Game Preview Capsule: Snow Canyon at Pine View

GAME PREVIEW CAPSULE
Snow Canyon (6-3, 3-2) at Pine View (5-4, 2-3), tonight, 7 p.m.
Previous Meeting – Pine View 28, Snow Canyon 22 (Oct. 21, 2011)

WARRIORS
Classification: 3A, Region 9
Coach: Jay Graft (eighth year, 38-39 overall)
Offense: I-back, pro-set
Last week: Beat Dixie 28-21
Players to watch: RB Mitch Phillips and the Snow Canyon offensive line really stepped up last week as the Warriors surprised Dixie. Phillips had a career game with 336 rushing yards and three TDs. Dixie just couldn’t stop him. He needs just 20 yards to top 1,000 for the season. TE Kallan Webster accounted for 80 percent of the team’s passing yardage last week in one spectacular 41-yard play. QB Mason Smith is slipperier than an ice rink.
PPG: 27.0
PAPG: 21.1
Team stats: http://www.stgeorgeutah.com/high-school-sports/mens-football/snow-canyon-stats
Trend: Explain this: Horrible loss to DH, which lost to Dixie, followed by a rousing win against Dixie. It makes little sense, but it is reality. What a week of practice the Warriors must have had. Well, if they can do it again, SC is playoff bound. The win at Cedar and that Dixie win have put SC in a position to get the third seed.

PANTHERS
Classification: 3A, Region 9
Coach: Ray Hosner (12th year, 99-37 overall)
Offense: I-back and spread
Last week: Beat Bear River 38-21
Players to watch: RB Prentiss Miller needs just 116 yards to top 2,000 for the season. By the way, the state record for rushing yards in a season is 2,561 by Beaver’s Kelly Smith. If Miller averaged 230 a game and PV went to two playoff games, he would break that record. He is currently averaging 209 yards a game. QB Kody Wilstead have averaged more than 200 passing yards a game since his return from a broken ankle.
PPG: 29.8
PAPG: 21.1
Team stats: http://www.stgeorgeutah.com/high-school-sports/mens-football/pine-view-stats

Trend: Pine View almost waited too long to get rolling this season. A month ago, the Panthers were 0-2 in region and 2-3 overall. Since then, PV is 3-1 and the only loss was an OT thriller against Hurricane. If the Panthers win this week, they would travel to Spanish Fork next week.

GAME OUTLOOK
The winner of this game grabs the last playoff spot in Region 9. Pine View seems to have solved its early-season issues, many brought on because of the injury to Wilstead. Meanwhile, Snow Canyon is the biggest question mark in the region. Which Warriors team shows up – the one that beat Dixie or the one that was a no-show against Desert Hills? The battle of the running backs may be the key. PV’s Miller has averaged 7.4 yards per carry. SC’s Phillips is averaging 7.1 yards per rush. Who will have the biggest impact? We think Miller will.

STGnews PREDICTION
Andy Griffin (34-7) — Pine View
J.A./Keric Seegmiller (34-7) — Pine View

Region 9 standings: http://www.stgeorgeutah.com/high-school-sports/mens-football-standings
Region 9 leaders: http://www.stgeorgeutah.com/high-school-sports/mens-football-leaders

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