ST. GEORGE — Life on the gridiron will only get harder in Week 2.
After all seven Region 9 football teams lost in their first games last week, they will look to get back on the victory path Friday night — but things won’t get any easier.
Defending 4A state champions Crimson Cliffs will open its home season against 6A power Bingham. And across town, Desert Hills will open its home season against 6A juggernaut Lehi.
The rest of the Region 9 schedule on Friday night looks like this:
- Manti at Snow Canyon
- Hurricane at Moapa Valley (Nevada)
- Dixie at Mountain Ridge
- Canyon View at Pine View
- Cedar at Bear River
Follow St. George News Sports and The Fan Sports Network for complete coverage of Region 9 action throughout the season.
Four Region 9 teams are at home in Week 2 while three others are on the road Friday night. Local games will be broadcast and streamed at The Fan Sports Network. All games start at 7 p.m. MDT.
The Fan Sports Network Game of the Week
Compiled by Devin Dixon, The Fan Sports Network
Last week the Thunder took the lead over Faith Lutheran (Nevada) on a Cyrus Polu touchdown with 52 seconds remaining. But the Crusaders kicked a game-winning field goal with one second on the clock and Desert Hills fell 25-23.
But all Coach Taps (Solomona Tapasa) and the Thunder can do is what every Region 9 team is doing: Get in the film room and get back to work. It won’t be easy when the Lehi Pioneers and head Coach Ed Larson come to St. George.
The Thunder will have to handle senior QB Jett Niu, who recently committed to Appalachian State. Niu was 18-for-26 passing, good for 244 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-14 win over Davis in Week 1.
Desert Hills saw running back Tytan Mason rush for 14 carries for 59 yards and two scores, but he didn’t finish the game last week and his availability is questionable this week.
If this one turns into a shootout, Garret Grondel did some nice things last week going 15-for-21 for 184 yards and a TD.
This is the Boulevard Home Game of the Week on the Fan Sports Network. Devin Dixon, Carl Franke and Connor Collins will have the call.
Bingham at Crimson Cliffs
The biggest surprise in Week 1 may have been Crimson’s 41-13 loss at Morgan, but maybe that isn’t so shocking now after the Trojans were picked to win the 3A state title by Maxpreps.
Crimson coach Wayne Alofipo will have to make corrections quickly this week with the Miners coming to town.
Crimson’s three returning starters from last year’s championship team are poised to play well again, but this time the supporting cast of the other 19 new starters will have to make big strides to beat Bingham.
The biggest thing to look for is how much the Crimson O-line and quarterback play can improve. Also Mackay Wright had 14 tackles last week and will have a chance for more this week because Miners running back Isaac Larson is gonna touch the ball a lot.
Manti at Snow Canyon
This matchup looks fun because we get a common opponent between the Warriors and the Pine View Panthers, who lost to the Templars last week. Love the matchup between Snow Canyon’s defense and the Manti offense.
For Snow Canyon, the defense looked like the stronger unit in Week 1 after the Warriors recovered from the loss of senior safety Archie Threlfall to a season-ending injury.
Snow Canyon will have to have a next-man-up mentality because Manti showed off its offensive prowess scoring 58 points last week against Pine View. This one could come down to tempo and who can take away the other team’s strengths.
Canyon View at Pine View
This is a familiar matchup between two former region foes. The Falcons beat Pine View in Cedar City last year.
The Panthers lost 58-42 in week 1 at Manti. There was a lot to be excited about for Pine View offensively. Junior QB Levi Shaw lit up the scoreboard with six passing touchdowns including three to tight end Brock Harris.
This one looks like it could be tight but Shaw has lots of playmakers to get the ball to. Senior Maka Fiefia caught seven passes for 92 yards and a score, and sophomore running back Kyle Richardson had 20 carries and also five receptions against Manti.
Pine View’s defense will have to make a big adjustment as they gave up so many points to the Templars. Carson Curtis lead Pine View in tackles with seven.
The Falcons have a dual-threat quarterback in Deegan Davies, who completed 13 of 21 passes for 135 yards and one touchdown and also ran for 68 yards on 16 carries.
This Game will be streamed on The Fan Sports Network with Paul Ratliff, Kody Wilstead and Kaden Foremaster on the call.
Devin’s Quick Hits
Hurricane at Moapa Valley (Nevada)
It feels different for the Tigers this year even after a 35-20 loss in week 1 to Mountain Crest. New coach Jerry Cowan is bringing energy to this team.
Although the Tigers might be slight underdogs, this one is tight and comes down the wire in the fourth quarter. Dylan Gabriel has improved in the off-season and the junior quarterback looks like a true-dual threat, accounting for one passing and two more rushing touchdowns last week.
Dixie at Mountain Ridge
Dixie has the challenge of going on the road to 6A Mountain Ridge after falling in Week 1 at home 41-13 to 5A Springville. Mountain Ridge beat Fremont 27-14 last week. It will be interesting to see if the Dixie defense can clean up some mistakes and missed tackles and slow down Cameron Beck, the star running back for the Sentinels.
The Flyers need more weapons to emerge other than Tano Anzelone and Ran Sawyer. Dante Ochoa caught a TD last week and maybe he can help consistently.
Cedar at Bear River
First-year Cedar coach Tye Hiatt has to like the effort he saw in Week 1 against Richfield, the defending 3A state champs. This week Cedar is back on the road and the Reds need to clean some things up on both sides of the ball in a very winnable game against the Bears.
Quarterback Everett Kelling and Crew Giles look like a dynamic duo on offense but the defense needs to contain the Bears if they want a great shot for the win.
Our teams cover your teams
From preps to pros, the Canyon Media sports team has you covered.
The Fan Sports Network will have multiple teams out broadcasting and streaming the games this year. Devin Dixon and Conner Collins, Kaden Foremaster and Keith Curtis, and Paul Ratliff and Cody Wilstead will provide live coverage from local fields around Region 9.
Once the games are in the books, be sure to visit the St. George News website for full coverage of Southern Utah teams. Sports writers Eric Goold and Jeff Richards, along with videographer Aaron Crane, combine to bring you the most complete reports in the region. Crane’s Region 9 recap video will keep you fully informed on who won, who lost and who shined under the lights.
And if you’re looking for more than football, see the related stories links below.
See more on Dixon’s X feed (formerly known as Twitter) and on Facebook at The Devin Dixon Show as well as the From the Bleachers podcast.
For the latest on all things Region 9 and beyond, stay connected to Southern Utah sports at the following links:
- The Fan Sports Network homepage
- The Fan Sports Network on the X platform
- Utah high school football schedule, all classes
- St. George News Sports on Facebook
- St. George News Sports on X platform
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