Utah football RPI: Northridge leads Northern Utah as UHSAA releases first ratings
Several area teams sit in top 5 of their classifications
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- Northridge receiver Anthony Martinez looks in a pass against Box Elder on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in Layton.
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- West Field quarterback Hinckley Keele looks to pass to Tyce Abbott (20) on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Taylor.
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- Morgan head football coach Jared Barlow talks with his team through a timeout during a home game vs. Sky View on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Morgan.
The first release of UHSAA RPI rankings is here for high school football in Utah.
Several Northern Utah programs have found their way into the top five of their classes and now look to stay or rise within that circle as we dip into the back half of the regular season.
Here’s a breakdown of where each school sits and what’s next.
Class 6A (18 teams)
No. 4 Davis (4-1): The Darts singled themselves out in the first half of the season, rebounding from a Week 1 loss to unbeaten No. 1 Lehi with four consecutive victories while averaging 390 yards per game in the process.
Junior quarterback Tradon Bessinger (1,439 yards) and sophomore skill player Bode Sparrow (9 TDs, 15 tackles) have been central to Davis’ success. A proven pass rush, led by junior Cooper Harsin (28 tackles), will receive a big test Friday at No. 6 Weber.
No. 5 Layton (4-1): The Lancers proved they could play crunch-time football, overcoming a two-score deficit to West Jordan at halftime to roll away from the Jaguars (1-4) in a 24-17 win with a big fourth quarter by senior Michael Marriott (13 carries, 70 yards, 3 TDs).
This week, Layton welcomes in hungry Fremont (3-2) who’s coming off three consecutive wins and a proven name under center in junior Manase Tuatagaloa. A win over the Silverwolves would certainly bolster the Lancers’ presence within the 6A top 5.
No. 6 Weber (4-1): The one mark on the Mo Cannon era thus far is a 48-34 loss to unbeaten, non-region foe Roy in Week 3. With the loss, the Warriors still received 271 passing yards from quarterback Carter Payne and another 171 on the ground by Dyson Parker.
Weber won’t get another crack at Roy this season but the Warriors have a tall task Friday at home with Davis. Aside from an interesting battle at quarterback, both squads boast deep defenses that’ll undoubtedly bring this Region 1 opener down to endurance.
No. 8 Syracuse (3-2): It wasn’t the Bingham (1-4) of the past but the Titans’ narrow 9-7 victory last week hits all the same, as Syracuse heads into the weekend’s Region 1 opener vs. Farmington riding high.
Ledger Wight put together a commendable start to his sophomore season, quickly approaching 700 passing yards. Syracuse is also reaping the rewards of rushing duo Ryker Van Komen and A.J. Dehorney leading the backfield. Farmington comes into town Friday fresh off its first win of the season, a 17-3 decision over Mountain Ridge.
No. 12 Fremont (3-2): The Silverwolves, gearing up for their first Region 1 litmus test at Layton, looked as whole as they’ve been in last week’s 48-13 win over Cyprus. Fremont has turned the corner from its 0-2 start and is finding its groove.
Tuatagaloa’s grown comfortable throwing the football, and targets like junior four-star Salesi Moa (440 yards), Jace Hadley (265 yards), and Zach Masters (199 yards) have helped his transition to the 6A level. Senior Brant Koford also made a big return to the defense, leading the linebacker unit with 43 tackles and 17 solo tackles through Week 5.
Class 5A (27 teams)
No. 1 Northridge (5-0, 2-0 Region 5): Northridge has ascended to the top seat of the 5A RPI ladder, stacking a pair of Region 5 wins over Box Elder (35-7) and Viewmont (24-13). The Knights will face No. 8 Bountiful (4-1) looking for a sixth consecutive win Friday night.
Quarterback Tre Nye (1,182 yards, 13 TDs), leading wideout Jaxon Fresques (437 yards, 8 TDs), and leading rusher Andrew Ortiz (367 yards, 5 TDs) have created a nightmare scouting report for opposing defenses through the first half. Tayven Norvang (50 tackles) and Preston Haney (43 tackles) have formed a must-see, linebacker-defensive back duo.
No. 2 Roy (5-0, 2-0 Region 5): There’s no shortage of skill inside the Roy offense and it’s led to the best start head coach Chris Solomona could’ve asked for. The Royals have a winnable road trip at No. 17 Bonneville on tap Friday.
