The Miners football team may have just come up with a huge senior night win on Thursday night over Timpanogos, but that doesn’t mean the team took too much time to celebrate. With their regular-season finale coming up on Wednesday night against Uintah, Park City got right back to business Friday and Monday, hitting the athletic training and film rooms, respectively.
The Miners will look to solidify their playoff seeding Wednesday in what looks to be a very winnable game. Park City will travel the nearly two-and-a-half hours east at 5-4 to take on their 1-8 foes. Head coach Josh Montzingo said he sees the game as another opportunity to attack both the team’s opponent and goals.
Uintah is coming off a devastating loss at Provo on Friday night. They’ll have one fewer days rest than the Miners and be fighting for their postseason lives rather than seeding. Uintah has struggled to move the ball this season through either the air or on the ground, following a successful 2024 season where much of their production graduated. On defense, they have a few good high-volume tacklers, which Montzingo is confident his team can attack with their stars.
“It’s not so bad,” Montzingo said about the travel, new this year as part of Region 8. “We just leave a little bit early from school, head out in the afternoon and get there with enough time to walk around, shake our legs out and get ready for the game.”
Montzingo said Uintah has some good size. He understands the urgency of playing a clean game, getting the win and heading into the playoffs healthy and in the best position possible. The Miners have only won back-to-back games once this season, after having two separate five-game winning streaks last year.
“It’s at their place, they don’t have to travel or anything, so it’ll be another regional battle out there,” Montzingo said. “We need to finish strong, win two games in a row here and go into the playoffs kind of rocking and rolling.”
Montzingo wants the Miners offense to be hitting their stride come playoff time and the defense firing on all cylinders, as they have been. Park City has only given up 16 points over their last two games.
Ranked eighth in 4A, a win over Uintah would likely secure the Miners that spot and, with it, a first round playoff bye. With the bye, Park City would focus on sharpening what they do well, not try to reinvent the wheel. If the Miners lose and drop out of the eight spot, they’ll have to play a first round playoff game on Dozier Field next Friday and potentially go on the road for round two.
“When you go to the playoffs, a couple things you need are a little bit of luck and health,” Montzingo said. “Right now, we’re getting healthier, and we’re about as healthy as we’ve been, and we want to stay that way, but you can’t play scared, soft and not get hurt. You’ve got to just go out there and execute, and then whatever’s going to happen is going to happen.”
The Miners won’t fret too much about things they can’t control such as injuries, the ranking system — which takes into account their past opponent’s wins and losses — and playoff seeding. Last season, Park City was the fifth seed, winning their first-round game before falling on the road in the quarterfinals. The team knows those who play first round in the playoffs can also come into the second round a bit more in form.
“All we can control is making sure we get another win,” Montzingo said. “We’ll just see what happens. … Hoping to be one of those top eight and get a bye, it’s a nice luxury if we can do it.”