The overwhelming consensus in 1A football is that the championship is Rich's for the taking. The No. 1-ranked Rebels are 9-0 and have outscored their opponents 378-73.

"Rich is just far and beyond everybody," said Milford coach Robert Langston.

But as the 1A state tournament gets under way this weekend with a pair of games, Rich is an afterthought. The Rebels, along with Monticello, are enjoying a first-round bye this week while the other four playoff teams fight for berths in the semifinals.

Among those four teams is Duchesne (8-2), regarded as the team most likely to make Rich sweat in the playoffs. A potential rematch of their regular-season game won comfortably by Rich is several weeks away, but first both teams must get there.

Duchesne opens the playoffs this Friday at 6 p.m. against Monument Valley (5-4). Duchesne beat the Cougars 56-30 just a few weeks back and will likely do so again, but the Cougars have enough offensive firepower to make things interesting.

"The key will be our offensive line and our defensive line — it all starts up front," said Duchesne coach Bill Hoopes. "If they're getting off the ball and moving people, our backs have a good chance to get some yards."

Both teams average right around 32 points per game, but Duchesne has a much superior defense, allowing just 15.5 ppg.

The other 1A game this weekend is also a rematch of an earlier meeting. Back on Oct. 15, Altamont capitalized on five Milford turnovers to prevail at home 20-0. This time around, the Longhorns will be on the road for this Saturday's 1 p.m. kickoff.

"I think we can give Altamont everything they want," said Langston, who added that his team can't continue to turn the ball over in crucial situations.

e-mail: jedward@desnews.com