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Utah high school football fans, welcome to the first installment of The Salt Lake Tribune’s prep football Top 25. Every week, we will rank the best teams in the state, regardless of classification.
There will be points where we agree and disagree, and that’s OK. Just remember: It’s all meant to have fun and start a conversation about high school football as the season rolls along.
So without further ado, here are our picks for the Top 25 after Week 1.
1. Corner Canyon (1-0)
The Chargers, who have won three straight state titles, continue to be the class of the state. They extended their winning streak to 41 games and put up 72 points to boot. Everyone is chasing them.
2. Lone Peak (1-0)
The Knights won convincingly against a Timpview team that was only 4-4 last year but made it all the way to the 5A championship game. Lone Peak is off to a good start after its own championship game appearance last year in 6A.
3. Orem (1-0)
The defending 5A champs put together a solid performance against a young but talented East team that’s trying to find its place among the best of the classification.
4. Brighton (1-0)
With a Week 1 blowout over the 6A Pleasant Grove, the Bengals and four-star recruit Lander Barton sent a message that they’re ready to follow up on a 10-1 season with another deep playoff run.
5. Beaver (1-0)
Yes, the Beavers are in 2A. But they were undefeated last year and start 2021 undefeated as well. They also continued last season’s trend of blowing their opponents out of the water.
6. Timpview (0-1)
Despite losing their first game of the season, the Thunderbirds, who made the 5A title game in 2020, did so to a high-quality Lone Peak team.
7. Skyridge (1-0)
The Falcons were led to a Week 1 victory by junior quarterback McCae Hillstead, and overcame a slow start. And they beat a Fremont team that was 5-6 last year.
8. American Fork (1-0)
The Cavemen may have put up 60 points, but did so against a Granger team that was at the bottom of 6A last year.
9. Bingham (1-0)
The Miners, sporting a new spread offense, started their season off with a win over the Weber Wildcats, who finished three spots ahead of Bingham in the UHSAA’s RPI rankings last year.
10. Pine View (1-0)
The 4A Panthers came from behind to beat a Salem Hills team that made the 5A semifinals last year. Junior QB Abe Rosenlund carried Pine View with three touchdown passes.
11. Sky View (1-0)
The defending 4A champion ran away with an easy win over Herriman, which didn’t’ score until the second half.
12. Juan Diego (1-0)
The 3A football program John Colosimo built punched above its weight in a big way, beating Skyline by 22 points. Skyline ranked seventh in the 2020 5A RPI.
13. Kearns (1-0)
After not getting a chance to show their stuff in the playoffs last year, the Cougars proved they’re still a force to be reckoned with.
14. Duchesne (1-0)
If the 2A runner-up in 2020 wants another shot at the title, its Week 1 performance was a great start.
15. West (1-0)
A second-half shutout and touchdown passes from two different quarterbacks helped the Panthers hit the ground running after a 2020 that saw them lose in the 6A quarterfinals.
16. Syracuse (1-0)
The Titans eked out a win against the Silverwolves, a team that finished 15th as opposed to Syracuse’s 22 in 2020 in the 6A RPI.
17. Maple Mountain (1-0)
The Golden Eagles followed up a 5A semifinal appearance in 2020 with a season-opening drubbing of Mountain View, which competed in 4A last year.
18. Bonneville (0-1)
The Lakers got off to a tough start after winning a region title last year and having a desire to continue their upward trajectory.
19. Salem Hills (0-1)
A solid team last season, the Skyhawks lost to one of the top teams in its classification and held a two-touchdown lead at one point in that game against Pine View.
20. Roy (1-0)
The Royals, who bowed out in the second round of the 6A playoffs last year, put up a ton of points on a Jordan team that didn’t win a game in 2020.
21. Layton Christian (1-0)
It’s difficult to ignore a team beating its opponent 40-0, even if that opponent was Judge Memorial, which is competing as an independent team. The Eagles have now equaled their win total from all of 2020.
22. Wasatch (1–0)
The 5A Wasps beat a Park City team that recently moved up to 5A and made the 4A quarterfinals in 2020.
23. Mountain Ridge (1-0)
The former 5A Sentinels started life in 6A with a convincing win over Olympus, which was ranked eighth in the 5A RPI a season ago.
24. Hurricane (1-0)
A Tigers team that went just 2-8 last year in 4A pulled an upset of sorts in narrowly beating Richfield, which was 10-2 overall in 2020 and advanced to the 3A quarterfinals.
25. Northridge (1-0)
The Knights didn’t win a game last year in 6A. The move to 5A must’ve done something to them as they obliterated the 6A Taylorsville 64-0.
