3A high school football playoffs: Juab at Juan Diego

Juab (6-4) at Juan Diego (9-1)

3A state tournament first round

Friday, 4 p.m.

Parry's Power Guide: Juan Diego by 32

All-time series: Juan Diego leads 4-1

Coach vs. Coach: Juan Diego's John Colosimo leads Juab's Mike Bowring, 2-0

Last meeting: 2A championship, Nov. 13, 2004 — Juan Diego 33, Juab 13

If one were born with a betting mentality, and high school football was available at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas — they would stumble upon a 3A state tournament slate with a Juan Diego team that paid even money. The defending champions have yet to lose a game in the state of Utah this year, and are quickly gaining momentum with every quarter. Heading into this year's 3A state tournament, the Soaring Eagle are once again the team to beat.

Juan Diego (9-1), the No. 1 seed from Region 11, hosts the visiting Juab Wasps (6-4) – the final qualifier from Region 12. The game will take place at Juan Diego, on Friday at 4 p.m.

Juan Diegocoach John Colosimo isn't fooled by the lower seeded Wasps, and is preaching to his team not to be complacent.

"This doesn't seem like a 1 (versus) 4 matchup. I think they're a pretty good football team," he stated, "I really like their quarterback; he makes good plays for them and keeps drives alive. I think it's a tougher matchup than people expect."

Juan Diego fans have fallen accustom to a high-octane rushing game. With two running backs in the backfield, that quite possibly could start for the majority of 3A teams, sharing the load on the ground.

The "shake-and-bake" combo of Tana Vea and Lars Gunderson have combined for 897 yards but more importantly 23 touchdowns this year.

The two backs have diverse running styles, but both have excellent yard-per-carry averages as Gunderson picks 5.4 yards per carry and Vea outdoes that with a 6.96 average.

"Both of them present complimentary runs. Tana is a big, physical kind of kid who runs people over, and Lars tries to out run everybody. They give you contrasting styles, it's tough for teams to defend," said Colosimo.

Juan Diego is expected to roll over Juab, but the players also realize an upset isn't out of the question. With this type of mind-set, it will be extremely difficult for the Wasps to escape with a win.