The Utah high school football state championship games will kickoff this Friday. Perennial state power Corner Canyon will play Skyridge at 11 a.m in the the 6A state championship. Then, Lehi will play Timpview at 2:30 p.m. in the 5A division.
Here are 10 players to watch at Rice-Eccles Stadium this week.
Isaac Wilson, QB, Corner Canyon
Perhaps the most well-known high school player in the state, Wilson is going through his first playoff campaign as a starter at Corner Canyon. The four-star junior — with offers from BYU, Utah, Oklahoma State and Georgia (among others) — is a dual-threat quarterback who plays the game with a similar flare to his older brother, Zach Wilson.
Many believe the young Wilson will be the next great quarterback to come out of Corner Canyon — the Draper school that has produced the likes of Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, Ohio State’s Devin Brown and the aforementioned Jets quarterback.
This season, Isaac Wilson racked up 3,588 passing yards and 38 touchdowns. The one thing to watch this week will be his turnovers. He threw four interceptions in Corner Canyon’s semifinal game, and tallied 16 total this year. He is young, and still learning the ropes of being a starter. But against a loaded Skyridge team, he will have to grow up fast in taking care of the ball if the Chargers are going to win the title.
Smith Snowden, CB, Skyridge
One of the main reasons why Wilson will have to take care of the ball is Smith Snowden. The ball-hawking cornerback with a bevy of college offers has six interceptions this year. That doesn’t account for the two defensive touchdowns he has mustered and two returns for a touchdown.
Snowden has offers from local schools like BYU and Utah. He also has Northwestern, Stanford and Colorado in the mix. He is the seventh-best player in the state of Utah in the 2023 class, according to 247Sports.
(Smith Snowden)
Tausili Akana, edge rusher, Skyridge
Speaking of the top players in Utah, Tausili Akana is No. 1 on the list of top 2023 recruits, per 247Sports. At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, he is the prototypical edge rusher at the Power Five level. Accordingly, he has offers from Oklahoma, LSU, Texas and Texas A&M.
As you might imagine, Akana is a force in the high school ranks. In his career, he’s made 123 tackles. In 2022, he has recorded 13.5 sacks and headlined a deep edge rushing class in Utah.
Akana’s ability to get to the quarterback and stop the run makes him a dynamic player to account for on Friday.
Owen Borg, LB, Corner Canyon
Borg made one of the biggest plays of the semifinal game for Corner Canyon. He blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown. That says a lot about who he is — a productive, play-making linebacker.
He has 79 tackles this year and five interceptions. In his career, he’s logged 212 tackles, 3.5 sacks and eight interceptions. Since his first varsity snap, he’s averaged 5.2 tackles per game.
Borg decided to stay local for college, committing to BYU. He also held offers from Colorado, Air Force, Nevada and Columbia.
McCae Hillstead, QB, Skyridge
At 5-foot-11, Hillstead is an undersized quarterback. But the Utah State commit has put up big numbers in his career to the tune of 72 touchdowns and over 6,700 yards.
Hillstead had an ankle injury that kept him out from early September to Nov. 4. But since his return, he has thrown for six touchdowns and over 400 yards. The senior had offers from FIU and Washington State, but decided to stay home. Maybe he isn’t as well known as Isaac Wilson, but he is older and has plenty of experience to win a championship.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Zach Hale (2) of Corner Canyon tries to take down Skyridge quarterback McCae Hillstead (7) in prep football action between the Corner Canyon Chargers and the Skyridge Falcons, on Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in Draper.
Spencer Fano, OT, Timpview
Transitioning to the 5A game, Spencer Fano will be the man to watch in the trenches.
A four-star offensive tackle, Fano will have his choice between Oregon, Clemson, Utah and Michigan. BYU also offered Fano, but the Cougars caught flack for not recruiting him heavily enough. Notably, Fano is the younger brother of current BYU defensive lineman Logan Fano (a freshman who tore his ACL in spring camp).
Siale Esera, edge rusher, Timpview
There will be plenty of edge-rushing talent on display on Friday. Siale Esera is another example of that for Timpview. The BYU commit has 72 tackles this season to go along with six sacks and an interception.
But it could be argued he has competition for the title of best edge rusher in this game. Lehi has an equally forceful edge on its sideline. Isaac Terrell is a three-star recruit heading to Washington State. Although he has just 48 tackles this year, Terrell carries eight sacks to his name. On his career, he has 221 tackles.
Jackson Brousseau, QB, Lehi
The senior quarterback led his team to a state championship last year, and is on the brink of doing so in 2022. The thing that stands out about the Colorado State commit is the consistency from his junior to senior year.
He had 33 touchdowns a year ago, and put up the same tally this year. Overall, he has thrown for 6,441 yards and 68 touchdowns as a two-year starter.
The recruiting process has been relatively light for Brousseau, the 6-foot-5 signal caller who has committed to the first school to offer him.
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Lehi's quarterback Jackson Brousseau fires off a pass as Lehi High School plays Springville High School for the 5A State Fooball Championship title, Nov. 19, 2021 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Tei Nacua, WR, Timpview
Nacua is the younger brother of BYU receivers Puka and Samson Nacua. It is part of a lineage of Nacua players to don the Cougar uniform.
Unsurprisingly, Tei Nacua already holds an offer from BYU and Utah. Hawaii is also in the mix. At 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds, the junior will grow into his body. Puka Nacua is 6-2, 205 and Samson is 6-4, 190.
This year, the youngest Nacua recorded 33 catches for 516 yards and four touchdowns. As a sophomore, he finished with 310 yards and five scores.
Jensen Somerville, OT, Lehi
Maybe the 5A state championship’s best players are on the offensive line.
Jensen Sommerville is a towering prospect at 6-foot-7, 280 pounds. As a junior, he has an offer from Arizona State. BYU, Utah and and Utah State have also shown interest. It should be an intriguing battle for Somerville to go head-to-head with the top edge rushing talent in the state, like Esera.
