Note: Layton finished with a 2-8 overall record in 2014 and seventh in Region 1 with an 0-6 record. It did not qualify for the playoffs.
LAYTON — The 2014 season wasn't much fun for anyone associated with the Layton High School football program.
Players, coaches and fans felt increasingly frustrated with the way things went last year, as narrow, disheartening defeats piled up and injuries to key personnel took their toll on the Lancers' proud program.
No one was more disappointed in their 2-8 overall showing, which included a winless 0-6 mark in Region 1, than their classy, veteran head coach Jim Batchelor, who begins his 11th year at the helm with renewed optimism, determination and faith in his team.
"I was pretty frustrated with last year's season. I was definitely not very happy with it," Batchelor said. "I thought we'd be better and then we had some key injuries and wound up being very, very young. We were competitive, we just could not find ways to win.
"I take it hard, and I think most of my coaches do, too. We always approach each season positively. We look at our kids and look at the way they work, and we think 'Yeah, we've got a chance.' And sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn't.
"This year, we've got a lot of guys who were starters for us last year, and they were competitive," he said. "But a lack of experience hurt us. We'd be in positions to win and couldn't quite get over the hump. Hopefully, that experience will pay off for them this year."
Indeed, with a total of 15 returning starters — eight on offense, seven on defense — experience should become one of the Lancers' strengths this season. Many of those young men got their baptism by fire last year, and they're likely looking at the upcoming season as a great opportunity for payback for all the frustration they felt in 2014.
Coach Batchelor certainly likes what he's seen so far.
"I feel pretty good about the way these kids have come together," he said. "They like each other, they are tight as a group, and now we're hoping that all the experience from a year ago pays off for us. For a lot of those kids, it was their first time in a varsity game, and they were just not used to the speed of the game. They came up from the sophomore or J.V. level, and when they stepped on the field, sometimes it could be a little overwhelming.
"So we struggled a little bit last year. We were up on Davis and Northridge, and they both came back and beat us. We did not have quite enough experience and the maturity we needed to win those games.
"I'm cautiously optimistic this year," Batchelor said. "I think we have some ability, and I think we have a good chance to be competitive this year. One of the things I like is I think we have more depth. I think we have more depth this year than we've had in a couple of years."
Indeed, with the school's enrollment on the rise, Layton's participation numbers are well over a hundred this year. And many of these young men have already been in the program for a year or two, so now they know what to expect and should be ready to roll on Friday nights.
At quarterback, junior Tayler Katoa returns after stepping into the starting role last season when Steel Roberts got injured. He wound up passing for 295 yards and six touchdowns and running for a hundred yards and three more scores despite seeing limited time at QB.
But the potential is certainly there, and he's already received scholarship offers from BYU, Utah, Utah State and Oregon State.
Katoa also started last season at defensive end, where he had 35 tackles and three sacks. And as the signal caller on offense, he's a big, strong, athletic kid who can run it and throw it.
"Tayler came in in the Weber game and from there, it was go time," Batchelor said. "We threw him right into the fire and now he's the guy.
"He's a little bit of a combo of both run and pass. Last year he was running for his life because we were a little thin on the offensive line, but he's got a really good arm and he does run the ball well. I think if people are gonna try to sell out on the run, I think he can hurt 'em with the pass as well."
Katoa will also still play defensive end "in certain situations," Batchelor said. "He's too good not to."
Keoni Larsen, a hard-working senior, will be the team's top running back after churning for a team-leading 655 yards and three touchdowns last season, including a 207-yard, two-TD performance in a preseason win over Clearfield.
At fullback, powerful senior Hayden Barton will be the starter.
"He's by far the strongest kid in the program," Batchelor said of the somewhat undersized but mighty stout Barton. "I know he's not huge by any means, but he's one of those freakishly strong kids. He likes the weight room, he hits the weights hard and he's a strong kid."
Julian Blackmon, a smooth senior who helped lead the Lancers to the 5A state championship in basketball last spring, returns at wide receiver, where he had 27 catches for 464 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Blackmon, who also starts at cornerback, recently committed to play his college football at the University of Utah.
Blackmon will be joined at the wideout spot by Jairen Clayton, a lanky 6-foot-4 senior who will help give the Lancers a solid one-two punch at wide receiver. Like Blackmon, Clayton is also a two-way returning starter, as he was the Lancers' starter at free safety last season.
A pair of juniors, Karson Murray and Declan Brown, are also being counted on to provide depth at the wideout spot.
At the slot position, senior Koy Cannon is another one who's already got two seasons as a starter under his belt.
Cannon had 21 catches for 205 yards and three touchdowns last year, and he also started at cornerback last year but has been moved to a safety spot on defense this year. Backing him up at the slot spot is senior Daxton Cheshire.
On the offensive line, the Lancers have an abundance of riches when it comes to returning starters, as senior guard Nameri Nuusila, junior guard Dylan Tucker and senior tackle Riley Peterson are all back to help lead the way.
Micah Vuki, a 6-4 junior who has shown plenty of promise, will start at the other tackle position, while three juniors are battling for the starting job at center.
On the defensive line, senior Chris Staton will start at tackle alongside either Nuusila or Tucker, and senior Chris Thornley will be at defensive end along with newcomer Jared VanSchyndel, a 6-5, 225-pound junior who has stepped up and is showing signs of coming around as a player.