Robert Young (390 rushing yards, 9 TDs) and Zay Morris (409 receiving yards, 6 TDs) plastered their name on box scores through Week 5. Running back Logan Cella (286 yards, 3 TDs) and Kahekili Eleneke (123 yards, TD) have filled in the gaps of a high-powered offense averaging nearly 400 yards per game.
No. 13 Box Elder (2-3, 0-2 Region 5): It’s been a tough stretch for Box Elder, falling at Northridge (35-7) and home vs. Roy (37-10) in consecutive weeks. The Bees look to return to form Friday at home vs. No. 26 Clearfield (1-4).
Carter Buchanan and Kadyn Reyes traded quarterbacking duties vs. Roy in a game where the Bees hung tight with the unbeaten Royals for three quarters. Within one score heading into the fourth quarter, Box Elder failed to produce and chalked up its third loss of the season.
No. 17 Bonneville (1-4, 1-1 Region 5): A heavy task awaits Bonneville on Friday when Region 5 favorite Roy comes to Washington Terrace. It’ll take a big performance by seniors Isaac Mansaray (464 receiving yards, 5 TDs) and Cole Lueders (1,086 passing yards, 9 TDs) to go toe-to-toe with the Royals.
Bountiful handed the Lakers its first region loss (35-19) last week at home. Bonneville narrowly knocked off Woods Cross 32-29 earlier this month, with Leuders throwing for 326 yards and three touchdowns.
No. 26 Clearfield (1-4, 0-2 Region 5): The Falcons received a rude awakening in region play with lopsided losses to Roy (35-0) and Woods Cross (48-7).
Head coach Cody Caputo and senior Jordan Tovey (338 passing yards, 4 TDs) need to find more answers if the Falcons hope to challenge Box Elder on Friday night. Landon Hittle currently leads Clearfield in the rushing (244 yards, TD) and receiving (88 yards) columns.
Class 4A (28 teams)
No. 19 West Field (1-4, 1-1 Region 11): West Field notched its first win in school history vs. Logan (27-14) last week, at home nonetheless. The Longhorns opened their inaugural season with a close loss at Layton (26-24) and lost its next three games.
A quarterback switch to junior Hinckley Keele (327 passing yards, 2 TDs) allowed West Field’s offense to progress last week and stack a 20-8 halftime lead on the Grizzlies. The shift refocused Tyce Abbott’s duties to receiver and free safety. West Field will test its personnel change again Thursday vs. Mountain Crest (3-2).
No. 25 Bear River (1-4, 0-1 Region 11): After a frustrating 0-4 start, Bear River entered the win column at Burley (Idaho) by a 27-22 score last week. The highly-sought victory isn’t the first positive laid out during the Bears’ first half.
Bear River opened the season with three close battles, including a bitter 21-10 finish at home to Box Elder. In five appearances, Jaxson Theurer completed 90 passes for nearly 1,000 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions at quarterback. Bear River has leaned on Tydon Jones and Reggie Hess for a combined 337 yards out of the backfield.
Hoping to correct its defensive woes, Bear River welcomes in unbeaten region foe No. 1 Ridgeline on Friday in Garland.
Class 3A (12 teams)
No. 2 Morgan (5-0): The good times kept rolling for Morgan with a 65-point shutout over Kearns last week and the Trojans improved with their fifth consecutive win the RPI deemed worthy to rank second-best in 3A behind Grantsville.
After opening the year with promising wins over Crimson Cliffs and Sky View, Morgan has plowed through lowly Skyline (Idaho), Layton Christian and Kearns programs heading into the region schedule. Senior Beck Sheffield (1,002 passing yards, 10 TDs) looks to keep the Trojan offense cooking with several skill weapons still healthy heading into the second half.
No. 5 Ogden (4-0): Ogden has the chance to make history Friday at home vs. Union with the program’s first win since 2009. That’s a long time, but the Tigers are bringing up all sorts of past memories with quarterback Vincent Apodaca (541 yards, 4 TDs), running back Kale Flint (129 yards, 2 TDs), and leading receiver Synic Harvey (303 yards, 3 TDs) ramping up production.
The Tigers’ toughest stretch begins with Union at home. Last week, Preston (Idaho) outscored Ogden 26-21 in the second half of the Tigers’ 42-26 win.
No. 12 Ben Lomond (0-5): It quickly became apparent that Ben Lomond was in for a step back this season.
The Scots, after four consecutive shutout losses, found the scoreboard in last week’s 21-14 loss at American Leadership Academy — by far BL’s most competitive showing. The Scots travel to No. 1 Grantsville (4-1) to begin region play Friday.
Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.
