High school football 4A preview: Highland at Bountiful

Highland (7-3) at Bountiful (8-2)

4A State Tournament First Round

Friday, 5 p.m.

Parry's Power Guide: Bountiful by 0.5 points

All-time series: Highland leads 23-14

Last meeting: Regular season, Sept. 24, 2004 — Highland 17, Bountiful 10

Glancing over the playoff pairings there were a couple of games that jumped out, and Highland playing Bountiful was one of them.

The two perennial powers in the 4A ranks clashing in the first round is just what any football junky would love to see. Both have impressive records, and both have the talent to compete for a championship — but only one can advance.

The Rams finished third in Region 6 after losing to Cottonwood and East. The Braves were second in Region 5, falling only to Mountain Crest. The Mustangs are one opponent the two teams share in common. Highland lost its opener, 26-21 while the Braves fell 21-7.

Highland's vaunted ground game has again led it to impressive numbers. The Rams average over four touchdowns per game at 29.1 points while surrendering only 12.9. Nick Orchard has stepped into the long line of great decision makers at the helm. He is a dual threat as he has nine rushing touchdowns to go along with eight passing scores. Muli Kinikini supplies the power in the rushing attack and has eight touchdowns. Nate Fakafahua is dangerous in the passing game, and Bridger and Travis Walzer are always dangerous.

The Braves get it done with defense. They lead the classification in points allowed, giving up only eight points per game. Jake Folerson and Travis Parrish are two of the standouts that give opposing offenses nightmares. Offensively, quarterback Drew Miner has thrown for six touchdowns and Mitch Johnson has rushed for nine. Mike Fabrizio has three rushing scores and three receiving.

The debate has raged over which of the respective regions is better, and this game may go along way to answering that question.

Highland statistical breakdown

Scoring offense: 29.1 ppg

Scoring defense: 12.9 ppg

Passing leader: Nick Orchard (57-122, 46.7%, 778 yards, 8 TDs)

Rushing leader: Nick Orchard (133 carries, 1,003 yards, 9 TDs)