The field of eight has been set for the 2016 3A football state championship tournament, which will begin on Oct. 28 at the home site of the higher seeds.
The Morgan Trojans and Juab Wasps claimed the two No.1 seeds after moving through league play without a single blemish. The Trojans posted their most impressive victory of the season back on Sept. 16 when they defeated Juan Diego 49-20. After starting the season 1-3 in the non-region portion of the schedule, the Wasps have won five consecutive games to clinch the 3A South.
The Juan Diego Soarin’ Eagles and Delta Rabbits will enter the tournament No. 2 seeds as both finished with 4-1 records. After suffering the lopsided 29-point loss to Morgan in the region opener, Juan Diego won their final four games by an average score of 41 points. Delta’s lone loss came to the league champions Juab, but managed to handle the remainder of the region with relative ease.
The Grantsville Cowboys and Canyon View Falcons hold the No. 3 seeds in the tournament, meaning they will travel against the opposite region in the opening round. The Cowboys had an opportunity to win the 3A North on Friday, but suffered a 17-14 loss to Morgan. After dropping consecutive games to Delta and Juab, Canyon View clinched a playoff spot Thursday with a 30-27 win over North Sanpete.
The Emery Spartans and Manti Templars are the final two teams to get into the state tournament, both as No. 4 seeds. Emery clinched a playoff berth with a victory over the Union Cougars on Sept. 30, earning their second league win. Manti defeated North Sanpete and Richfield to secure their spot in the season ending tournament.
The Union Cougars and Carbon Dinos were left on the outside looking into the playoffs from the 3A North. Carbon finished 0-5, while Union ended 1-4 defeating Carbon during the last week of league play. North Sanpete and Richfield finished on the outside in the 3A South. North Sanpete ended 1-4 after beating Richfield, while the Wildcats ended 0-5.
Below are the complete first round matchups, beginning on Oct. 28:
#4- Emery @ #1- Juab
#3- Grantsville @ #2- Delta
#3- Canyon View @ #2- Juan Diego
#4- Manti @ #1- Morgan