5A Quarterfinals: Stock Up

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With their seasons on the line and an opportunity to play at Rice Eccles Stadium at stake, these four players stepped up and helped their team punch their tickets to the semi-finals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='406967' first='Roger' last='Saleapaga'] || TE || 6'5 || 200 || Orem High School || 2024</strong><br>Saleapaga made the play of the game to end the first half vs. Alta when he caught a hail mary pass over three defenders as time expired. But the play was called back on a holding penalty. So the Tigers had one last chance to score on an untimed down and decided to go right back to the 6'5 junior. Saleapaga went up and got it again over three defenders, but this time he caught it on the 10-yard line. With so many defenders around, it seemed nearly impossible for Saleapaga to score, but he did. After he came down with the catch, he broke two tackles and outran the rest of the Hawks defenders to score his second touchdown of the game. The explosive pass catcher could have a few more game-changing plays left in him this Friday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='212444' first='Helaman' last='Casuga'] || QB || 6'1 || 185 || Timpview High School || 2026</strong><br>The Freshmen signal caller put the state on notice in Timpview's dismantling of Wasatch 63-21. Casuga led the Thunderbirds to a 56-point first half as he diced up the Wasps' defense. Despite this being his first year of varsity football, he navigates the pocket like a four-year starter. Casuga does a good job avoiding pressure and staying in the pocket as long as he can. He always keeps his eyes downfield and moves well from one read to the next. Casuga finished the game throwing for over 350 yards and four touchdowns. With a full regular season under his belt, the freshman phenom is ready to face the state's top defenses up at the U.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Alex Geovjian || ATH || 6'0 || 185 || Stansbury High School || 2024</strong><br>Some players are willing to do whatever is best for their team to help them get the win, even if it means playing out of position. That's precisely what Geovjian did in last Friday's win vs. Olympus. Normally a defensive back, the junior switched to inside linebacker before the game and based on his play, you would have thought he'd been playing there all season. He helped the Stallions hold Olympus to seven points and showed off his blazing speed with two sacks. Geovjian is a phenomenal blitzer who can also use his speed to halt the Olympus rushing attack. No matter where he lines up against, Lehi Geovjian will no doubt make some big plays.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Max Ray || DB || 5'10 || 150 || Lehi High School || 2024 </strong><br>Ray had been a ball hawk on a loaded Lehi defense all season. He has done a great job preventing big plays and slowing some of the state's top receivers. In a close game against Box Elder, Ray made one of the game's biggest plays. Ray came up with a huge interception on an overthrown ball in the red zone that changed the game. The junior corner is an elite athlete who can defend both the run and pass. He does a great job making open-field tackles and makes sure to turn runs back inside. Ray will have a chance to make more big plays against the state's highest-scoring offense when Lehi takes on the Stallions in this Friday showdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->