David Hastings and Don Kenyon weren't part of the losing the past couple years at Lehi and Ben Lomond, but they inherited that reality when they were each named head coach of their respective football programs earlier this year.
As much as they talked about a fresh start, until the schools actually went out and won, the perception of losing wasn't really going to change internally or externally.
On a night filled with surprises around the state in the opening weekend of the 2001 high school football season, Hastings and Kenyon took the first step toward changing the culture of losing at Lehi and Ben Lomond by snapping the two longest losing streaks in the state.
Lehi snapped its 26-game losing streak by rallying for a 32-24 victory over Timpanogos.
Ben Lomond did the same by scoring 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to sneak past Union 14-6 to halt its 17-game losing skid.
"It was really big, we knew as a staff how important the game was. We thought it was a big game for us on many levels; the community, the kids, the seniors, but also for our confidence," said Hastings.
A head coach the past five years up at Sugar Salem in Idaho, Hastings tried to instill a belief in his players from the moment he took the job that they could be successful with hard work. From what he'd seen throughout the summer, he believed a season-opening victory against Timpanogos was very possible.
Hastings was particularly proud of his team's perseverance, as it fell behind on three different occasions in the first half.
Jake Benson led the way in the victory with 168 yards and three touchdowns.
When Kenyon was named Ben Lomond's head coach in late April, he immediately tried to change the culture of losing by instituting three pursuits of excellence. The first was in the classroom, the second was with conditioning and weightlifting and the third was on the practice field.
Conditioning made a big difference against Union, with many players on both teams playing ironman football. The Cougars seemed to tire as the game wore on, while Ben Lomond looked much sharper, scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter.
Kenyon knows the victory and snapping the long losing streak are a big deal to the school and the community. It's the fresh start he was hoping for.
"It's a new beginning, the old Ben Lomond is gone," said Kenyon. "Especially with the seniors, we told them you're setting the standard and tradition."
For both Lehi and Ben Lomond, it was a dream start.
MORE FIRSTS: Lehi and Ben Lomond weren't the only schools halting lengthy losing skids on Friday night.
Copper Hills and Canyon View also put winless 2010 seasons behind them with opening night victories. Canyon View beat Juab 28-13 to end its 14-game losing streak while Copper Hills beat Taylorsville 27-18 to halt its 13-game slide.
On the flip side, all five defending state champions padded their winnings streaks with victories on Friday.
Bingham won its 25th straight game, the third-longest streak in state history, with a win over West Jordan. San Juan extended its streak to 21 straight, followed by Juan Diego with 13 straight, Duchesne with 11 straight and Highland with six straight.
FOR STARTERS: Of the 16 schools that were being led by new coaches on Friday, 10 picked up victories.
In addition to Hastings and Kenyon, the other first-year winning coaches were: Roy's Fred Fernandes, Bonneville's Randy Johnson, Olympus' Aaron Whitehead, Alta's Bob Stephens, Diamond Ranch's Robbie Dias, Granger's Alex Gehrke, North Summit's Devin Smith and Wasatch's Craig Davis.
Email: jedward@desnews.com
Prep football rankings
Class 5A
Team Rec. Pv.
1. Bingham 1-0 1
2. Alta 1-0 2
3. Lone Peak 1-0 4
4. Jordan 1-0 —
5. Davis 0-0 5
Class 4A
Team Rec. Pv.
1. Highland 1-0 2
2. Mtn. Crest 1-0 3
3. Timpview 0-1 1
4. East 1-0 —
5. Logan 1-0 —
Class 3A
Team Rec. Pv.
1. Juan Diego 1-0 1
2. Hurricane 1-0 2
3. Dixie 1-0 —
4. Pine View 0-1 3
5. Spanish Fork 1-0 5
Class 2A
Team Rec. Pv.
1. San Juan 1-0 1
2. Millard 1-0 2
3. Manti 1-0 3
4. South Summit 1-0 4
5. Richfield 1-0 —
Class 1A
Team Rec. Pv.
1. Duchense 1-0 1
2. Rich 0-0 2
3. Diamond Ranch 1-0 5
4. Monticello 0-1 3
5. Milford 0-0 —