After cleaning up in the inagural 2010 campaign, going a perfect 5 for 5, the Guru looks to maintain his umblemished prophecy of pigskin in week two.

Two games involved the travel factor. Dixie at Bear River and Morgan at Snow Canyon. The Guru has done much research, being one that travels worldwide and living in huts, under trees in the rainforest and even in Rexburg, Idaho…The Guru knows how to get around. So long distances to travel are always a major disadvantage, regardless of the team that you play. Therefore, being the home team with the dark jerseys will show prevailing winds on Friday.

Dixie at Bear River - No question Dixie came out of the gates last week against Springville and played an inspiring game against a team with a heavy heart, losing a teammate to an accidents a few weeks before the season.  However, two things will make things difficult to get a win in lovely Garland, Utah. One, the distance in travel is substantial (662 kilometers, that is how the Guru rolls) or around 400 miles. It will take seven to eight hours. Also, perhaps even more importantly, Dixies best player will not put on a helmet, nursing a bruised wing.  Bear River has been down a bit the past two years, but were one of the top schools in 3A periannaly. Bears win 24-21

Morgan at Snow Canyon 475 kilometers is a bit much (359 miles) for a team that is not necessarily that good to begin with. The Trojans will be fine in their Region and make the playoffs again, but Snow Canyon will rebound after a poor performance a week ago and win 17-16

Hurricane at Delta. Will a major win over a 5A school go to the Tigers head? Will a #1 ranking in the state inflate egos already on helium? It could. Three years ago, HHS went into Delta 1-0, just came off a nice win and got their helmets handed to them by the Rabbits. Delta also beat them on the Tigers turf in the playoffs that year 6-0. Delta lost 5 games that year. Hurricane certainly has the tools to win big, but if they can’t get their helmets on due to an enlarged ego, they could become deflated quickly. The Guru likes that Robert Reeve has moved to the wing position, especially if he can turn the corner on the sweep plays like a Jarom Ewell did a few years ago. On paper, or on a computer screen, Hurricane has too many tools not to win. Delta is young and does not have the depth of the Hurricane team. Tigers stay inflated and undefeated 20-3

After about 268 days of eating nothing but bark, honey, leaves and the rare splurge of peanut butter and mayonaise sandwiches, the GURU has got his pigskin prediction properly prepared and polished for another autumn season. After nailing 87% of all games a year ago, the GURU is poised to crack the 90% barrier in 2010. 

The 2010 season has a Yogi Berra look to it: deja vu all over again. The good teams are still really good and it is going to be tough to break through to the elite of the Beehive State. Bingham is going to dominate 5A, Timpview is a lock in 4A and otehr teams such as Mountain Crest, Hurricane, Juan Diego and Lone Peak are going to be very good and contend for the hardware in November.

So the Guru has taken to games of interest far and wide and will accurately prophesy of their outcome:

Brighton at Davis. Last year this was a game that Davis planned on cruising through, yet got spanked 24-0 by the Bengals. It really shook up the Darts as it is their only non-Region 1 game of the schedule. Davis played very well the rest of the year and made it to the final dance. This year, coach Ryan Bishop’s group will not overlook Brighton and Troy Hinds will dominate any Bengal runner. DAVIS 17, Brighton 3 

Skyline vs. Hurricane This proves to one of the most interesting games in the state. On paper and tradition, Skyline should walk over the Tigers. They are a 5A school that is playing a 3A school. The Eagles have some excellent running backs that could cause some serious problems for a Tiger defense that is less that tested. A year ago, Skyline got out to a 21-0 advantage before most people walked through the ticket stand. Then they went to sleep and the Tigers outscored Skyline 14-6 in the final three quarters.  Skyline has two challenges. One, they will have just a few people in attendance cheering them on and more importantly, it will be over 100 degrees come kick off. Both will play a factor early, but as the temperature declines, the Eagles will soar. Hurricane must get out to an early lead to win this game. They must control the ball and must win the turnover battle. If the Tigers win the turnover battle and the rushing yards total, they will win this game. The Tigers have a tremendous kicking game that will help them. They have a rabid fan base that really thinks this is the year of the Tiger. Those are alot of musts, which also includes stopping Andy Rounds, who had a big game last year. So who wins? Watch for a Skyline come back late in the game, a late touchdown that will cause indigestion and then a missed extra point that will send cheers throughout Washington County. Hurricane will prevail, barely, 17-16.

Pine View at East. Critical game for both schools. East has a new coach, with a new offensive scheme. Pine View has been a powerhouse that has stubbed its toe the last season or two. Always tough to go on the road and win, especially when you have to travel more than four hours. East has a QB that has impressed colleges enough to get an offer from Navy, without playing a down in a new offense. The Guru knows this is a statement game for the remainder of the season. East has a tough enough schedule with their Region 6 opponents that they can’t afford a non-region loss. Watch for a turnover late in the game to preserve a Leopard win 10-7.

Layton at Bonneville. The Lakers have really gotten a lot of pre-season love from the fishwrap in 2010. Layton is looked at as a middle of the road team in Region 1. Well, the Guru likes the Lancers to spank the Lakers just as they did last year. Layton is going to be a surprising good team this year and will start it off by beating Bonneville 24-10 come Friday.

