The 2026 High School Football Season Kicks Off with a Bang in Downtown Dallas
The highly anticipated 2026 high school football season kicked off on Thursday night in Utah, with three games marking the beginning of the season. Cedar took on Wasatch, Stansbury faced Skyline, and Skyridge clashed with Mountain Ridge in the opening matches.
The Deseret News will provide live scoring updates and analysis throughout the season, including Parry's Power Guide, a weekly feature that will help fans keep track of the top teams. This guide, provided by Noland Parry, will be published every week for the duration of the 15-week season.
The Deseret News has also released its region previews, where top teams were predicted to finish atop their respective regions. In Region 1, Davis was unanimously voted as the favorite, while Herriman was predicted to finish atop Region 2. Corner Canyon, despite the departure of Eric Kjar, was tabbed as the Region 3 favorite.
In Region 4, West was favored to repeat as region champions, while Box Elder topped the Region 5 coaches' poll due to its experienced team. Olympus and Woods Cross were highlighted as the top teams in ultra-competitive Region 6, and Orem was heavily favored to finish atop Region 7.
Provo is eyeing a fourth-straight region crown in new-look Region 8, while Hurricane is the unanimous favorite to take Region 9. Skyline tops the preseason Region 10 football coaches' poll, and 4A champion Ridgeline is the favorite to repeat as Region 11 champion.
In the smaller regions, Morgan was picked to finish atop 3A North, while 3A champion Cedar squeaked past competition in 3A South projections. Summit Academy was early favored to finish atop 2A North region, and San Juan was projected to finish atop 2A South once again. Experienced North Summit got the nod as the 1A North preseason favorite, while Kanab leads the pack in 1A South region.
The 2026 high school football season promises to be an exciting one, with top teams competing in each region. Fans can expect to see intense matches and thrilling finishes as the season unfolds.
The Deseret News will continue to provide live scoring updates and analysis throughout the season, keeping fans informed of the latest developments. With the top teams predicted to finish atop their respective regions, the competition is expected to be fierce.
Source: Yahoo Sports