5A high school football playoffs: West at Davis

West (5-5) at Davis (7-2)

5A state tournament first round

Friday, 3:30 p.m.

Parry's Power Guide: Davis by 23

All-time series: Tied 13-13-1

Coach vs. Coach: West's Justin Spencer and Davis' Ryan Bishop, first meeting

Last meeting: Sept. 17, 1971 — Davis 6, West 3

High school football fans would be hard-pressed to find another first-round playoff matchup with better running backs than the Davis-West game in Kaysville.

Most high school football followers are already well aware of the exploits of Davis running back Tanner Hinds. He's had his second straight 1,000-yard rushing season, gaining 1,323 yards and scoring 18 touchdowns this season. He is the bread-and-butter of the Darts' offensive attack.

The Panthers counter with two running backs that have quietly had solid seasons and led their team to a 5-5 record. Tana Afeaki is West's top weapon, as he averaged 6.3 yards per carry while rushing for 1,129 yards during the regular season. West has another solid back in Anetipa Vaisagano, who averaged 7.3 yards per carry and rushed for 712 yards for the Panthers.

"They've got some playmakers," said Davis coach Ryan Bishop. "They're impressive with their skill kids. I think they probably got as good of athletes as we've seen this year."

One of the biggest factors in the Darts-Panthers matchup will be which team can establish its running game. Hinds rushed for more than 100 yards in seven of Davis' games and had a season-high 261 yards against Fremont. Afeaki rushed for more than 100 yards in six games with a season-high total of 177 against Tooele. Vaisagano, who West coach Justin Spencer said probably doesn't get the ball enough, went over 100 yards twice this season.

West's biggest win of the season came over Hunter in Week 4. Davis and Hunter are similar in how they like to pound the ball on offense, and Spencer hopes that gives his team some confidence and an edge going into Friday's game.

"We had success against them (the Wolverines)," Spencer said. "They ran over everyone, but they didn't really run over us. It's a similar team it looks like."