High school football 1A preview: Altamont vs. Rich

Altamont (6-4) vs. Rich (9-0)

1A state tournament semifinal

Saturday, 1 p.m. (at Snow College)

Parry's Power Guide: Rich by 23

All-time series: Rich leads 23-8

Coach vs. Coach: Rich's Ashley Brown leads Altamont's Mick Fieldsted, 1-0

Last meeting: Sept. 25, 2009 (Week 6) at Rich — Rich 52, Altamont 14

Altamont coach Mick Fieldsted doesn't believe it will take a perfect game to beat No. 1 Rich in the 1A semifinals this Saturday, but it needs to be pretty darn close.

The Longhorns need to play mistake free football and minimize their penalties to have any hope in a rematch with the heavily-favored Rebels at 1 p.m. at Snow College.

When these teams met back on Sept. 25 in Randolph, Altamont did absolutely nothing right in a 52-14 loss.

"We turned the ball over four times in the first half. We threw three interceptions and fumbled once, and had two 10-yard punts," said Fieldsted.

Rich capitalized on Altamont's many blunders in racing to a 46-0 halftime lead with Caden Andersen scoring four first half touchdowns.

With the odds so stacked against them in the rematch, the Longhorns are approaching the game like they have nothing to lose. Like before, they can't afford to fall behind early and be forced to abandon the fun.

"They scored early on us and got us in a hole and then we had to pass, which isn't our game," said Fieldsted. "We've got to stay with them right from the beginning."

As for Rich, the players are itching to get back on the field after last weekend's bye in the opening round of the playoffs. The Rebels are an impressive 9-0 this season with an average margin of victory of 33.9 points.

Knowing his team is a huge favorite in the semifinals and will be again regardless who it plays in the championship, Rich coach Ashley Brown is trying to keep his team focused.

"You just hope they don't overlook somebody and you play it one game at a time," he said. "You just convince them that they need to continually work hard at the end of the season."

As a result, expect Rich to come out and put a lot of pressure on Altamont's offense in hopes forcing a bunch of turnovers again. If that happens, Rich should be able to use its balanced offensive attack to open things up and pull away again for the victory.

The winner advances to the 1A championship game on Saturday, Nov. 14 at Alta High School at 2 p.m.