High school football 4A preview: Cyprus at Mountain Crest

Cyprus (4-6) at Mountain Crest (8-1)

4A State Tournament First Round

Friday, 2:30 p.m.

Parry's Power Guide: Mountain Crest by 24.5 points

All-time series: Mountain Crest leads 2-0

Last meeting: 4A playoffs, Nov. 1, 2002 — Mountain Crest 47, Cyprus 26

Alex Kuresa stepped into a difficult situation last season. He was put behind center for a team contending for a state title as only a freshman. At times, he was brilliant, others — not so much. This season, Kuresa is ready for the challenge.

He may only be a sophomore, but Kuresa is an experienced player. He knows the offense and is much more comfortable running it. He has grown by leaps and bounds over last season. And for that reason, the Mustangs are the favorites to get back to the turf at Rice-Eccles Stadium for a semifinal rematch with Timpview. In order to get back, it all begins Friday with a game against Cyprus.

The Pirates have struggled to score points this season. They average under two touchdowns at 12.5 points per game. Those numbers are a little bit skewed, however, because of four shutouts. In truth, the Pirares probably beat the teams they should have in Tooele, Olympus, Murray and Granger, and lost to Kearns, Juan Diego, Cottonwood, West, Highland and East.

Cyprus was led by Trent Dea on the ground. He had over 500 yards and carried for 50 yards per-game. Quarterback Chris Peel gets it done behind center, and kicker Andy Rodriguez proved he has the mettle to make pressure kicks as he had one game-winning field goal in the closing seconds against Murray.

Along with Kuresa's 14 passing touchdowns and over 2,000 yards on the season, the Mustangs boast some serious weapons. They score 33.1 ppg as Alex Knowles has caught four touchdowns and rushed for seven more. Ethan Rasmussen gets it done on both sides of the ball and has eight offensive scores, and Ethen Lofthouse is a back that teams hate to tackle. He seems to get stronger as the game wears on and by the fourth quarter can usually impose his will on opposing defenses.

Cyprus statistical breakdown

Scoring offense: 12.5 ppg

Scoring defense: 24.4 ppg

Passing leader: Chris Peel (70-143, 49%, 775 yards, 2 TDs)

Rushing leader: Trent Dea (114 carries, 506 yards, 2 TDs)