5A high school football preview: Pleasant Grove at Davis

Pleasant Grove (8-2) at Davis (8-2)

5A state tournament quarterfinal

Friday, 3:30 p.m.

Parry's Power Guide: Pleasant Grove by 6

All-time series: Davis leads 3-0

Coach vs. Coach: Davis' Ryan Bishop leads Pleasant Grove's Dale Sampson, 1-0

Last meeting: 5A first round, Oct. 26, 2007 – Davis 38, Pleasant Grove 13

Pleasant Grove ended its two-game losing streak by defeating Riverton in the first round of the 5A playoffs last week.

But the Vikings' overall performance in their 36-21 win over the Silverwolves had them feeling less than satisfied. Pleasant Grove will have to be at its best to defeat Region 1 champion Davis in the 5A quarterfinals.

"We're trying to get back on track," Pleasant Grove coach Dale Sampson said. "We got to put together four quarters. We got to eliminate mistakes and put together a full game."

It would help if the Vikings were fully healthy, but that still isn't the case. Quarterback Dallas Lloyd, who missed the team's regular season finale against Alta with a shoulder injury, hurt his ankle against Riverton. His status for Friday's game is yet to be determined.

"Have I said this before — I think it'll be a game-time decision," Sampson said.

The Vikings may have to rely on junior quarterback Donny Lewis, who threw a touchdown pass to D.J. Doman against Riverton last week. Or they could keep feeding the ball to running back Jeff Harris, who rushed for 211 yards against the Silverwolves. Of course, Pleasant Grove will bring its suffocating defense that forced two turnovers in the first half and blanked Riverton in the second half to Kaysville.

"I have a lot of respect for them," said Davis coach Ryan Bishop. "Coach Sampson does a great job and that's evident because a lot of college coaches have taken notice with their program with how they play and what they have going on. They look like they're a really well coached, disciplined team. They got very good players and they back that up with real solid play."

While Pleasant Grove is coming into the game losers of two of its last three, the Darts seem to be peaking at the right time. Davis has won three straight games since being upset by Viewmont. The team's running game continues to roll, as Tanner Hinds gashed West for 187 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries in the first round last week.