Lone Peak • Chase Hansen, QB

At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, the speculation is that Chase Hansen will one day play safety or linebacker for Utah. But on a high school football field, Hansen is a freakish offensive talent who might be one of the fastest runners on the field and also one of the hardest to bring down.

In Lone Peak's spread offense, Hansen routinely finds receivers in open space who can take it all the way, and with his ability to extend the play, secondaries have to keep on coverage for a longer time than normal. But one of the most feared abilities Hansen has is to take off on a broken-down play.

Fremont • Nick Vigil, RB

This Utah State commit dwarfs many of the players on the field who try to tackle him, and he also has some deceptive speed. That combination is terrifying to defenses looking to stop his 30 to 40 carries per game.

Most of the time, Fremont is content to have Vigil pound it up the middle. As long as he's picking up 5 yards a carry or so, the Silver Wolves can dominate time of possession. But Vigil is also effective running to the outside and occasionally he makes the option pass — as Syracuse found out in overtime last week.

Logan • D.J. Nelson, QB

There's really no right way to defend Nelson — at least, if there is, no one has figured it out. The senior Aggie commit is a true dual threat, racking up almost 5,000 yards in total offense this season and accounting for 71 total touchdowns.

Nelson escapes from would-be sackers with seeming ease, and he can usually break a few tackles on the run. But with his throwing ability, teams can't just guard the box. This season he's found the ability to pick apart secondaries, throwing 48 touchdowns against just six interceptions.

East • Vaha Vainuku, OL/DL

There aren't many 300-pound guys who can run a 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds, but the Leopards boast that kind of athletic talent. The leader is Vainuku, who will be counted upon to anchor the trenches for East this week.

In the run game, he can get down the field in a hurry. He and the other guys on the East line have plowed through opponents to allow Liti Molisi and Jason Cook to both get more than 1,100 yards rushing this year. And on defense, he should be tough to handle, too. The Leopards can get plenty of pressure with only four rushers.

Hurricane • Brian Scott, FB

It's hard to say whether he's tougher on the gridiron, where he's racked up 28 touchdowns, or the wrestling mat, where he's a two-time state champion. Desert Hills will have to worry only about football, but at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, Scott is more than a handful.

He's impossible to tackle the first time, and the second time is usually still difficult. Scott may be the hardest runner to bring down in the state. He doesn't always have the most yards — in the regular-season game against Desert Hills, he had 78 — but the threat he provides helps set up Hurricane's other runners. And when the Tigers have third and short, you know who they're giving the ball to, and you don't want to be in his way.

Desert Hills • Mike Needham, RB

Almost no one in 3A can boast Needham's size and athleticism. He would be a great playmaker in any classification. The Thunder know what kind of talent Needham brings to the field, and they know how to use it.

The senior has about 1,600 yards of total offense this year. He is a tough, hard runner who can beat a man to the corner or simply run him over. But he might be even more dangerous when he gets involved in the passing game. If the Thunder can get a pass to him in open space, he can outrun almost anyone on the way to the end zone.