3A high school football preview: Judge at Wasatch

Judge (6-5) at Wasatch (7-3)

3A state tournament quarterfinal

Friday, 4 p.m.

Parry's Power Guide: Judge by 10

All-time series: Wasatch leads 26-23-1

Coach vs. Coach: Wasatch's Steve North leads Judge's James Cordova, 4-2

Last meeting: Sept. 10, 2010 — Wasatch 24, Judge 14

Because their team had played — and won — a first-round playoff game a day earlier, Wasatch coach Steve North and a couple of his assistants were able to make the four-hour drive down to Cedar City on Saturday to watch the game that would determine their second-round opponent: Judge at Cedar.

Cedar had shocked the state by thumping Hurricane in its regular-season finale, but only one week later, Judge turned around and shocked the state by coming from behind to beat Cedar and stunningly eliminate the previously high-flying Redmen in the opening round.

As North watched Judge's players and coaches joyously celebrate on the field afterward, he thought about the fact that his guys were going to be facing a very good Judge team in the quarterfinals, a Judge team that is now suddenly red-hot after winning twice in the span of five days.

But he also couldn't help but think about the fact that he wasn't going to have to make the four-hour drive back down to Cedar with his football team.

Just how happy was he about that fact?

"Happy as hell," he cracked. "We did not want to go to Cedar. There is just no way. The way things have fallen into place, it's worked out perfect for us.

"If we can go out and take advantage of the situation, we're in a pretty good spot."

That good spot would be a semifinal appearance for the Wasps for the third time in four years.

To get there, Wasatch must beat a Judge team in the quarterfinals that North was enormously impressed with last Saturday.

"They just kept on battling," North said of Judge. "They were out of it there for awhile, and then all the sudden they were in it and then all of the sudden they had it won. They just didn't quit. They kept going clear 'til the end, and the closer they got, the more into it they got.

"And it just fell into place for them."