High school football: 5 games to keep an eye on during Week 9

With just three weeks left in the regular season, every game has major RPI seeding implications. Here’s a look at five intriguing games on tap this week that will go a long way toward shaping region races.
Two of the best teams in 5A meet in this Thursday game that basically will determine the Region 5 title and the No. 1 seed in the 5A playoffs.
Roy rolls into the game with a perfect 8-0 record, winning every game by double-digits. Last week it outscored Viewmont 28-14 to move within two wins of a perfect regular season.
Viewmont is 7-1, and has regrouped nicely with four straight region wins since a Week 4 overtime loss to rival Viewmont.
Last week, Bountiful dominated Box Elder in the 50-21 victory.
Roy prevailed in last week’s region matchup, which clinched the Royals the Region 5 title. It was Bountiful, however, that looked like the sharper team as it reached the 5A championship game. Roy was upset by Alta in the quarterfinals.
Thanks to Skyridge, this showdown has become a battle for second place in Region 3. Regardless, it’s still a huge game for both teams, which includes the likelihood of a top four RPI seed for the winner. The loser will likely fall out of the top four.
Both teams narrowly lost to Skyridge in recent weeks. Lehi lost 20-16 in Week 7 and then Lone Peak lost 21-16 last week.
Skyridge made the key plays to ensure wins in those two games, and Lehi and Lone Peak didn’t. Thursday’s game figures to be just as tight, with execution of extreme importance.
Lehi won last year’s game 34-24 on a night when quarterback Jett Niu passed for two scores.
He will need to be even better in this year’s game as Lone Peak’s defense is loaded with ball hawks with 19 interceptions this season.
Lehi’s defense is elite too as it’s allowing a 6A-best 11.6 ppg.
It’s unusual for a top-ranked team to fly under the radar, but that’s happened a bit with 5A No. 1 Timpview this season since a season-opening statement win over Skyridge. A couple of byes have contributed to that, as have losses to Lone Peak and Centennial, Calif.
The defending 5A champs have generated some buzz with back-to-back blowout wins over Cedar Valley and Wasatch in recent weeks, and it has an opportunity over the final two weeks of the regular season to remind the rest of 5A who the front-runner is.
The T-Birds finish the season against Maple Mountain this Thursday and Orem next Wednesday. Both teams are 7-1.
In its three region wins, Timpview has won by an average of five touchdowns.
Maple Mountain will try and change that narrative in its regular-season finale on Thursday. It has been one of the surprise teams in 5A this season, and if it can minimize turnovers get off the field consistently on defense, it has a shot at pulling off the Region 7 upset.
Timpview won last year’s game 42-20.
A little bit of this game’s luster was lost when Weber lost to Fremont last week, but not much. When both of these teams are good, the intensity and passion of this rivalry is as good as any other in the state, and that will certainly be the case on Thursday night.
The implications for Fremont are massive.
The fact that Fremont is two wins away from an outright Region 1 championship a year after posting a 2-9 record is a phenomenal accomplishment.
The Silverwolves started slow with losses to Mountain Ridge and Roy under first-year coach Nate Tuatagaloa, but have since ripped off six straight wins, including back-to-back wins over Davis and Syracuse. Fremont’s defense is only allowing 11.6 ppg in its three region wins.
Weber tends to get involved in higher-scoring games, which included a 41-28 loss to Farmington last week — a loss that spoiled Weber’s region title aspirations. With a strong finish, it can still end the season with a top eight RPI ranking, which guarantees a home playoff game.
Weber won last year’s game 52-7.
The 1A South region title will be decided this Friday in this exciting clash of 7-1 teams.
Milford has been elite defensively throughout the season, with its lone loss coming to North Summit 18-12 in Week 5.
Beaver is 7-1 as well, with its lone loss also coming at the hands of North Summit 16-14 in a game that went five overtimes.
The teams are statistically almost identical. Beaver is averaging 33.0 ppg while allowing 7.1 ppg. Milford, meanwhile, is averaging 32.5 ppg while conceding 7.0 ppg.
Beaver dominated last year’s meeting 46-7, and has won nine straight games against Milford dating back to 1999.