4A high school football preview: Highland at Pine View

Highland (7-4) at Pine View (7-3)

4A state tournament quarterfinal

Saturday, 1 p.m.

Parry's Power Guide: Highland by 10

All-time series: Pine View leads 1-0

Coach vs. Coach: Pine View's Ray Hosner leads Highland's Brody Benson, 1-0

Last meeting: Nov. 7, 2008 — Pine View 10, Highland 7 (4A quarterfinal at Pine View)

ST. GEORGE — If you listen to Pine View coach Ray Hosner, his Panthers will need to play a near-perfect game to beat Highland on Saturday in a 4A playoff quarterfinal.

"They're an awesome team," said Hosner. "They don't really have a weak spot. They have a great kicker, their offense is amazing and they have a terrific defense."

Of course, Hosner's praise has a little bit of coach-speak in it as well. There is a reason Highland lost four football games this season.

"We have to play well and execute our style of football," said Highland coach Brody Benson. "We have to play at a high level or we will lose — it is as simple as that. We can be a great team, but we have to perform."

If Pine View is going to win, it is going to need a big effort from its all-everything quarterback Alec Mecham. The senior has run for 816 yards and 13 touchdowns, and he has thrown for over 2,000 yards and another 18 scores.

"He's done great job of doing the things we ask him to do, throw or run," said Hosner. "Even better, he is a great kid.

"He was banged up at the middle of the season, but I gave him the choice if he wanted to play," added Hosner. "As a senior, he said he wanted to. He played against Desert Hills, Cedar and Hurricane really banged up. I don't think very many kids could have played with the way his body was. He played through it, and because of it, the guys really looked up to him. He stepped up as a leader."

The Panthers have needed a senior leader like Mecham. Perhaps no playoff team remaining has as much inexperience.