They’re excited to be 3-0, but we didn’t play very well last night. It was kind of somber, which is good, I think. – Tooele coach Kyle Brady
It was a relatively somber bus ride home for Tooele’s football team, which seems odd.
The Buffaloes trounced Canyon View 52-35 to improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2000, and the players should’ve been thrilled. They have loftier goals than just preseason success, though, and nobody could ignore the reality of stupid penalties, turnovers and several blown coverages.
“They’re excited to be 3-0, but we didn’t play very well last night. It was kind of somber, which is good, I think. They’re starting to realize if we play well we can beat some good teams,” said Tooele coach Kyle Brady.
Three weeks is a small sample size, but there’s certainly something different about this year’s Tooele team.
Not only is the program 3-0 for the first time since Brady was a sophomore at Tooele, but it’s done so by beating teams it’s struggled against in recent memory.
Tooele opened the season with a 31-6 trouncing of Cyprus, a team it had lost to five straight times dating back to 2005.
In Week 2 it beat Grantsville 21-0, arguably the most important victory in Brady’s four-year tenure at his alma mater. The win snapped a four-game losing skid against the rival Cowboys, and gave the Buffaloes loads of confidence heading down to Canyon View on Friday.
“I think every win’s important, but that was a big one for us,” said Brady. “To be able to beat them and shut them out like they did to us the previous year was big for us.”
Next up is a region-opener at Bear River next Friday, a game that’s likely been circled on the calendar all summer.
“We’ve talked all season (that) these preseason games don’t matter. They’re just a tune-up for region. We’re really looking forward to trying to get a home playoff game this year and doing well in region,” said Brady.
Bear River beat Tooele 62-48 in the region opener last season as quarterback JarDee Neesen passed for 492 yards and seven touchdowns.
That’s a big reason why blown coverages against Canyon View were so frustrating. Bear River will exploit those all night if Tooele doesn’t clean it up defensively.
“Going up to Bear River is always tough. It’s a longer drive and they play really, really well up there. They have great support. They’re always going to be one of the better teams in our region,” said Brady.
The region schedule doesn’t let up after Bear River either, with games against Park City, Juan Diego and Stansbury the next three weeks.
High school football rankings
Class 5A
Team Rec. Pv.
1. Bingham 2-1 1
2. Brighton 3-0 2
3. Jordan 3-0 3
5. Riverton 3-0 5
4. Pleasant Grove 2-1 —
Class 4A
Team Rec. Pv.
1. Timpview 3-0 1
2. Corner Canyon 3-0 4
3. Woods Cross 3-0 3
4. East 1-2 2
5. Roy 3-0 5
Class 3AA
Team Rec. Pv.
1. Desert Hills 3-0 1
2. Pine View 2-1 2
3. Cedar 3-0 4
4. Tooele 3-0 5
5. Snow Canyon 2-1 —
Class 3A
Team Rec. Pv.
1. Judge 2-1 2
2. Morgan 2-0 3
3. Juab 2-1 1
4. Manti 2-1 4
5. Union 3-0 5
Class 2A
Team Rec. Pv.
1. North Summit 3-0 1
2. South Summit 2-1 2
3. San Juan 3-0 3
4. Beaver 3-0 4
5. Millard 2-1 —
Class 1A
Team Rec. Pv.
1. Duchesne 1-2 1
2. Rich 0-2 2
3. Kanab 1-2 3
4. Diamond Ranch 1-2 4
5. Monticello 1-1 5
Deseret News prep editor and Real Salt Lake beat writer.