3A high school football previews: Pine View at Spanish Fork

Pine View (7-3) at Spanish Fork (9-1)

3A state tournament first round

Friday, 5 p.m.

Parry’s Power Guide: Spanish Fork by 1

All-time series: Spanish Fork leads 4-1

Coach vs. coach: First meeting between Pine View’s Ray Hosner and Spanish Fork’s Kirk Chambers

Last meeting: Oct. 30, 2009 (4A first round) — Spanish Fork 33, Pine View 25

Pine View certainly has its work cut out going against Spanish Fork in the first round of the 3A. After finishing a disappointing fourth in Region 9, the Panthers will take on a team that romped its way to a Region 12 title, beating region opponents by an average of 36 points.

"They're 9-1 and that tells you what you need to know about how good Spanish Fork is," assessed Pine View coach Ray Hosner. "They have some of the best play-makers in the state, and they simply win their football games. It's going to be a tough test for us, but it's what you deserve when you finish fourth in your region — you get matched up with a one-seed, and Spanish Fork is certainly as good as it gets as far as one-seeds go."

The Dons are led on offense by the Money brothers — Jason and Cameron. Jason threw for 1,757 yards and 19 touchdown passes in the regular season with Cameron hauling in 711 of those yards and nine of those touchdowns.

Cameron shares primary receiver duties with Colton Olson, who has 752 yards and five receiving touchdowns this season. Spanish Fork also features a 1,000-yard rusher in Braxton Argyle who has rushed for 1,052 yards and 13 touchdowns so far this season.

"The Money brothers are great, but they have weapons everywhere," said Hosner. "It's an offense that is very productive, and they'll be as tough of a challenge as we've faced all year."

Pine View presents no picnic for Spanish Fork either. It's a team that fought hard in a very competitive region 9, but came up just short against powerhouses such as Dixie, Hurricane and Desert Hills.

"We're happy and all in securing a No. 1 seed, but then we look at our first opponent and it happens to be Pine View," said Spanish Fork Kirk Chambers. "That's as tough as a four-seed that you're likely to see."

Pine View has size up front and one of the most prolific running backs in the state in Prentiss Miller, who has 1,972 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns on the year. Its offense has been buoyed by the return of quarterback Kody Wilstead, who was feared lost for the season after suffering an injury during week one.

"They have some very good size on the line, and their running game is going to be a big challenge for us to defend," said Chambers. "They also can throw the football well, and we'll have to defend all areas of their offense if we hope to win this one."

Spanish Fork is a team that came just short of securing a state finals bid a season ago — losing to eventual state champion Hurricane 38-35. It's a game that isn't easy to forget.

"We have a bunch of seniors who returned from last season, so yeah, they all remember that game and they're determined not to come up just short again," said Chambers. "It's good that we have so much experience because we're going to need all of it against Pine View. This team should know that they can't overlook anyone, and we're all aware of just how good Pine View and the region it plays in is."

Pine View statistical breakdown

Scoring offense: 29.8 ppg

Scoring defense: 21.0 ppg

Passing leader: Kody Wilstead (60-119, 50.4%, 928 yards, 12 TDs, 10 INTs)