High school football 1A preview: Duchesne vs. Monticello

Duchesne (9-2) vs. Monticello (4-4)

1A state tournament semifinal

Saturday, 10:30 .m. (at Snow College)

Parry's Power Guide: Duchesne by 7

All-time series: Monticello leads 27-10

Coach vs. Coach: Duchesne's Bill Hoops leads Monticello's Jake Downard, 1-0

Last meeting: Oct. 16, 2009 (Week 9) at Duchesne — Duchesne 36, Monticello 6

A little over three weeks ago Monticello made the trek up to Northern Utah and got thumped 38-6 by Duchesne.

"They definitely controlled the line of scrimmage which pretty much controlled the game; we couldn't do anything," said Monticello coach Jake Downard. "In all honesty that was probably the worst game we played all year."

Monticello had the flu bug go through the team that week as well, which further decimated the team.

The Buckaroos get a rematch this Saturday in the 1A semifinals at Snow College, and Downard is confident his team will make a better showing.

"We're confident in our abilities to play with them," said Downard.

Monticello will be well rested following a first-round bye last weekend, whereas Duchesne is coming off an easy 48-12 victory over Monument Valley.

The Eagles appear to be playing their best football and should be favored against the Buckaroos.

"They're fundamentally sound, and defensively they have a great front eight," said Downard. "Their D-line and linebackers do a great job of doing their responsibilities and taking away some of your strengths."

Duchesne only surrenders an average of 15.2 ppg while averaging 33.6 ppg itself. That's not good news for a Monticello team that was sixth in scoring in 1A this year.

To have any hope of a better result than its Oct. 16 loss at Duchesne, Monticello must establish the run with Kendal Maughan and Devin Wright. The two have combined for 1,180 rushing yards this year and 21 touchdowns.

"They're our playmakers that way. We try and give it to them as many times as we can so they can make a play for us," said Downard. "On the same note we've got to be a little bit more balanced and establish our passing game a bit."