October 21, 2026 - 12:09 pm

Sunrise Mountain has played in one championship football game since the school opened, and Valley hasn’t played in one since 1987. One of them will walk off the field with a title Friday night.

Thanks to this year’s new Superintendent’s Cup format , lower-tier large schools have enjoyed parity at their own level that has enabled quality, competitive football. The Miners (8-1) and the Vikings (6-2) have risen to the top and will square off at 6 p.m. Friday at Sunrise Mountain for a Division III championship game.

Miners coach Patrick Achord was not a fan of the mayhem that led to the new playoff format, but he likes the final result.

“I hated how we initially did this, how it happened. But I thought it was the right move,” said Achord, whose team overcame a 15-point deficit last week to beat Bonanza 16-15 in the semifinals.…