Miners face Emery in first-round playoff game

Now comes the real test.

After rattling off five straight wins and defeating rival Wasatch to win its third consecutive Region 10 title, the Park City High School football team will attempt to climb a final four-step ladder for a state championship.

The first step is Friday evening against the Emery Spartans.

Emery (6-4) came out third in Region 12 play behind Delta and Richfield. The Miners defeated Delta 20-19 on Sept. 3 for their first win of the 2010 season.

The Spartans are a run-heavy team that features two running backs with a combined total of more than 730 yards each on the season in Taylor Cox and Colten Fasselin; each averages over seven yards per carry.

Park City will need to defeat Emery in the first round in order to possibly face the team that has been within the Miners’ crosshairs for a year now.

The Hurricane Tigers.

Hurricane eliminated the Miners in last year’s 3A state semifinals at Rice-Eccles Stadium, 24-19, cutting short a season that had state championship potential.

Following the win over Wasatch, a member of the Park City coaching staff addressed his players and told them how he wanted Hurricane in the quarterfinal round this year.

But the Tigers (9-1) must win their tough first-round draw against Morgan (8-2), to make the trek north to Dozier Field, should Park City advance past Emery.

The winner of that game would most likely end up facing Delta or Desert Hills in the 3A semifinals at Rice-Eccles Stadium this year.

Kickoff Friday is at 5 p.m. at Dozier Field.

Park City volleyball team gets tough first-round draw in playoffs

After a significant second-half struggle to its season, the Park City High School volleyball team is going to the dance and to some, that’s all that really matters.

The road ahead is a tough one, though.

The Miners drew 21-8 Richfield, which won Region 12 by going 9-1 against region foes and is highly-regarded as one of the better teams in 3A.

Park City is facing a difficult draw, but playoff play is a different beast and the Miners have a shot at an upset.

Head coach Katie McLintock, a former collegiate volleyball player, said after her team’s playoff-clinching win over American Leadership Academy that she would plan on doing some video scouting of the team’s next opponent.

Turns out it is the Wildcats.

Park City plays Richfield Friday at 12:30 p.m. at Utah Valley University in Orem.