Hillcrest is 5-2 and chasing its first winning season since 2003.

The Huskies sit second in 5A Region 4 behind quarterback K'Von Houston, who has thrown 22 touchdown passes through seven games, per MaxPreps. As we reported Sept. 30, Houston earned statewide Week 7 honors after throwing for 312 yards and six touchdowns in a 48-8 win over West Jordan on Sept. 25. Coach Robby Kaelin told the Deseret News after that game the Huskies could be on track for their first winning season in more than two decades.

One of Hillcrest's five wins came Aug. 28 against Cottonwood, 51-0. That game offered a snapshot of a widening gap in Utah high school football, first reported by the Deseret News.

Cottonwood, a 4A Granite School District program, is 0-7 and has been outscored 391-3. The Colts have not scored a touchdown all season. Six of their seven games ended early under the UHSAA mercy rule, which stops play at a 44-point deficit after three quarters.

The gap is not just about talent on the field. First-year Cottonwood head coach Mike Ward told the Deseret News that in-boundary students are leaving to play at Murray, Hillcrest, Brighton and Olympus. Hillcrest is a Canyons School District school in Midvale, a classification above Cottonwood in the UHSAA's 5A bracket.

"There are kids at other schools who should be playing here," Ward said. "I hear about it all the time. … It's kind of ridiculous. But people do what they think is in their best interest."

Ward is Cottonwood's third head coach in four seasons. Only 16 players showed up to his first offseason meeting. He built the roster to 37 through in-school recruiting, but only two had played football the year before.

The Deseret News reported the UHSAA "has been nearly powerless" to stop in-boundary transfers, noting the organization has tried for decades. The UHSAA announced in August that its 2027-29 realignment cycle will use a new Composite Realignment Index, or CRI, combining enrollment, socioeconomic status and competitive performance, according to the UHSAA. No UHSAA official has publicly addressed whether the new formula targets the transfer imbalance.

Cottonwood was once a power. The Colts played for the 5A state championship in 2004 and last posted a winning season in 2010. They have now lost 26 straight games.

Hillcrest visits Cyprus on Friday, Oct. 2, in Region 4 play, then hosts Taylorsville on Thursday, Oct. 8, and travels to Kearns on Wednesday, Oct. 14. Cottonwood faces Jordan on Friday, Oct. 2, in a Region 10 game.