High school football 4A preview: Highland at Pine View

Highland (8-3) at Pine View (9-1)

4A state tournament quarterfinal

Friday, 5 p.m.

Parry's Power Guide: Pine View by 3.5 points

All-time series: 0-0

Coach vs. Coach: First meeting between Highland's Brody Benson and Pine View's Ray Hosner

Last meeting: First meeting

Warmer weather and sunshine. Perhaps a round or two on one of the many outstanding golf courses or some relaxation either by the pool or at a spa, that's what many think of when mentioning a trip to Southern Utah and St. George. But as Highland gets ready to make the trip to face Pine View in the 4A quarterfinals Friday at 5 p.m., those things are far from the minds of the players and coaches.

"It will be a good trip, a fun trip, but the guys understand this isn't a vacation," said Rams coach Brody Benson. "The kids have been really focused in practice, and I think they understand the importance of being prepared and taking care of business."

After back-to-back trips to the 4A championship game in 2005 and '06, the Rams had a disappointing exit to the playoffs in a first-round loss in 2007. Although painful, Benson feels the loss could turn into positive as a good learning experience.

"We kind of exercised some demons with beating Bountiful," he said, "and now we kind of got back a little bit of swagger. The guys know what it is like to win a game like that and we are getting ready for the next step. We want to get back to the turf, that was the goal from the start."

Benson feels for Highland to reach its goal, it will have to limit turnovers and win the battle in the trenches.

"We need to take care of the football, and I think it will boil down to the play on the offensive and defensive lines," added Benson. "We know we have a good defensive line, and we will need them to do their jobs, especially on their quarterback."

That quarterback is Pine View's Justin Ence. The all-everything leader of the offense has had a tremendous year for the Panthers. He has thrown for over 1,000 yards, but his real threat is on the ground. Ence is the second-leading rusher in the state with 1,498 yards on the ground in 10 games.

"For us to win, we need to stop Ence," Benson said. "He is a playmaker and they put a lot of faith in him. If we can stop him, we have a good chance."