Five games remain in the regular season before the playoffs start in late October. It’s time to send out midterm grades of each of the following prep football programs in Utah County, along with Wasatch (listed in alphabetical order).

American Fork (Grade: A+): The Cavemen are 5-0 and have done exactly what the faithful have wanted. But the story is much the same. Region 3 play starts in two weeks. But before that gauntlet of rugged competition that will define where the Cavemen stand against the 6A elite, a stiff test against Davis this week awaits.

American Leadership Academy (Grade C+): The Eagles lost a lot of talent from last year which was of historic success for the school. Still ALA is 2-3 with a couple of close losses and remain hopeful for a good second half of the season. Three of their remaining five games will feature battles against charter and private schools.

Cedar Valley (Grade D): Though without victory, the Aviators, which joined the 6A ranks this season, have shown some fight. Their most winnable game comes in Week 7 the Aviators host winless Bingham. Perhaps scheduling powerhouse Corner Canyon for a non-league tilt later in the season was probably not the wisest move for a program trying to take flight in 6A.

Lehi (Grade B+): The Pioneers (3-1) have generally taken care of business and the 9-7 loss to Mountain Ridge doesn’t seem so alarming as the Sentinels are 3-2 with their losses being to Davis and Skyridge. Now, things will get challenging as Region 3 starts with a road game against arch rival Skyridge. And Lehi’s one non-league game won’t be a picnic either as the Pioneers host undefeated Herriman in two weeks.

Lone Peak (Grade A-): The Knights (4-1) lost a weird one where they forfeited a game against national power Bishop Gorman out of Las Vegas for having too many players leaving the bench during a scuffle. This is a special rule in Nevada. But the Knights have taken care of business otherwise. But get ready Knight fans, the big showdown game against Corner Canyon is this week as these two teams battled in the 2024 6A title game.

Maple Mountain (Grade D+): When Kalin Hall was let go as head coach in the spring, this led to a cascade of Golden Eagle talent leaving for Orem High and maybe some other schools too. On top of that Maple Mountain had an auspicious schedule opening their season with 6A power Lehi and then Riverton. The Golden Eagles (1-4) do own a 42-28 win over Payson in their last game and perhaps this can catapult them (1-4) in the second half of the season where winnable games against rival Spanish Fork, along with Wasatch, await.

Mountain View (Grade C): Credit the Bruins (2-2) for two very exciting wins against Payson and Union. Still, Mountain View still managed to lose to 1-4 Tooele. As the Bruins turn to the 4A Region 8 wars, it will likely be tough sledding, but there is a winnable game against Uintah in two weeks so get ready Bruin crazies!

Orem (Grade B+): The Tigers are 3-2 but their two losses are to 6A Lone Peak and Rocky Mountain Idaho which has feasted on Utah teams this year. The Tigers just brutalized Spanish Fork by a 63-3 score last week and also own a tough win over Springville. In two weeks, the Tigers will host Timpview in a game that will likely decide the league title.

Payson (Grade D+): At 1-4 things have been rough for the Lions but they still secured a win over Kearns. They also lost to Mountain View 40-36 as the Bruins scored on the final play of the game. Now in 5A Region 7, things will get testy and Payson’s best chances to secure a couple of more wins are back-to-back games against Spanish Fork and Wasatch in Weeks 7 and 8.

Pleasant Grove (Grade D): The Vikings were moved to 5A but this hasn’t led to a lot of victories yet. At 1-1 in league play and 1-4 overall, Pleasant Grove is technically not out of the race for the 5A Region 7 title but the Vikings will need to pick up their game to have any hopes of beating Orem, Timpview or Wasatch.

Provo (Grade C): The Bulldogs at 1-4 have played a tough schedule including the returning 3A champs (Morgan) and 4A champs (Crimson Cliffs), along with 5A Springville. The Bulldogs also played an Idaho powerhouse. The good news is that in three of their four losses have been tight games but the bad news is that they still lost those games. However, wins should come in league play and the faithful should still be hopeful that the Bulldogs will contend for both a league and 4A state title when it’s all said and done.

Salem Hills (Grade B): At 3-1 the Skyhawks are off to a good start to their season. Salem Hills earned close wins over Sky View and then Timpanogos to open up league play. The Skyhawks have certainly tested the hearts of their faithful with these close games, two of which went into overtime. Their only loss was one of these OT games against rival Spanish Fork. A game at Provo this week will define whether the Skyhawks are a true contender in 4A Region 8.

Skyridge (Grade A-): At 4-1 the Falcons can be excused for losing to Colorado’s top-rated team Cherry Creek last week. Otherwise, Skyridge has dominated its competition. All of this leads up to what will be a slew of games against top-flight Region 3 competition. The next three games for the Falcons have them lining up with Lehi (3-1), Corner Canyon (5-0) and Lone Peak (4-1) in that order.

Spanish Fork (Grade D): The Dons lost a lot of talent that came from their 4A runner-up team from last season and going up to 5A hasn’t made things any easier. The Dons are 1-4 overall and 0-2 in league play but will start off their second half of the season with three winnable games against Pleasant Grove, Payson and Maple Mountain in that order.

Springville (Grade A-): The Red Devils are 4-1 and their only loss was at Orem falling by a close 17-14 score. Springville also posted another solid win against Provo and have shown they will be a tough foe for anyone in 5A. Some games that will test the Red Devil wares remain in 5A Region 7 including a date at Timpview in Week 8.

Timpanogos (Grade C): The Timberwolves started off strong winning two of their first three. Timpanogos opened up league play with a tough 23-20 loss in overtime at home against Salem Hills. A winning season is still within reach but the Timberwolves will need to upset either Provo or Park City.

Timpview (Grade C+): The Thunderbird lost some key talent to other schools, though they won’t get much sympathy from their competition. There is still a lot of talent there which has needed time to gel as Timpview started out with three straight losses to very good teams. The Thunderbirds have won two straight in Region 7 play and should be 3-0 when they go into back-to-back games with Orem and Springville respectively.

Utah Military Academy-Camp Williams (Grade B+): After a tough inaugural season in 2024, the Marauders have established some footing, already securing three blowout wins against Water Canyon, Monument Valley and Panguitch. The last week of the regular season will have the Marauders taking on Utah Military Academy-Hill Field and the game promises to be more competitive than last year.

Wasatch (Grade B): After a miserable year in 2024, the Wasps are 3-2 and their losses are to 5A juggernaut Timpview and a close one to Park City to open the season. Wasatch also won a tight one against Spanish Fork to open its league play. Still, the Wasps will need to navigate some tough contests against the likes of Orem and Springville but a winning season seems likely.

Westlake (Grade B+): Second year coach Arnold Ale did a good thing setting up some winnable games for the Thunder to start the 2025 campaign and that led to a 4-1 start. Being out of Region 3 will be a huge blessing and some winnable games remain as the Thunder hope for their first winning season in a long time. In Week 9, Westlake hosts rival Cedar Valley.