4A high school football preview: Mountain Crest at Highland

Mountain Crest (9-1) vs. Highland (8-3)

4A state tournament quarterfinal

Friday, 3:30 p.m.

Parry's Power Guide: Mountain Crest by 9

All-time series: Tied at 4-4

Coach vs. Coach: Highland's Brody Benson and Mountain Crest's Mark Wootton tied 2-2

Last meeting: Aug. 21, 2006 (Week 1) at Highland – Mountain Crest 48, Highland 27

It wasn't really even that close the first time Mountain Crest visited Highland. Two late scores by the Rams made it 48-27 and the score look more respectable than it really was. So what is going to be different when the Mustangs pay a visit in Friday's 4A quarterfinal playoff game?

"Most of all it is our experience," said Rams coach Brody Benson. "We had a lot of kids starting their first varsity games. We had some kids starting in positions they probably weren't ready for, but now, we have a whole season under our belts. We have really changed our attitude. Our whole team is different. We have turned into the tough, hard-nosed football team you expect out of a Highland team."

Highland dropped three of its first four games, including a loss to Highland, Idaho in Pocatello where the Rams from Idaho kicked a field goal with four seconds remaining for a 19-17 win. But it was during that game that Benson credits his team's turnaround on the season, and it has ripped off seven consecutive wins with its 34-0 win over Orem last week in the opening round of the playoffs.

"At halftime of that game against Highland, Idaho our guys really had a change that you could just see," said Benson. "We had four turnovers in the first half and got ourselves down. They came out in the second half and just flew to the football and made big hits. Mason (Keller, Highland's quarterback) really settled down and started to lead the offense the way we wanted. I think from that point on we have played the way we expected from the beginning of the season."

Since that trip to Idaho, Keller's ability to run the offense has been clearly evident. In six of the seven games, the team has scored at least four touchdowns with the only game in which it didn't being a road win against Bountiful 9-7, which turned out to be the Region 6-clinching victory. The signal caller has thrown for nearly 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for over 800 yards and seven scores.