The Miners football squad was out on the Dozier Field turf Monday before Tuesday’s snow rolled in, blanketing the town. The team worked through the minutiae of the game in a pads-free practice, looking to solidify their game heading into their playoff opener Friday.Friday Park City will take on Bear River out of Garland. The Bears pulled the upset Friday at Timpanogos. Head coach Josh Montzingo was ready for that upset, having watched the entire season of film on Bear River thinking they could pull it off. Specific drills the Miners went through focused on special teams, pass coverage and more. The intensity was palpable, especially from Montzingo and his staff. Park City can’t afford to overlook their opponents, in spite of their 4-7 record and 21st seed. A lot of their losses have been extremely competitive games, and everyone will bring their best ball this time of year. “Next one up, it’s playoffs,” said Montzingo. “They’re a good team, they’re super well coached, they’re big, they’re physical. …They play great defense, and they’ve scored more as the last weeks have gone on. It’s going to be a tough matchup, but it’ll be fun.”Montzingo said keys to the game will be taking care of the football and doing the little things right. The Miners used their home field advantage this season, going 4-0 at home. It should be into the 30’s during the game Friday, something Montzingo smiles and says he’s ready for. Miners head coach Josh Montzingo congratulates players as they come off the field during the team’s win over Cottonwood last Friday. Credit: Park Record file photo by Clayton StewardThe head ball coach thinks his team optimized the bye week last week. He said the team is positive, healthier and more fundamentally sound than before. They also had time to install some added wrinkles to their game. “It’s not like it’s rocket science or major things,” said Montzingo on the new additions. “Little things here and there that I think will just give us a little bit of extra flavor.”The team will continue to lean upon its stars in running back Eli Warner, quarterback Bash Bodily and kicker Tanner Pidwell during their playoff run. Montzingo reminded that success always starts with the team’s line play. Warner is tied for the sixth-most touchdowns in all of Utah and Pidwell hasn’t missed a kick all year. Montzingo is hoping for another trademark Dozier Field playoff atmosphere. The team is pumped up and tends to feed off their crowd. “One week at a time,” said Montzingo. “We never look ahead, that’s that’s a way to trip over yourself. Definitely we give total respect to Bear River, they’re worth our time and attention.”Montzingo’s group is seeking the program’s first state title this year. They desperately want to get the sour taste of last year’s semifinal loss out of their mouths. The rest of this week will be used to prepare physically for Friday’s game. With a win, the Miners will likely advance to play Spanish Fork Nov. 8 on the road. “Being able to execute, being able to hold up, being able to to keep from making metal errors,” said Montzingo on keys to playoff success. “If you can do that, you’re going to give yourself a chance to win every week.”The Bear River game kicks off at 6 p.m. Friday, with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals. The semifinals and finals will be held Nov. 14 and 21 at Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium.Miners quarterback Bash Bodily runs the ball in the first half against Tooele on Thursday, Oct. 10, at Dozier Field. Credit: Park Record file photo by Clayton StewardThe post Miners preparing to open playoffs against Bear River appeared first on Park Record.