Orem and Skyridge Reach State Football Finals: Nov. 20 Times, Tickets and What to Know

Utah County will have two teams on the field when the Utah High School Activities Association crowns its big-school football champions on Friday, Nov. 20, 2026. Orem, the No. 2 seed in 5A, ran past No. 14 Woods Cross 56-10 in a mercy-rule semifinal on Friday, Nov. 13, at Rice-Eccles Stadium, and will face undefeated, top-seeded West for the title. A day earlier, top-seeded Skyridge came back from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to beat Herriman 35-34 in the 6A semifinals and will play No. 3 Corner Canyon. This follows our quarterfinal roundup, when Orem and Skyridge were the only Utah County survivors.

All three finals are at Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah. The kickoff times come from the UHSAA's 2026 Rice-Eccles information packet for the 4A, 5A and 6A semifinals and finals. The Deseret News also reported the 11 a.m. start for the 5A final, and the Lehi Free Press reported the 2:30 p.m. start for 6A.

Orem 56, Woods Cross 10 (5A semifinal)

Orem's first two drives set the tone. The Tigers went 80 yards in six plays for an opening touchdown, forced a turnover on downs and scored again on the first snap of their next drive, a long Tanner Lewis touchdown pass to Todd Lewis, according to the Deseret News. That put Orem up 14-0 about three and a half minutes in.

Woods Cross, which had reached the semifinals by upsetting No. 3 Box Elder 29-26 in overtime and No. 6 Alta 31-24, answered with a field goal and then a short touchdown run after its defense forced a fumble near midfield. That made it 14-10, the closest the Wildcats would get. Orem scored four touchdowns in the second quarter to lead 42-10 at halftime, added two more in the third quarter, and the game ended after three quarters under the mercy rule.

The Daily Herald's box score credits Orem's second-quarter scores to a 30-yard pass from Lewis to Brooks Ross, a 14-yard run by Beckham Curtis, a 13-yard run by Hayden Jarvis and a 21-yard pass from Lewis to Curtis. Po Faumui caught two touchdown passes, including a 3-yard score in the third quarter, and Benji Engemann closed the scoring on a 9-yard run.

Lewis, a senior in his first season as the starter according to the Herald, completed 15 of 16 passes for 342 yards and five touchdowns. Ross had five catches for 120 yards. The Herald reported that Orem gained 452 yards on 37 plays through three quarters and scored on eight of nine possessions.

The defense was just as sharp. The Deseret News reported that Orem held Woods Cross to 189 total yards and 41 passing yards, with two sacks, seven tackles for loss and an interception by Tate Coy on a Hail Mary at the end of the third quarter. Senior edge rusher Krew Jones, whom the paper describes as a four-star Oklahoma commit, had a sack.

"We play for each other, we love each other and it doesn't matter who scores," Orem coach Andy Stokes told the Herald. Stokes told the Deseret News the team is "playing our best football right now."

One note on the details: the outlets do not agree on every name. KSL credits one of Lewis's early touchdown passes to a different receiver than the Deseret News and Herald do, and lists Woods Cross as the No. 13 seed. We have followed the Herald's scoring summary and the UHSAA bracket, which shows Woods Cross as No. 14.

Orem is 10-2, according to the Herald and ABC4, and won the 5A title last season.

Skyridge 35, Herriman 34 (6A semifinal)

The Lehi Free Press headline said Skyridge "squeaks by" the Mustangs, which undersells how close it was. The game was played Thursday, Nov. 12, at Rice-Eccles, and Skyridge trailed for most of it.

Skyridge led 14-7 after one quarter on a 10-yard quarterback draw by Jagger Fountaine and a short run by sophomore Ului Faletau, set up by an Eli Mortensen interception, according to the Lehi Free Press. Herriman scored twice in the second quarter to lead 21-14 at halftime. Early in the second half, Skyridge fumbled at the Herriman 5-yard line, and Herriman turned that into a long drive and a field goal for a 24-14 lead, the Deseret News reported.

Fountaine's 57-yard touchdown pass cut it to 24-21. The Deseret News and Daily Herald credit that catch to Trey Harper; the Lehi Free Press credits it to Koa Wallwork, so we can't say for certain who caught it. Herriman senior Filisi Filipe then broke a 61-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 31-21 lead. Fountaine hit Malosi Shepard for a 29-yard score, Herriman kicked a field goal to go up 34-28, and Fountaine finished a 12-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown run with 2:19 left. Evan Kopp's extra point made it 35-34.

Herriman's Logan Gregory returned the next kickoff to the Skyridge 20, but the Mustangs stalled in the red zone, and their go-ahead field goal attempt with about 1:20 left went wide right. Skyridge ran out the clock.

