The Mountain West high school football weekend had no shortage of statement wins, and a few teams across six states left the field with their stock moving sharply in either direction.
In South Dakota’s Class 11AAA race, Jefferson is the lone unbeaten left after taking down defending state champion Brandon Valley, 20-14. Senior quarterback Cason Mediger threw two touchdown passes and added a rushing score, while junior linebacker Dax Wachel delivered the clincher with a fourth-down sack in the final minute on Brandon Valley’s last drive. It was Jefferson’s second straight win over the Lynx.
Big Sky needed a late answer in Montana, and it got one from a senior who played through a broken wrist. He came down with a 27-yard touchdown pass from Eli Kasberg with 1:38 left, sending the unbeaten Eagles past Butte, 22-21.
Uintah had been living with a rough stretch against Wasatch for a long time. The Utes had lost 11 straight in the series before Friday, but Colton Van Wagoner broke that run with an 18-yard field goal and 2:15 remaining to push Uintah to a 17-16 win.
The game still had one more tense twist, too, with Wasatch missing a potential game-winning field goal on the final play. The victory moved Uintah to 3-3.
In Utah, Corner Canyon handled Lone Peak in 6A Region 2, rolling to a 37-14 win after scoring 23 unanswered points in the second half. The Chargers, ranked No. 1 in the High School On SI Mountain West Top 25, got a huge night from Jaxon Pehrson, whose third touchdown run of the game in the third quarter broke a 14-14 tie. Diesel Dart and Will Tenney then added pick-sixes to put the game out of reach.
Sugar-Salem also landed a notable result, knocking off a Bulldogs team that reached the 4A state championship game last season. The 14-7 loss dropped the Bulldogs to 1-4 after a run to the finals that was their first since 1981.
That sluggish start has come with one major issue: the Bulldogs still haven’t been able to fully unleash 3-star Air Force commit Joe Barrett. As a junior, Barrett caught 66 passes for 1,127 yards and 14 touchdowns, but through five games this season he has 22 receptions for 301 yards and three scores.
And in Wyoming, Star Valley found a team in the wrong place at the wrong time. A week after the Braves’ school-record 35-game win streak ended, the Tigers absorbed the response, falling 56-0 and dropping to 0-3. The Tigers went 8-2 last year, their best mark since 2019.
High School On SI will continue tracking the biggest movers around the Mountain West with Three Up, Three Down each week.
In Other News...
Utahs Early Two-Point Gamble Is Becoming A Real Problem For Opponents
Utah has quietly turned the second touchdown of its last two games into a small but meaningful chess match. Morgan Scalley has opted for two-point tries after that score, and he has done it with unconventional formations designed to test an opponents discipline as much as its preparation. It is the kind of wrinkle that can alter the rhythm of a game without necessarily changing the pageantry around it, and Scalley has already signaled there will be more of it this season.
The approach fits the broader tone of a Utah team that has been willing to lean into details and edge wherever it can find them. Scalley also made time to visit injured Utah State linebacker Harrison Taggart in the hospital after Taggarts serious injury in the recent game, and Taggart later offered a positive update on his condition. It was a sobering reminder of how quickly the game can shift from strategy to concern, even as Utah continues to probe for every competitive advantage it can find. [Read more 🡒]
Utahs First Big 12 Road Test Will Say A Lot
Utahs first road trip of the season arrives at an important moment, with the Utes heading to Jack Trice Stadium to face Iowa State in their Big 12 opener. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. Mountain on FOX, and the matchup comes with both teams carrying early-season momentum, Utah at 3-0 and the Cyclones at 2-1.
Morgan Scalleys team has already shown enough through three games to suggest it can handle a lot of what comes with a conference opener, but there are still areas the staff wants sharpened after the win over Utah State. The coach pointed to the Utes strengths, noted spots that still need work and highlighted both key players and an ongoing competition along the offensive line, all of which makes this one a useful first measuring stick for where Utah really stands. [Read more 🡒]
Utah's First Practice Put One Big Roster Problem Front And Center
The first official practice for Utah mens basketball arrived with plenty of familiar early-season energy, but it also put the rosters biggest uncertainty squarely in view. With 42 days left before the season opener, the Utes are sorting through a lineup that looks far different from the one theyll ultimately need, and the clock is already moving on a group that has little margin for error as it learns to play together.
There are multiple layers to that challenge. Guard Trey Campbells case for a fifth year remains unresolved under NCAA rule changes, international recruit Noam Yaacov has been ruled ineligible, and center Fynn Schott will miss the start of the season after leg surgery. For a team trying to build chemistry from scratch, those absences and questions make the opening weeks of practice about more than installation, since Utah still does not know exactly which pieces will be available when the games begin. [Read more 🡒]