High school football: 5 notable games worth watching in Week 4

Heading into Week 4 of the high school football season, there are no shortage of storylines as surprising contenders have emerged through the state, while other programs haven’t quite lived up to their expectations.

About a third of the state’s teams kick off region play this week, and here’s a look at five intriguing games on tap this week.

Bountiful at Viewmont

Any time Bountiful and Viewmont are undefeated heading into a Friday night showdown, whether it’s Week 3 or Week 10, it’s a special occasion.

That is certainly the case this Friday as both teams march into their Week 4 showdown with impressive 3-0 records. Bountiful has done so with impressive wins over Herriman, Farmington and Olympus, while Viewmont has rolled to easy wins over Skyline, Granger and Taylorsville.

Expectations are pretty low for each of Viewmont’s opponents, but the Vikings have won convincingly and should have full confidence they can snap Bountiful’s five-game winning streak in the series.

Bountiful owns a 36-23 advantage in the series that features the closest proximity between two public high schools in the entire state.

A year ago, Bountiful advanced to the 5A state championship, while Viewmont struggled to a 4-7 record. When they met in Week 4, though, you could’ve never guessed they were on different season trajectories.

In a game featuring six lead changes, Bountiful eked out the 28-27 win on an Emerson Geilman TD pass with 4:06 remaining in the game. The senior QB is back this season as his leadership is one of the reasons Bountiful is regarded as one of the top teams in 5A.

Olympus at West

There’s no such thing as a must-win game in Week 4, especially when almost every 5A team makes the playoffs.

With that said, West and Olympus are both pretty desperate for a win this Friday as they look to get their seasons back on track after much hype in the preseason. It makes for a very interesting Region 6 opener.

West has played a brutal schedule losing to Colquitt County, Georgia, Clovis East, California, and American Fork. The coaching staff always knew it would be a tough stretch to start the season, but nobody wants to be 0-3, no matter if they were quality losses.

Olympus is 1-2 this preseason, with a blowout win over Provo and then last-minute losses to both Spanish Fork and Bountiful.

After this Week, Olympus faces Brighton and East. If it doesn’t right the ship soon, it’s staring at the possibility of a 1-5 start to the season before the region slate lightens up the final few weeks of the season.

Cedar at Crimson Cliffs

Region 9 play gets underway this week, and there’s no more interesting game on the slate than Cedar at Crimson Cliffs.

It has everything to do with the uncertainty of both programs through three weeks.

Cedar sits at 2-1 while defending 4A champ Crimson Cliffs is 1-2.

Crimson Cliffs was humbled in its opener in a 41-13 thrashing at Morgan, bounced back with a respectable showing in a Week 2 loss to 6A’s Bingham and then beat a really good 5A Springville team in Week 34-27.

Coaches always say they want their team to get better each week, but an inexperienced Crimson Cliffs team has followed that script perfectly.

Cedar’s script under first-year coach Tye Hiatt has unfolded similarly despite less fanfare. After coming out on the short end of a 42-25 loss in Week 1 at Richfield, the Reds responded with a narrow win over Bear River in Week 2 and then a convincing 33-7 win vs. Canyon View in Week 3.

Parry’s Power Guide has Crimson Cliffs as a big favorite in the Week 4 region opener, but Cedar has a great opportunity to prove that 2024 will be different as it looks to snap three straight losing seasons.

Lone Peak at Mountain Ridge

After what transpired in Week 3, Lone Peak could win this Week 4 game in a blowout. But because of what transpired in Week 3, don’t assume anything.

In Week 3, Corner Canyon was coming off a massive win over nationally-ranked IMG Academy, Florida, and seemed like a lock to beat Lone Peak. Instead, the Knights played a masterful defensive game and prevailed 28-21.

Mountain Ridge also was feeling great about itself after easy wins over Fremont and Dixie the first two weeks, but it got a massive dose of reality in Week 3, falling behind 30-0 at halftime in a 40-14 loss.

Had this game been in Week 3, all signs would’ve suggested a close game in a follow-up to a pair of tight games they played in 2023. Mountain Ridge won the preseason game 31-17, with Lone Peak returning the favor in the 6A second round 14-3.

But after what transpired last week, this game seems like a shoo-in for Lone Peak. It will need to guard against a letdown to ensure it improves to 4-0.

Juab at Grantsville

The 2023 season was equally disappointing for both Juab and Grantsville, as the recent 3A contenders each finished a disappointing 6-6.

Their Week 4 nonregion class is a chance for each team to build their resume and and show the rest of 3A that they’re a contender again.

Both teams are heading into this Friday’s game with a 2-1 record. Grantsville’s had the more impressive start to the season with a 36-30 win over San Juan in Week 1, and then after falling to Beaver in Week 2, it earned one of the most impressive wins in Week 3 in beating Manti 28-20.

Juab, meanwhile, has wins over Millard and South Summit sandwiched around a loss to Layton Christian in Week 2.

These teams met in the same Week 4 spot a year ago, with Grantsville prevailing 10-7 in a sluggish defensive game. Prior to that, they last met in the 2019 semifinals won by Juab 22-20.