COMMENTARY –First of all, we are proud to announce that our STGnews high school stat machine is up and functional and can be found here: http://www.stgeorgeutah.com/high-school-sports/.
Inside STGNews’s great new high school stats section, fans can find standings, league leaders, and individual stats and so much more. It is truly the most comprehensive stats website for Region 9 football in the world. As we continue to integrate it into our sports world, it will also feature comprehensive stats in basketball and baseball, as well as stats for soccer, volleyball, wrestling, softball and just about any other Region 9 sport our readers love.
Admittedly, it’s not perfect yet, but we are diligently working to get it there. A special thanks goes to programmers James Thayn and Brett Millet of OLWM and the stat guys around the region, including Stan Smith at Hurricane, Jamie Kreyling at Snow Canyon, Colby Nielsen at Pine View, Scott Gatchell at Dixie and Brady Fonnesbeck at Desert Hills.
Let us know what you think of the new stat section and, if you’re a stats junkie like me, enjoy!
Everyone’s talking about The Streak. Hurricane has won 19 games in a row, starting with the 2011 season-opener against Skyline, running through the state playoffs last year and now six games into 2011. And while the Tigers are ranked No. 1 in 3A, we started wondering how they measure up to last year’s championship team. The schedule is almost identical as last year, with the 2011 Tooele game being swapped out for a game against Legacy, Nev., this season.
Here’s what we found:
Game 1: 2011 — Hurricane 33, Skyline 14; 2012 — Hurricane 20, Skyline 7; Comparison — 2011 plus-6; Analysis — Tigers defense was better in 2012, but overall 2011 win was more impressive.
Game 2: 2011 — Hurricane 48, West Jordan 36; 2012 — Hurricane 28, West Jordan 14; Comparison — 2012 plus-2; Analysis — The 2012 win was at WJ, but the Jags were missing their starting QB. Still, 2012 win gets this one.
Game 3: 2011 — Hurricane 52, Tooele 7; 2012 — Hurricane 43, Legacy 34; Comparison — Apples to oranges.; Analysis — Hard to glean anything from two completely different opponents, though Tooele was 0-10 last year and Legacy is currently 2-2.
Game 4: 2011 — Hurricane 29 Cedar 20; 2012 — Hurricane 31, Cedar 13; Comparison — 2012 plus-9; Anaylsis — This one is clearly an advantage for 2012 as the big win was at Cedar. But then, Cedar no longer has John Ursua and is currently 0-5.
Game 5: 2011 — Hurricane 51, Dixie 21; 2012 — Hurricane 34, Dixie 32; Comparison — 2011 plus-28; Analysis — Dixie had no chance last year vs. Hurricane. This year, it was anyone’s game. But that may mean Dixie is that much better.
Game 6: 2011 — Hurricane 42, Snow Canyon 7; 2012 — Hurricane 38, Snow Canyon 7; Comparison — 2011 plus-4; Analysis — More points in 2011, but the 2012 game was on the road and against a 4-1 SC team. I like the 2012 win more.
Obviously, there is a lot of season left. But the quick analysis from above seems to show that the 2012 team has been every bit as impressive as the 2011 group. This exercise was just for fun and really has no bearing on what the 2012 Tigers do, but a man would have to be a fool to bet against the Tigers making a return trip to the 3A championship game.
Speaking of which, I don’t think it would be foolish to think it could be another all-Region 9 finale. Dixie and Desert Hills both looked like state contenders in their epic battle Friday night at Walt Brooks Stadium, a 30-7 Dixie victory.
Pine View may be the real wildcard in all this. The Panthers got quarterback Kody Wilstead back from injury (after losses to Dixie and Desert Hills, but before this week’s Hurricane game). PV may just factor in the playoff race after all.
Monday Rundown’s Power Rankings for Region 9 football:
1. Hurricane, 3-0: Flexed proverbial muscles against Snow Canyon.
2. Dixie, 2-1: Very favorable schedule down the stretch.
3. Desert Hills, 2-1: Played Dixie even-up on Flyers home field.
4. Pine View, 1-2: Uh oh, now the Panthers have a passing game, too.
5. Snow Canyon, 1-1: Warriors need to rebound quick from bad home loss.
6. Cedar, 0-2: Still waiting for that option to break loose.
7. Canyon View, 0-2: Oct. 11 vs. Cedar may be only chance for R9 win.
Snow Canyon has all but sewn up the Region 9 girls soccer title. The Lady Warriors need just one win, two ties or a Cedar loss to clinch the No. 1-seed from the region. Snow Canyon is 8-1 and has allowed just six goals in region play (.67 per game). Overall, the Warriors are 11-1 and have given up just 9 goals overall (.75 per game). Needless to say, it’s tough to score on SC.
Dixie, meanwhile, has crept up into a tie for fourth place with Desert Hills. Both teams are 3-3-2 in region and have 11 team points. In high school soccer, a team is awarded three points for a win and one point for a tie (no points for a loss). Snow Canyon has 24 points. Cedar is second with 17 and Pine View is third with 14. Dixie and DH have 11 points. Only the top four teams make the playoffs.
Tuesday’s soccer matches are Snow Canyon at Desert Hills, Cedar at Dixie, and Hurricane at Canyon View.
In volleyball, Snow Canyon dropped two matches in one week, something that hasn’t happened in region play in a number of years. Desert Hills upset the Warriors inside “The Jungle,” then Dixie beat SC 3-2 two nights later. The Warriors are vulnerable, it seems. But who wants to play them come state playoff time?
Meanwhile, Desert Hills is a perfect 6-0 halfway through the region schedule. The Lady Thunder have four of their six remaining matches on the road, including a trip to 4-2 Hurricane. But DH does get contenders Dixie and Snow Canyon at home.
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