Power at the Top

"Parity" in prep football seems to be a buzzword these days, but more and more, the teams – region champions and top seeds – that are supposed to make the semifinals are doing just that.

Before last season, four number-one seeds had advanced to the semifinals in any classification just twice in the previous ten years. With the exception of 2002 when nine of 11 region champions made the semifinals in the three largest classifications, less than two-thirds of the #1 seeds made it to the semis from 2001-2006.

However, in 2007, nine of 12 advanced and last year, 10 of the 12 league titlists went to the semifinals. This season, 11 first-place seeds appear in the semifinal round. Only Manti, the top seed from Region 12, and Highland, Region 6's top team, didn't make the semis. But Class 4A had five #1 seeds and since two region champs – Highland and Mountain Crest – met in the quarterfinals, it was impossible to get every top seed to the semifinals. There was only room for 12 #1 seeds, and 11 made it.

Hopefully, the matchups between region champions will produce competitive semifinals.

Of the 16 semifinalists, only Hurricane, Park City and Wasatch, all in 3A, have yet to win a state crown. They face an uphill battle against powerhouse Juan Diego.

(Much of Felt's Facts game information appears in Deseret News previews, both in print and on-line, so look there for more. For convenience, most of the highlights and some extra points are included here.)

Class 5A Semifinals – Friday (Alta and Bingham repeat from last year)

Alta (10-2) vs. Bingham (11-1), 2:30 p.m.

All-time series: Alta leads 14-9. This is the fourth consecutive season they've met in both the regular season and playoffs. In postseason, Bingham captured the '06 title, 21-19; Alta took the '07 semis and '08 championship tilt by identical 21-17 scores.

Last meeting: Aug. 28, 2009 (Week 2) at Bingham – Bingham 38, Alta 54

Coach vs. Coach: Bingham's Dave Peck leads Alta's Les Hamilton, 5-3

Current winning streaks: Bingham 9, Alta 7

Alta's last semifinal: 2008, eliminated Syracuse 42-14. The two-time defending 5A champion Hawks are in the semifinals for the fifth straight time, a feat they also achieved from 1981-85, and their sixth in seven years. Alta is trying for its fourth championship game in a row, a school record.