At linebacker, Larsen is a three-year starter on the outside, and he piled up 34 tackles and a sack last season. Luis Reyes, a senior, will start in the middle, and the other starting outside linebacker spot will be filled by either seniors Kaden Flint, Ben Masters and Ethan Park, or junior Austin Clem.
The defensive backfield has plenty of experience, with the athletic and versatile Blackmon (25 tackles last year) at one cornerback spot, Clayton (who had 33 tackles last season) at free safety and Cannon (17 tackles in 2014) at the strong safety spot.
The other cornerback position will be manned by senior Evan Winkler, who stepped up this spring, with his younger brother, junior Garrett Winkler, providing depth in the secondary.
Layton has been moved into a newly aligned Region 2, where the Lancers will line up against Davis County rivals Davis, Syracuse and Viewmont, along with Hunter, Granger and West.
"I like the league," Batchelor said. "There's the four people that we know -- us, Syracuse, Davis and Viewmont — and we've played Hunter for the last several years in an endowment game. And we know they're gonna be tough; they always are. They're big and physical and they run smash-mouth right at you.
"We don't know much about West and Granger, but I know every year they've got some kids that are big and physical and athletic. So I think it's going to be a very competitive league."
Batchelor agrees with the preseason poll that lists Davis High as the team to beat in Region 2.
"I think you've got to look at Davis as always being one of the top teams," he said in sizing up the region race. "They have so many quality players that they're always going to be up there near the top and always competing for a region championship.
"Syracuse has always been consistently good for the last six or seven years, and they've always been pretty solid. And I think Viewmont's gonna be good. (Second-year head coach Scott Ditty) has been doing a good job and I think their younger programs were pretty respectable. So I think they'll be better this year.
"I don't see anybody that gets a week off. It doesn't look like it changed much from our old league," he said. "So I think it'll be competitive again."
And come October, if they have something to say about it, Coach Batchelor and the Lancers aim to to be right in the thick of things for a state playoff spot.
Layton Lancers at a glance
Head coach: Jim Batchelor enters his 11th season as Layton's head coach. He has a 49-61 overall record at the school, which is also his alma mater. He's a graduate of Weber State University.
Offense (8 returning starters; Pistol formation)Offensive coordinator: Jim Batchelor (11th year at the school)
Returning offensive starters
Tayler Katoa (QB)
Keoni Larsen (RB)
Julian Blackmon (WR)
Jairen Clayton (WR)
Koy Cannon (Slot)
Dylan Tucker (OG)
Nameri Nuusila (OG)
Riley Peterson (OT)
Offensive newcomers to watch
Hayden Barton (FB)
Micah Vuki (OT)
Karson Murray (WR)
Declan Brown (WR)
Daxton Cheshire (Slot)
Defense (7 returning starters; 4-3 formation)Defensive coordinator: Robert Ferneau (19 years as an assistant)
Returning defensive starters
Nameri Nuusila (DT)
Christian Staton (DT)
Chris Thornley (DE)
Keoni Larsen (LB)
Julian Blackmon (CB)
Koy Cannon (CB)
Jairen Clayton (S)
Defensive newcomers to watch
Jared VanSchyndel (DE)
Luis Reyes (LB)
Kaden Flint (LB)
Ben Masters (LB)
Ethan Park (LB)
Austin Clem (LB)
Evan Winkler (CB)
Garrett Winkler (CB)
Coaches preseason Region 2 straw poll: Third
Deseret News Region 2 prediction: Fourth
Bottom line: Layton struggled through an uncharacteristic losing season last year, when the Lancers went 0-6 in Region 1 and 2-8 overall. The silver lining in that disappointing campaign is that many of this year's top players gained a ton of valuable experience in 2014, and the squad has 15 strong and talented returning starters to help push this proud program back in the right direction this year. Moving into a newly aligned Region with traditional rivals Davis, Syracuse and Viewmont, along with Hunter, Granger and West, could open the door for these Lancers to climb their way back up the league ladder and propel them back into the state playoff picture.
Last 5
2014 — 2-8 (0-6 in Region 1 – Missed playoffs)
2013 — 4-7 (3-3 in Region 1 – 5A First round)
2012 — 3-8 (2-3 in Region 1 – Missed playoffs)
2011 — 3-7 (1-4 in Region 1 – Missed playoffs)
2010 — 5-6 (4-4 in Region 1 – Missed playoffs)
Layton coaching history
2005-current — Jim Batchelor (49-58)
2000-2004 — Steve Smith (14-39)
1996-1999 — Carter Cook (10-30)
1991-1995 — Curtis Page (26-23)
1987-1990 — Tom Moore (13-24)
1985-1986 — Joe Wood (10-8)
1984 — Brad Hawkins (1-8)
1972-1983 — Gary Hansen (68-54)
1968-1971 — Dick Bubak (33-12-1)
Deseret News First Team all-staters the past 10 years
2008 — Dallin Powell, OL
2008 — Thomas Bryson, DL
2007 — Gavin Green, QB
2007— Tyler Christensen, OL
2007 — Chad Wilson, LB
To view second team and honorable mention all-staters through the years, check out the Deseret News All-State Archives.
EMAIL: rhollis@desnews.com