Davis, Fremont, Syracuse and Morgan are each playing for survival this weekend. In the case of the Trojans, the top seed in 3A facing No. 5 Richfield on Saturday in Herriman, they’re playing for a sixth trip to the state finals since 2019.

In 6A, two Region 1 representatives hit the road in the quarterfinals — No. 5 Davis is at No. 4 Herriman, and No. 11 Syracuse plays at No. 3 Corner Canyon. The Titans last reached the semifinals in 2012, and the Darts are waiting on their first semifinal berth since 2009.

In 5A, No. 8 Fremont has a tall task at unbeaten No. 1 West High after standing up to region foe West Field 43-23 last week at home.

Here’s a look at all four matchups.

6A: No. 5 Davis at No. 4 Herriman

High-octane Herriman hosts Davis this weekend in a matchup that’ll test the Dart defense on Friday night.

Filisi Filipie ranks third in Utah with 1,542 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns as the Mustangs (9-2) look to outrun their competition this week at home. Breakout pass rusher Ben Dorius (10 sacks) leads the Davis defense into arguably its toughest task yet on Friday night.

Davis (8-3) overcame the absence of Utah Utes commit Jaxton Itaaehau last week, switching to the ground with Oklahoma commit Bode Sparrow for a 37-18 win over No. 12 Farmington in the opening round of the playoffs.

Make no mistake, the Darts favor the pass game with senior quarterback Paden Toula. Sparrow, up to 878 receiving yards (79.8 ypg) and 18 touchdowns, leads a senior-heavy room with proven targets in Itaaehau, Sam Coleman, Cooper Rigby, Kysen Gallegos and junior Briggs Taylor.

Davis coach Scott Peery: “Should be an entertaining game with opposites getting after it. We pride ourselves on the pass, and Herriman prides themselves on the run! Time of possession could be a big stat Friday night, but what you do with each possession will be even bigger.”

6A: No. 11 Syracuse at No. 3 Corner Canyon

Mitch Tulane and Syracuse aren’t shy of the big play, and it used three of them to outbid Westlake on the road last week.

Parker Moffat returned a kickoff the length of the field (100 yards) and tacked on another 55-yard touchdown catch on the evening. Bo Metcalfe caught a second touchdown pass by Ledger Wight, who finished just 5-of-15 for 148 yards and one interception. The Thunder (7-4) were fresh out of answers by the end of the first half.

But Corner Canyon (9-2), now led by Casey Sutera following Eric Kjar’s bump up to Weber State, is a much different animal. The Chargers are 4-0 since September and striving for a fourth consecutive state title behind quarterback Jaxon Pehrson and 446.6 yards per game.

Last week against No. 14 Bingham, Pehrson targeted three different receivers — Beckham Coon, Kelen Gold and Braxton Sneddon — for three of Corner Canyon’s four first-half scores en route to a 35-7 win in the first round.

Syracuse coach Mitch Tulane: “(Corner Canyon) is extremely talented and well-coached. They present (a) challenge for any opponent they play against. We need to be able to sustain drives and create (explosive plays) on offense. Defensively, we need to get off the field and limit their (explosive plays). We are healthy and playing our best football at the right time. Don’t count the Titans out!”

5A: No. 8 Fremont at No. 1 West

Nate Tuatagaloa will be the first to tell you his team is banged up, but it’s hardly kept Fremont from digging up wins late in the year.

Primarily hampered at running back, the Silverwolves (7-4) looked to get their primary ball carrier, Porter Hales, back for West Field, but an injury took him out of the contest. Instead, Calvin Cooper wrangled the Longhorns with 313 passing yards and five touchdowns last week.

Hales included, six different Fremont players ran the football last week. Aisa Tuatagaloa, in addition to four solo tackles, carried the ball 10 times for roughly 7.5 yards per touch. Wyatt Bennett and Breckon Phillips are must-have hands on Friday after a string of strong weeks in the pass game.

West (11-0) gets its first true dose of playoff competition after hanging 63 unanswered points (in three quarters) on Roy at home in the opening round of 5A. Kamden Lopati is chasing 3,000 passing yards and could certainly hit that mark on Friday, averaging 257.4 yards per game through the air.

Fremont coach Nate Tuatagaloa: “Coach (Olosaa) Solovi has done a great job in building a winning program and one of the top ones in the state. We need to play a perfect game and West needs to mess up a few times for us to hang in there. If we can hit them in the mouth and go up early, we have a chance.

“We want to see if they can play from behind and possibly take them out of their game. We are excited for the opportunity to play them and the chance to advance and play at (Rice-Eccles). Our coaches have worked hard to prep our boys, and now it’s time to see where we’re at. We have battled through a lot of injuries and (are) still missing a lot of key pieces, but that’s why we coach, and others need to step up.”

3A: No. 5 Richfield at No. 1 Morgan

Morgan is chasing its first 3A state title since 2024, and the path back to the finals goes through a quality Richfield (10-2) squad in the semifinals on Saturday afternoon at Zions Bank Stadium.

After enjoying a first-round bye, the Trojans (9-2) exploded for 49 unanswered points, including two passing touchdowns by Owen Gilson in a quarterfinal win. Morgan ran the ball just 18 times against No. 9 Cedar, the defending 3A champion, in a contest that didn’t live to see the fourth quarter.

Richfield is tasked with shutting down two skilled 2028 receivers, Rhett Larsen and George Thurston, in a matchup that’ll test just how capable Morgan is through the air. The Wildcat defense held No. 4 Grantsville to just seven points last week and gives up just 11.7 points per game this year.

Morgan defeated Richfield 13-2 in the 2024 title game. The Wildcats knocked off Manti 27-21 for its last title in 2023.

Morgan coach Jared Barlow: “We expect a physical game. Richfield has been to the championship game (two) of the last (three) years. They know how to win. We look forward to competing against one of the consistently good teams in 3A.”

Connect with Standard-Examiner sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net, X @ctbecker and Instagram @standardexaminersports.