High school football: 4A Timpview on track for fifth state title?

Timpview. Enough said.

When it comes to the 4A state football playoffs, the Thunderbirds have been, are, and perhaps will continue to be the story. Winners of the last four state titles, and five of the last six, no team has had more postseason success in the past decade.

"Our guys know what it takes to win this time of year," said Timpview coach Louis Wong.

The T-birds enter the playoffs on a 16-game winning streak. They posted an undefeated regular season at 9-0, and haven't lost in the playoffs since East beat them in the quarterfinals of the 2005 tournament.

"Timpview is definitely the team to beat, and with good reason," said Maple Mountain coach Brad Burtenshaw, whose second-year program qualified for the playoffs for the first time. "Until someone proves they can beat them and Coach Wong, they deserve the recognition."

If Timpview is going to get its five-peat, it will do so on the arm and legs of quarterback Christian Covey. The speedy senior is a dual-threat guy that has carried the ball 71 times for 447 yards and four scores, and he has thrown the ball for 1,932 yards and 26 touchdowns.

"It is great having someone back there as mobile as Christian," said Wong. "He is making good decisions and playing at a high level."

As if the T-birds needed anything else going their way, Wong said the team is just starting to get all its pieces together.

"I think a really nice surprise is just how healthy we are now," he said. "Usually this time of year you have guys that are dinged-up or out, but we are as healthy as we have been all year. We lost some guys at the beginning of the season, but they are back now and it is nice to know we will be at full strength."

While Timpview is the prohibitive favorite, after the T-birds the 4A classification has plenty of parity. Any number of teams could step up and advance to the semifinals or finals.

Springville played in the title game last season and has been one of the top teams all season.

"We have guys here that have been there before," said coach Scott Mitchell. "The thing with us is we have to have a play-to-win attitude. There are no gimme-games left."

The Red Devils lost only once this year and won the Region 8 title. Unfortunately for them, with the quirky set-up of the regions, if Springville beats a tough Olympus team in the first round, it runs into Timpview in the quarterfinals.