Fountaine, a junior, completed 20 of 34 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more, according to the Deseret News and Herald (the Lehi Free Press has slightly different passing numbers). Filipe ran 40 times for 245 yards and two touchdowns for Herriman, according to the Deseret News. The Lehi Free Press credited Rex Caswell and Sa Tanuvasa with 11 tackles each.

The Deseret News reported that Skyridge was missing seven starters to injury and that eight of its wins this season have been decided by one possession. The Herald noted that Skyridge has not lost since a 41-26 loss to Mountain Ridge in its season opener.

"Belief in ourselves really helped in this game," Fountaine told the Lehi Free Press. Herriman coach Matt Rickards told the Deseret News his team came up short on third downs near the goal line: "We're used to getting touchdowns in those spots, and if we do that, then we probably win."

The opponents: West and Corner Canyon

West (5A). The Panthers are 13-0 after beating No. 4 Bountiful 29-12 in the 11 a.m. semifinal on Nov. 13. The Deseret News reported that it is West's first state championship game since 1992, that West came into the semifinal on five straight shutouts, and that its defense held Bountiful to 137 total yards and minus-19 rushing yards. Quarterback Kamden Lopati hurt a finger on the first possession, freshman Sam Arona filled in on the opening drive, and Lopati returned to throw one touchdown and run for two, according to the Deseret News and ABC4. Orem and West have met in the playoffs before: the Herald noted that Orem beat West 34-7 in last year's semifinals.

Corner Canyon (6A). The Chargers beat No. 2 Mountain Ridge 34-28 on Nov. 12 by intercepting the Sentinels seven times, which the Deseret News said was the most by any team in the state since 2008. Brody Allred returned one 46 yards for a touchdown. The paper reported that a win would give Corner Canyon a fourth straight state title, in Casey Sutera's first year as head coach. It also noted that Skyridge beat Corner Canyon 37-27 earlier this season.

The 4A final and the smaller classes

No Utah County team is left in 4A. Provo's season ended against Skyline in the quarterfinals, and Skyline went on to upset No. 2 Hurricane 24-21 on Friday night; it meets undefeated Ridgeline, which beat Crimson Cliffs 35-10, in the 6:30 p.m. final, according to KSL and ABC4.

The UHSAA runs a different schedule for the smaller schools. Its football page lists the 3A, 2A, 1A and 8-player finals for Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, with semifinals played Nov. 6 and 7 at Zions Bank Stadium. KSL lists the 2A final, San Juan vs. Delta, at 1 p.m. and the 1A final, Duchesne vs. Beaver, at 7 p.m. The Daily Herald reported that no Utah Valley team was left in 3A, 2A, 1A or 8-player after last week.

Tickets and getting to Rice-Eccles

The UHSAA's information packet for the Rice-Eccles games sets out the basics:

• Tickets are online only, through the UHSAA's GoFan page. Prices are $15 for adults and $10 for students, and seniors 65 and older can buy the $10 ticket. Everyone except players and coaches needs a ticket, including band members, cheerleaders and faculty.
• Clear-bag rules apply. Bags, purses and backpacks are not allowed. Small clutches no larger than 6.5 by 4.5 inches are fine, and diaper bags and medical bags are permitted after a search.
• Leave these at home: coolers and thermoses, outside food and drink, umbrellas (the packet recommends ponchos), personal heaters, large stadium seats, artificial noisemakers, confetti, paint and pompoms. The packet also includes a no re-entry section, so plan on staying in once you are through the gate.
• Parking is limited. The packet lists Lots 1, 9 and 40 on a first-come, first-served basis and says campus construction has cut parking near the stadium. It strongly encourages TRAX or FrontRunner and says the event is part of the Ticket to Ride program on TRAX. Check with UTA before you go for how that applies to your trip.
• Accessibility: ADA drop-off is on the southwest side of the stadium near Gate E, where the elevator is. ADA parking is in the west lot and Lots 1, 9 and 40, first come, first served.

The packet gives two different sets of directions for which side home and visiting fans should use, so follow the instructions from Orem or Skyridge before you leave. For the Nov. 20 finals, the higher seed is the designated home team, which makes West the home team in 5A and Skyridge the home team in 6A.

If you plan to take transit up from Utah County, our guides to FrontRunner from Provo and TRAX for Utah County riders cover the connections. Our Rice-Eccles Stadium visitor guide is written for Utah football but covers the stadium and the area around it. November games can be cold, so the general advice in our Utah County high school football guide applies.

How to watch

The UHSAA football page links to live streaming through KSL Sports for every classification. KSL also streamed the Nov. 13 semifinals on its app and KSL5TV, according to its recap, but we did not find a confirmed list of how the finals will be carried. Check KSL Sports on the morning of the games.

Related

• Utah County football playoffs: quarterfinal results
• High school football in Utah County: the complete guide
• High school sports calendar for Utah County
• Orem's high schools, explained
• Lehi High vs. Skyridge High