Desert Hills at Emery. The Thunder have some things to prove and Emery is a good team to begin proving. Despite a horribly long road trip, DH will score early and often, pounding the Spartans 50-14.

Check out the 2010 Tiger preview here.  Don’t hesititate to make your comments be known.  Follow us on facebook and twitter@totalutahpreps

Two great games will headline the opening kickoff for totalUTAHpreps.com 4th season on Friday. Two teams that reached the state finals games will be in action, exclusively on totalUTAHpreps.com.

5A runner-up Davis will battle Brighton while 3A finalist Hurricane will face a rematch with Skyline. The Darts, who won Region 1 last year and cruised through the playoffs before hitting the wall with Bingham have a load of weapons returning for coach Ryan Bishop. Leading the charge is senior QB Gavin Fowler. Starting for his third year, Fowler knows how to generate points and will have to do so in order for the Darts to contend in a difficult Region. Junior Troy Hinds will lead the defensive battles again. The highly recruited Hinds will anchor the “D” in the Darts defense.  Listen to Ron Adams Friday with the call.

Hurricane looks to upset 5A Skyline on Friday. The Tigers were a bit shell shocked last year, quickly going down 21-0 before taking a breath in their battle with the Eagles. Hurricane outscored Skyline 14-6 the remainder of the game and statistically outplayed Skyline outside of the scoreboard. Hurricane will enjoy the benefit of playing on their home field in 2010 and will have the weather advantage, practicing in the unbearable heat all summer. Temperatures are expected to be in triple digits come game time. Look for the Tigers to attempt to wear down the Eagles with a double dose of Robert Reeve and Jarom Healey. The two running backs each ran for over 700 yards in 2009 and will likely continue the same pace in 2010. Listen to Travis Brunstad and Brad Christensen with the call.

Switch-hitting superstar Marcus Littlewood came to terms Tuesday with the Seattle Mariners and agreed to a $900,000 contract. Littlewood was the 67th pick overall in the 2010 Major League Baseball draft in June.

He was the two-time Mr. Baseball designated by the Deseret News. The infielder hit .538, eight home runs and 10 doubles for the Panthers. For more on Littlewood, click here and here.

Littlewood is the highest position player ever to be taken out of Utah.

In today’s edition of the Deseret News, click here, the staff writers have come up with their version of the top teams in the state for the 2010 football season. In no surprise, top teams from the 2009 season blanket the lists and rightly so. These teams (Bingham, Alta, Davis, Timpview, Juan Diego) have established programs that will weather graduation and depth issues.

Bingham is nearly impossible to go against. They have the likely “Mr. Football” with all-state running back Harvey Langi and multiple D1 prospects. Alta will give the Miners a major challenge in 2010, but Bingham is hands down the team to beat in 5A.

Timpview went through an up and down year, even though the up’s concluded a state title in a washed down 4A classification. Springville played very well under Coach Scott Mitchell and made it to the title game before losing 35-6. The T-Birds have won four straight titles under Coach Louis Wong and have no reason to believe that it won’t be five in a row come late November.

The Deseret News has put back-to-back champ Juan Diego as the front runner in 3A. They have defeated Hurricane in the championship game in both years. It is totalUTAHpreps.com opinion that those roles will be reversed this year and the Tigers may be the one on top. With key players returning and an experienced offense, Hurricane may be the team in front.

Some teams to keep your eye on this year. Desert Hills will give the Tigers everything they can handle in Region 9 and will go very deep in the playoffs. Davis has key players back from their Region 1 title and did make it to the championship game in ‘09. Don’t be surprised if they poised Darts get their again.  Mountain Crest has perhaps the best QB in the state this year with BYU-bound Alex Kuresa who has a big arm. He is good enough for them to challenge Timpview.

ST. GEORGE - Pine View superstar Marcus Littlewood has been drafted in the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft in the second round to the Seattle Mariners.

He becomes one of the highest drafted players ever to come out of the Beehive State. For more on Littlewood, click here.  For the official MLB video on Littlewood,

Pine View superstar Marcus Littlewood is likely to be drafted in the early rounds of the June Major League Baseball draft. The four-year starter and Mr. Baseball from Utah in 2009, is having another steller season for the Panthers.

Littlewood played for Team USA’s 16-under team in the Youth Pan-Am Games in September of 2008, and hit a bases-clearing double to lead his team to a 7-3 win over Mexico in the gold medal game.  For more on the future of Littewood, click here

photo courtesy of the Deseret News

Davis came out early and took it to Clearfield, winning 9-2 in a Region 1 battle Tuesday.

For more on this game, click here

OGDEN - Davis holds on to advance to the 5A Finals, 48-46 Friday at the Dee Events Center. Defensive specialist Blake Gardner makes his only points of the game, hitting two free throws with 0.3 seconds left to secure the win.

The Grizzlies had two turnovers in the final minute and Davis took advantage on the second turnover. Gardner stole the ball with five seconds left and was fouled, went to the line and hit the free throws.  Davis will now play the winner of Alta/Fremont Saturday @ 1:30. 

The Darts hit just 16 of 53 shots and still won the game. Landon Horne scored 14 points and Tallon Burton added 12.