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Show Four local prep teams enter grid playoffs today By GARY R. BLODGETT Sports Editor For the past five games, Davis County high school football teams have been playing for a chance to compete in the Utah State 4-A championships. This week, four of those schools will have that chance. This is the week of the prep "playoffs." Of the four local teams to qualify for a playoff berth, at least one will be eliminated this Friday. Three other teams will be playing "outside" teams and all could qualify for the quarterfinal round of the State 4-A championships. Bountiful will play at Clearfield Friday at 3 p.m. with the Braves representing Region Four and the Falcons hosting the game as a representative of Region One. Box Elder Bees of Region One will test the Davis Darts of Region Four in a playoff encounter Friday at 5:30 p.m. in Kaysville; and Layton, Region One champion, will host West Jordan, representing Region Two at 4 p.m. Of the 16 teams in the playoffs, eight will be eliminated in Friday's games and the other eight will advance to the State Quarterfinals which will be held Thursday, Nov. 5, and Friday, Nov. 6, at Rice Stadium at the University of Utah. In other Class 4-A playoff games Friday, Brighton will play at Skyline at 2:30 p.m.; defending state champion Highland will play top-ranked Bonneville at Highland at 2 p.m.; American Fork will host Cottonwood at 2 p.m.; Taylorsville will play at Orem at 1 p.m.; and the winner of Alta and Mountain View will play at Granger (time to be determined). Friday's playoff game between Highland and Bonneville will be a repeat of the State Class 4-A championship game a year ago in which the Rams emerged the victors. Highland, if it .defeats Bonneville in the playoff game, should be a heavy favorite to win it art again. A Bonneville win could very likely turn the tables and place the Lakers as the No. 1 choice. But this doesn't make either team a sure winner. What about the Orem Golden Tigers? Or Layton? Or Skyline? To begin with, Highland lost its first two games, close encounters en-counters to Layton and Skyline, but has come on strong the remainder of the season including a convincing win over Davis to win the Region Four championship. The Rams are impressive. But so are the Layton Lancers. Layton defeated Highland early and was on its way to an undefeated season when the Lancers let Roy which hadn't won a Region One game all season upset them in the final game of the regular season. Orem has dominated everything south of Salt Lake County and is 8-1 for the season. But the question remains: Are Utah County teams of the same caliber as those teams north of the Utah State Prison? Skyline is always a threat and this year enters the playoffs with an 8-1 season mark. Skyline is one of the two teams to beat the defending champion and will have an eye on the state title. But first, all teams must get past the playoff games Friday. And that won't be easy for any team. i |