Henry Lusk has played in the NFL. He's also played and coached at several collegiate levels — from his glory days at the University of Utah to helping Ron McBride at Weber State to his junior college career. As if his football resume weren't already diverse enough, he can now add "head coach of a Class 1A program" to the top of his job summary list.
That might not sound as glamorous as his previous positions, but Lusk says he is loving life at Layton Christian so far. He took over the third-year program in June for the Eagles' first-ever coach, Sam Russell.
"It's been great," Lusk said. "It's been a lot of work. We took some time to hire some good coaches. We've got a good staff and a good parent group. Everything's been good."
Lusk spent last year as an assistant for the Wildcats under his old coach — he played for McBride in the mid-90s — and then did an internship with the Minnesota Vikings. He'd eventually like to move back up the coaching ladder, but he's not in a hurry. It's helped that since joining the Eagles, everybody has rolled out the red carpet for him.
"I'd love to coach at the pro level. Honestly, I'd love to coach at the college level again. I just felt like at this time, this is the best place to be for me and my family," Lusk said. "The people at Layton Christian are taking care of me better than I ever have been. Me and my family are very happy."
So far, the Eagles have reason to be happy as well. They beat Ogden's junior varsity team 12-7 in their season opener last Saturday, putting them only one win off of their '05 victory mark.
And though still relatively low, roster numbers are way up, having gone from 16 last year to 35 this year. Next season, he hopes to have even more than that.
The team has had three players transfer from Northridge, and they continue to get newcomers from Hill Air Force Base.
"The more, the merrier," Lusk said. "I've got a lot of kids coming into the program in January. We expect the program to grow. We have a lot of kids who wanted to play but didn't. Everything is slowly but surely moving."
Lusk said the opener showed where the Eagles need to make improvements. For instance, he says the team needs to work on the small things: finishing blocks, tackling, communication between receivers and the quarterback. But the win also highlighted one of the team's strengths. The Layton Christian hogs came to play.
"I'm very impressed with our offensive line," Lusk said.
The big boys up front — who average about 250 pounds — include Jared Miller, Jay Funk, Hunter Thompson, Taylor Morris and Daniel Luaupepe.
"Our offensive line is a pretty stable unit," he said, adding that his guys aren't just slow and chubby players taking up space. "Our guys are toned and cut up, running through receiver drills. They're ready to go. They can go four quarters."
They cleared some big holes for running back DJ Lester, who racked up 158 yards rushing. He'll be Layton Christian's leading offensive threat. BJ Porter is handling the quarterback duties and has some talent as well.
Defensively, linebackers Rodney Hamilton, Ken King, Chris Morris (only a freshman) and Luaupepe are some of the key cogs.
Lusk points to the team's summer camp getaway to Paradise in Cache County as being a pivotal week. It was so successful, he said it will become a Layton Christian tradition. He loved having no distractions for a productive week.
"That gave us time to implement our offense, defense, special teams. They had no other focus but football. That was probably the breaking point for us," Lusk said. "We'll do that every year, guaranteed. A lot of high schools don't do that. For us to be a 1A program to be able to do that was a blessing."
Lusk wouldn't put a number on Layton Christian's goals this season. The school won just one game in its inaugural season in 2004, and the Eagles picked up a pair of victories last year.
His main goal, he said, is simply "just improvement" every Friday night.
"If we end up in the playoffs, great," he said. "My thing is just take it week by week. We have the tools. We have the kids to win. I feel if we take care of each week, then all that stuff takes care of itself. We'll just continue to work hard each week and see where we end up."
Layton Christian Eagles 2006 football season preview
Coach: Henry Lusk enters his first season as head coach. The former University of Utah tight end has a wealth of football experience, including playing four years in the NFL. Last year, he helped Ron McBride coach receivers and special teams at Weber State.
Key players: DJ Lester is the Eagles' biggest offensive threat. The running back gained 158 yards in the first week. His production — and the success of quarterback BJ Porter — will be boosted by the school's impressive front line of Jared Miller, Jay Funk, Hunter Thompson, Taylor Morris and Daniel Luaupepe. Rodney Hamilton, Ken King and Chris Morris should be forces on defense.
Strengths: Lusk loves his offensive linemen, who are active and physically fit. He also has put together what he feels is a strong coaching staff, and his football experience figures to only help Layton Christian move up the 1A ranks.
Question marks: With only 35 players, depth is always a concern. The Eagles also need to gel on offense in order to increase their win production.
Last season: 2-6 (1-6 in 1A North), no playoffs
2006 Layton Christian schedule
Aug. 26 — Layton Christian 12, Ogden JV 7
Sept. 1 — at Whitehorse, 7 p.m.
Sept. 8 — at West Wendover, Nev., 7 p.m.
Sept. 15 — ENTERPRISE, 4 p.m.
Sept. 22 — MONTICELLO, 4 p.m.
Sept. 29 — DUCHESNE, 4 p.m.
Oct. 6 — at Rich, 4 p.m.
Oct. 11 — at Milford, 7 p.m.
Oct. 20 — ALTAMONT, 4 p.m.
E-mail: jody@desnews.com