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

The high school football regular season hits the midway point this week, and there are numerous important games on tap with half the state now diving into region play. Here’s a look at five intriguing games on tap this week in the last round of games before the UHSAA releases its first RPI rankings on Monday.

Northridge at Viewmont

There are 17 undefeated teams remaining after four weeks, and two of the most surprising are Northridge and Viewmont.

Both teams finished with 4-7 records last season, and neither were picked to finish in the top three teams in Region 5. Viewmont and Northridge finished 21st and 20th defensively in 5A a year ago.

Yet after a month, both are still undefeated, and one is guaranteed to be 5-0 after this Friday’s showdown.

Viewmont hasn’t been 5-0 since 2006, and Northridge hasn’t been 5-0 since 2012. Northridge won last year’s game 44-35, and leads the all-time series 18-8.

Northridge opened Region 5 play last week with an impressive 35-7 win over Box Elder. Tre Nye passed for three touchdowns in the win last week, giving him 11 on the season to go along with his 991 passing yards.

Viewmont is coming off a thrilling 33-27 double-overtime win over Bountiful last week with Blake Moore scoring the winning touchdown in overtime.

Corner Canyon at Skyridge

Since Eric Kjar took over as head coach at Corner Canyon in 2017, this has arguably been the most intense rivalry in the state.

Even though Corner Canyon has the edge during that stretch 6-2, Skyridge is 2-1 in the playoffs against the Chargers, including winning the 6A state championship in 2022.

Corner Canyon returned the favor last year with a 41-27 win in the title game.

This Friday’s game against fierce rivals has all the makings of another epic showdown despite a 3-1 record for both teams.

Corner Canyon has a marquee win under its belt after beating IMG Academy, Florida, in Week 2, while Skyridge beat Cherry Creek, Colorado, 24-14 in Week 3.

Corner Canyon is banged up offensively at its skill positions, but it showed last week in a blowout win against Farmington that it has the depth to overcome those absences.

Ridgeline at Green Canyon

Cache Valley bragging rights are on the line on Friday night in this Week 5 showdown between No. 1 Ridgeline and No. 3 Green Canyon, both of which are 4-0 through the first month of the season.

Ridgeline leads the series 5-2, including the past four meetings.

Ridgeline won last year’s game 31-21, but with as well as these teams have played defensively this season this game could easily be in the teens.

Green Canyon has shut out three of four opponents (Hunter, Stansbury and West Field), whereas Ridgeline is only allowing 12.0 ppg.

Even though Ridgeline has owned the rivalry in recent years, Green Canyon may have the upper hand heading into Friday’s Region 11 opener. Both teams played Stansbury in the preseason, with Green Canyon winning 24-0 and Ridgeline having a bit more difficult time as it prevailed 28-20.

If Green Canyon’s defense is as stingy on Friday as it’s been the first four weeks, Ridgeline’s potent offense will need to be patient and avoid the costly mistakes that the Wolves love to exploit.

Crimson Cliffs at Desert Hills

Each of these teams played an extremely difficult preseason schedule, and despite their pair of losses they’re both still the cream of the crop in Region 9 as league play gets underway.

Desert Hills opened Region 9 play last week with a 35-14 victory over Pine View, while Crimson Cliffs beat Cedar City 36-14.

Crimson Cliffs was projected first in Region 9 in the preseason coaches rankings, while Desert Hills was projected second.

In the brief five-year history of the rivalry since Crimson Cliffs opened, Desert Hills leads the series 4-3 which includes a pair of playoff games.

Desert Hills beat Crimson Cliffs 30-14 in the 4A championship in 2022, while the Mustangs returned the favor a year ago in the 4A quarterfinals with a 34-16 victory.

After falling to Faith Lutheran, Nevada, and Lehi the first two weeks, Desert Hills’ offense has come alive the past two weeks led by senior running back Tytan Mason.

Crimson Cliffs’ offense has also enjoyed a major uptick the past two weeks after losing to Morgan and Bingham the first two weeks.

Spanish Fork at Mountain View

A month into the season, this Region 10 game is much, much more intriguing now than it appeared before the season began

Both teams opened region play last week with wins to improve to 3-1 on the season, and both have displayed explosive offenses through the first four weeks that add even more intrigue to the matchup.

Spanish Fork is averaging 38.5 points, including throttling Uintah last week 56-26. Mountain View, meanwhile, is averaging 33.5 points and trounced Payson last week 41-19.

History is not on Mountain View’s side when it hosts Spanish Fork.

The Dons have won the past 12 meetings, including a 35-7 win last season. Mountain View’s last win in the series came back in 2022, as it eked out a 21-20 win.

Spanish Fork is the favorite on Friday, as it has faced the much tougher schedule this preseason, but Mountain View has played much better since its 21-3 season-opening loss to Canyon View and is hoping to shake up the Region 8 race with another win.