Note: Diamond Ranch finished with a 7-5 overall record in 2014 and first in 1A South with a 4-0 record. It lost to Rich 20-0 in 1A championship.
HURRICANE — The preseason storyline at Diamond Ranch Academy had become like a broken record, every year sounding like this:
“It’s a boarding school, so kids often don’t stay for multiple years, meaning head football coach Robbie Dias will have an entirely new team this fall and they’ll have to learn how to play together.”
You can say goodbye to that sentence in 2015.
On the heels of a berth in last year’s 1A state championship game, the Diamondbacks will return nine players, by far the most in school history dating back to 2011.
“It’s been kind of exciting,” Dias said. “It’s definitely the first time that this has ever happened. With as well as we did last year, we got some guys excited about coming back and being a part of it...it’s not easy to be there, and yet I’ve got these guys that are wanting to come back to focus on schooling, sports and weightlifting and put distractions aside.”
Prior to last season, Dias said his team had the most talent of any he’s coached at Diamond Ranch, and he’s looking forward to seeing what the group can do in 2015 now that it has had time to jell together.
“Now I have a team that already knows what we’re talking about,” he said. “Finally I get a team like a normal high school does...we’re way excited not just for the fact that we’ve got some talented guys, but we’ve got some experience and we’re starting to get that team kind of feel. We’ve never had that. We’re way excited.”
One position that will be played by a newcomer is quarterback, but Dias is very praiseworthy of the guy who will fill that role, Thomas McCann.
Throughout summer camps, Dias says McCann has shown the ability to stay calm, read defenses and make different kinds of throws.
“I’ve been super impressed,” Dias said. “He’s definitely the best quarterback Diamond Ranch has ever seen.”
If McCann proves to be timely and on target with his passes, an experienced group of receivers is ready to catch them.
Nick Johnson grabbed the game-winning touchdown in crunch time of the semifinals last year, Dumar Perez was solid and Maurice Lee is someone Dias is counting on to have a breakout year. Bowen Sykes will be at tight end.
But it’s the ground game that has Dias particularly excited, as both Aaron Kern and Kaelin Kyles will be back. Kern will get the lion’s share of the carries, but Kyles will provide a nice change of pace from the shifty Kern.
“Aaron’s one to make a move on you,” Dias said, “but Kaelin likes to go north and south.”
Making the whole machine go will be an offensive line that Dias hopes can be special. Anchoring the unit will be tackle Dallas McRae, but Sam Nipp and Dave Burton will also look to assert their wills.
“We have a really good O-line this year,” Dias said. “I’m excited about the group of guys we have. I would say we’re solid across the line. There’s no one that I’m concerned about or worried that they can’t do the job. I think everybody can...we’re definitely bigger than we’ve been in the past, but they also work hard and know what they’re doing. I’m excited for that group of guys.”
Perhaps more important to the Diamondbacks’ success will be the performance of those players in the defensive trenches.
“We’ve had a hard time with the Wing-T and teams that run up the middle,” Dias said of seasons past. “This year we’re really working on it. We have the size in my opinion to fill gaps and control the line of scrimmage. That’s going to be the difference-maker this season. If you’re gonna win it, you have to be able to control the line, and that’s one thing we’re hoping we have.”
Of course part of that responsibility will be with the linebackers, and in that vein, Dias is looking forward to the play of Nipp and Jack Dowdell.
Nipp was on the roster a year ago, but Dias said he’s come into his own during the offseason. Dias said Dowdell “is probably one of the best linebackers I’ve ever seen.”
The secondary will feature two hard hitters at safety in Kern and Trevor Alvarez, while Johnson and Perez will play cornerback.
After seeing miscues on special teams cost his squad multiple times in last year’s playoffs, Dias said a great deal of attention has been given to that facet of the game, and he’s looking forward to seeing what kicker Cory Lewis can provide.
“In my opinion, we need to be state champs,” Dias said. “We should be state champions. There’s no question we have the ability to do it. It’s just if our boys’ heads can be right...playing together, not playing like a family has always been Diamond Ranch’s downfall. If we fix that, in my opinion, we should definitely be in that state championship game again and be very competitive this season.”
Diamond Ranch Diamondbacks at a glance
Head coach: Robbie Dias is entering his fifth season as Diamond Ranch’s head coach. He has amassed a 25-20 record. He’s a graduate of Dixie High School.
Offense: (8 returning starters, spread offense)
Offensive coordinator: Cody Wardle (fifth year as assistant)
Returning offensive starters
Aaron Kern (RB)
Kaelin Kyles (RB)
Sam Nipp (OL)
Dumar Perez (WR)
Trevor Alvarez (WR)
Bowen Sykes (TE)
Nick Johnson (WR)
Maurice Lee (WR)
Offensive newcomers to watch
Dallas McRae (OL)
Thomas McCann (QB)
Dave Burton (OL)
Defense (7 returning starters, 4-3-4 defense)
Defensive coordinator: Robbie Dias
Returning defensive starters
Aaron Kern (FS)
Kaelin Kyles (LB)
Sam Nipp (LB)
Dumar Perez (DB)
Trevor Alvarez (S)
Bowen Sykes (DE)
Nick Johnson (DB)
Defensive newcomers to watch
Jack Dowdell (LB)
Mateo Verdugo (DL)
Coaches preseason Region 1A South straw poll: Second
Deseret News Region 1A South prediction: Second
Bottom line: Everything is shaping up for the Diamondbacks to make a serious run at the state title. In particular, a big offensive line will help make the whole offense work, especially a ground game that would likely be effective even with a smaller line in front of it. The wild card on offense will be McCann. His success or struggles could go a long way in determining how far Diamond Ranch advances in the playoffs. The defense should be solid all the way around, but stopping the run will certainly be key against 1A powerhouses Rich and Duchesne.
Last 4
2014 — 7-5 (4-0 in Region 1A South – 1A Runner-up)
2013 — 6-6 (3-1 in Region 1A South – 1A Semifinals)
2012 — 7-4 (4-0 in Region 1A North – 1A Quarterfinals)
2011 — 5-5 (2-4 in 1A – 1A Quarterfinals)
Diamond Ranch coaching history
2011-current — Robbie Dias (25-20)
Deseret News First Team all-staters the past 10 years
2014 — Kaelin Kyles, RB/LB
2014 — Nick Johnson, WR/DB
2014 — Ryan Gardiner, WR/DB
2014 — Aaron Kerns, WR/DB
2014 — Steve Hoffman, OL/DE
2013 — Saxon Mingus, QB/LB
2013 — Levi Dustin, RB/DB
2013 — Braeden Burnside, WR/DB
2011 — Kyle Atchison, QB/DB
To view second team and honorable mention all-staters through the years, check out the Deseret News All-State Archives.
Pleasant Grove 2014 Stat Recap
Ryan McDonald is a part-time reporter at the Deseret News. Follow him on Twitter @ryanwmcdonald.