Brighton and Olympus are done. Alta is still playing.

The No. 6-seeded Hawks (8-3) host No. 14 Woods Cross (5-6) at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, in the 5A quarterfinals, according to the Deseret News. Alta is the last team standing in the 5A bracket with ties to the Cottonwood Heights and Holladay corridor, after the Bengals and Titans both exited in recent weeks.

Brighton's season ended in a 38-0 loss to Bountiful in the first round. The Bengals finished with a 1-9 record entering the playoffs, per the UHSAA's final RPI rankings. It was the first season for head coach Josh Montzingo, who came to Cottonwood Heights after a decade at Park City.

Olympus fell 27-10 to Springville in the first round. The Titans entered the playoffs at 5-5 under first-year head coach Casey Evans. Springville's Sam Nadauld opened the second half with a 97-yard kickoff return, and Olympus did not score after halftime, the Deseret News reported.

Alta's path forward

Alta rolled through its first-round matchup, beating Hillcrest 37-7. Hillcrest had averaged 39 points per game and had a quarterback with 36 touchdown passes. The Hawks scored 30 unanswered points in the second quarter and shut Hillcrest out in the second half.

Quarterback Xavier Cocci leads the offense. He has thrown for 1,637 yards and 12 touchdowns while leading the team with 713 rushing yards and nine rushing scores, per the Deseret News preview. Lucas Pagel has 11 total touchdowns, including seven rushing. Receiver Ryland Clayton averages 19.9 yards per catch with five touchdown receptions.

The defense allows 17.8 points per game, seventh in 5A, and has recorded 34 sacks. Thomas Deckart leads with 103 tackles, three interceptions and two defensive touchdowns. Charlie Gates has 89 tackles and eight sacks.

Alta has won three straight. Its only losses came to 6A quarterfinalists Davis and Syracuse and to Region 6 champion Bountiful, which beat the Hawks 29-28.

Woods Cross won't go quietly

Woods Cross survived overtime to reach this round, beating Box Elder 29-26 after trailing in the fourth quarter. That fits a pattern. All five Wildcat wins came by eight points or fewer.

The two teams met Sept. 25 in Region 6 play. Woods Cross led 7-6 entering the fourth quarter, but Pagel caught a 49-yard touchdown pass with 2:02 remaining, and Alta won 27-21.

Woods Cross runs the ball behind Sam Bahr, who has 11 rushing touchdowns and 60 tackles on defense. Quarterback Tage Ita has rushed for 522 yards and nine touchdowns but has thrown 10 interceptions. Alta's defense has 13 interceptions and five defensive touchdowns.

Third-year Alta head coach Blake Burdette has the Hawks one win from their first semifinal since 2023. The winner advances to face the Orem-Pleasant Grove winner.