PROVO — When Timpview superstar defensive end Bronson Kaufusi went down with a season-ending ACL injury in Week 2 of the 2009 prep season, the Thunderbirds unquestionably lost one of the best defensive players — if not the best defensive player — in the entire state.
A four-star recruit, according to scout.com and rivals.com who's committed to BYU, Kaufusi had played an integral role on previous Timpview championship-winning teams.
Losing him was the kind of crushing loss that could've crippled a lot of other teams.
But not mighty Timpview.
Coach Louis Wong simply pointed to the guys behind Kaufusi — in this case Mike Tyler and Ofa Latu — and asked them to go out there and get the job done.
"Coach just expected us to fill the spot, and that's what we did," said Tyler.
It took Tyler and Latu some time to adjust — as it took Timpview's entire defense time to adjust to Kaufusi's absence and other things — but they eventually did precisely what they're coach asked them to do.
Latu wound up moving to linebacker, while Tyler became a key part of the T-Birds' defensive line, which constantly put pressure on heralded quarterback Alex Kuresa during Timpview's convincing 38-21 win over Mountain Crest in the 4A semifinals last week.
That win propelled the T-Birds to the 4A title game for the fourth year in a row, as they'll meet Springville on Friday in Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Some thought that getting back to The Turf would be a difficult proposition for Timpview after Kaufusi went down, but not anybody inside Timpview's football program.
"I'm sure with Bronson, it would maybe be different games," said Tyler. "But I think that everyone is still capable of filling positions and working just as hard and doing just as good."
Wong echoed those sentiments.
"That's the way that they were built, that's the way that they were engineered, and that's the way we do things," said Wong. "When Bronson went down, everybody was sad. Everybody was depressed. I was like, 'Hey, we're gonna give another person an opportunity, and we're gonna trust that person; we're gonna build that person, and we're gonna move on and be just fine.'
"And we have been. It's a belief system. Some people, one person gets hurt and they're done. Not us. We're like, 'Alright, next guy in. It's your turn to shine.'"
Tyler has indeed shined this fall, as have several other Timpview defenders. The defensive schemes that the T-Birds run aren't easy to learn by any means, but that doesn't seem to faze them.
"I think we're a little more complex" than most defenses, said Wong. "We have more looks up front than most teams. We have a more complicated coverage package. Plus, I think we have a more complicated blitz package.
"If you're on the other side looking at us — what we do — you're like, 'How can (they) do all these things.' Which means they have to spend a lot of time on it ... (But) our kids are very intelligent. That's something that maybe makes up for lack of speed or something else.
e-mail: drasmussen@desnews.com