Alta faces Bountiful test as Sandy teams prep for Week 8

Alta hosts Bountiful in the tightest matchup of the week for Sandy-area football teams, with all three local programs in action Friday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m.

Noland Parry's Power Guide, published Wednesday in the Deseret News, rates Bountiful a slim 4.2-point favorite over the Hawks in the Region 6 contest. Both Parry and Deseret News high school sports editor James Edward pick Bountiful.

Alta (5-2, 2-0 Region 6) enters on a two-game winning streak after beating Woods Cross 27-21 on the road Friday, Sept. 25. The Hawks are ranked No. 20 in Utah by MaxPreps and have not lost a region game. Their power rating of 96.9 trails Bountiful's 101.1.

Bountiful also won Friday, Sept. 25, beating Viewmont 28-19 at home.

Alta head coach Blake Burdette has his program rolling after a pair of early-season nonregion losses to Davis and Syracuse. After the Hawks beat Olympus 23-10 on Sept. 18 for their first win over the Titans in four years, Burdette told the Deseret News in a Sept. 20 article: "There's lots of stuff from that game that if we execute, we can be in the thick of things in our region by the end of the season."

Quarterback Xavier Cocci, a transfer from Skyline, threw for a touchdown and ran for another in that Olympus win.

Hillcrest favored at Cyprus

The Huskies (5-2, 3-1 Region 4) travel to Cyprus as 10.9-point favorites. Hillcrest carries a 47.0 power rating against Cyprus's 36.1.

Hillcrest rolled past West Jordan 48-8 at home Friday, Sept. 25. The Huskies' lone region loss came at West, 55-6, on Sept. 18. Cyprus lost to Granger 36-17 in its most recent outing.

Jordan hosts Cottonwood

Jordan (3-4, 1-2 Region 10) is the biggest favorite of the three, favored by 32.2 points over a Cottonwood squad that carries a negative power rating of -6.6. The Beetdiggers' 25.6 rating dwarfs that number.

Jordan bounced back from a 61-12 loss at Skyline with a 24-16 nonregion win at Judge Memorial on Friday, Sept. 25. Cottonwood lost to Skyline 56-0 the same night.

The Beetdiggers compete in 4A Region 10, a classification below Alta and Hillcrest's 5A. At 1-2 in region, Jordan needs wins down the stretch to stay in the playoff picture.