. It is a game of moves and counter-moves," Wong said about his team facing Favero's Logan Grizzlies in the first round of the 4A state playoffs on Friday. "He is so good at watching what your defense is going to do, and then finding something to exploit it. He knows football and how things work."

Timpview can counter with its own offensive mastermind in offensive coordinator Chad Van Orden. So with two of the state's best analytical minds for finding ways to move the football perhaps cancelling each other out, it can come back to the basics.

"This is a game that should come down to execution," Wong said. "It could be as simple as a turnover and whether or not a team can capitalize on one, or if a defense can step up and get a stop after they are put in a bad situation. It comes down to which side's athletes play better."

It has been a long time since any team has played better than Timpview — particularly in the playoffs. The last time the Thunderbirds lost was 19 games ago, the third game of last season, and the last defeat in the playoffs was 2005.

"Our guys have been there and know what it takes to win this time of year," Wong added.

If the T-birds are going to win their fifth consecutive state title, they first have to get by the Grizzlies, and a big reason they think they can is quarterback Christian Covey.

"It is very comforting knowing we have a quarterback like him," said Wong.