Note: Herriman finished with an 11-3 overall record in 2015 and second in Region 4 with a 5-1 record. It beat Lone Peak 17-14 in 5A championship.
Herriman 2015 offensive and defensive stats
HERRIMAN — The motto at Herriman this season is simple, “Nobody cares, work harder.”
A year ago the Mustangs were the envy of 27 other 5A teams after capturing the state championship, but none of that matters now. Last year is just hardware in the trophy case.
Those other 27 teams all want the trophy for themselves this season, something Herriman coach Dustin Pearce has routinely reminded his players about when the dreaded complacency mindset kicks in.
“Just because we won it last year, these kids feel they’re entitled a little bit when we’ve still got to go out and earn something every single day,” said Pearce.
There are some familiar faces back both offensively and defensively this season for Herriman, including all-state safety Noah Vaea, but there's a bunch of holes to fill heading into the 2016 season. Pearce believes the personnel is there to be a championship-caliber team again, but that process could take months to achieve.
That’s what happened last year. Herriman struggled offensively the first two weeks, partly because there were a bunch of newcomers on the offensive line and the coaching staff had changed the offensive terminology. The team figured things out by Week 3 and won seven straight games heading into the region championship showdown with Lone Peak.
Lone Peak rolled to the 30-0 victory, and Herriman seemed like an afterthought for the 5A playoffs.
Incredibly, four weeks later they met again in the 5A championship and Herriman reversed the script with an unlikely 17-14 victory.
The program graduated a great core of seniors from that team, and Pearce said he wouldn’t be surprised if his team has another slow start while the players and coaches try to get everything figured out.
“You want to win every football game, but to me the first three, four weeks are huge measuring sticks of what direction, and where you’re going to tweak things and where you are going to end up,” said Pearce.
Those tweaks are always ongoing too, as evidence by the Lone Peak flip-flop.
Of all the question marks this season for Herriman, finding a replacement for fullback Kaden Strasters is the absolutely biggest one, according to Pearce.
“He was the difference maker for us on offense for sure,” he said.
The toughest kid Pearce said he’s ever coached, Strasters barreled his way for 962 yards and 14 touchdowns on 167 carries. He always had defenders hanging off of him, and broke what seemed like two or three tackles every run.
There’s nobody like that on the roster right now, and that’s part of the puzzle Herriman’s coaching staff must figure out. Robert Lui, Juney Leakehe, Maeakafa Leakehe and Vaea are all vying for playing time at tailback this season, and one might emerge as the eventual fullback as well.
“It’s going to be kind of by committee until we figure out who’s going to be where and what’s going to happen,” said Pearce.
The offensive line they’ll run behind has the potential to be really good, but at the moment it’s mostly unproven. David Vake is back at right tackle, and blocking tight end Tevita Fotu is back as well. The other four offensive linemen have very little varsity experience, but the talent is there.
Left tackle Jaren Kump is just a junior but has already verbally committed to BYU. Tyson Martin will start at center, while Carter Shaw is the younger brother of last year’s starter, Ty Shaw.
“I feel like we’re farther ahead offensive line wise than we were last year, just because there’s not a transition of verbiage,” said Pearce.
Hayden Reynolds is a returning starter at quarterback, and the junior needs to take on an expanded role. As a sophomore, his primary responsibility was handing the ball off. He only averaged eight pass attempts per game last season for only 53 yards.
In the 5A championship, he had 61 yards passing, and 59 of those came on the final title-clinching drive. His first big play was a 47-yard pass to Vaea on fourth and 5, and the second was a 12-yard pass to Fotu on third and 12, which set Herriman up with first and goal with 25 seconds left.
“There’s no doubt he’s going to have to (step up) with the Strasters’ factor gone,” said Pearce. “He was the tabloid boy last year at the end, but now he’s got something to prove. He can’t just live off of last year’s play he made to spring-board us, a couple plays really.”
Defensively, Herriman returns just two starters, and that’s a big unknown heading into the season.
The two that are returning are excellent though. Vaea led the state last year with 12 interceptions, while Braxton Pearce had a strong sophomore season on the defensive line and is projected for bigger things.
Fotu will help strengthen the defensive line, and expectations are naturally sky high for him as he’s the younger brother of last year’s 5A MVP from Herriman, Leki Fotu.
All four linebackers will be new, and coach Pearce said there’s been a strong competition between eight potential starters this summer. Maeakafa Leakehe has stood out among the eight, and should have a great season.
With back-to-back games against Brighton and Bingham to open the season again, Herriman’s retooled defense will get tested right away.
“Last year we had so many guys on the field from the year before, (defensive coordinator Chris Hathaway) could just look at them and wink and they’d know what he was talking about. Everyone was on the same page and they understood each other,” said Pearce. “This defense between now and when we play Westlake on the 16th of September, that’s where they’ve got to be. They’ve got to become one heartbeat, one unit and understand each other.”
Herriman Mustangs at a glance
Coach: Dustin Pearce is entering his fourth year as Herriman’s head coach, compiling a 25-13 record in the previous three seasons including a state title in 2015. He previously coached at Hunter for four years, and his overall head coaching record is 52-32. He’s a graduate of Hunter High School.
Offense (5 returning starters; Pro-style offense)
Offensive coordinator: Casey Miller
Returning offensive starters
Hayden Reynolds (QB)
Jaden Cutler (WR)
Alex Kingdon (WR)
David Vake (OL)
Tevita Fotu (TE)
Offensive newcomers to watch
Jaren Kump (OL)
Tyson Martin (OL)
Carter Shaw (OL)
Noah Vaea (RB)
Robert Lui (RB)
Juney Leakehe (RB)
Maeakafa Leakehe (RB)
Defense (2 returning starters, 3-4 defense)
Defensive coordinator: Chris Hathaway
Returning defensive starters
Braxton Pearce (DL)
Noah Vaea (S)
Defensive newcomers to watch
Tevita Fotu (DL)
Jaren Kump (DL)
Carter Shaw (DL)
Jace Kener (CB)
Maeakafa Leakehe (LB)
Coaches' preseason Region 4 straw poll: Second
Deseret News Region 4 prediction: Second
Bottom line: Herriman was definitely one of the top four or five teams in 5A last year, but it definitely wasn’t one of the favorites heading into the playoffs. This year the Mustangs must learn how to handle the expectations of being one of the favorites. As the defending 5A champs, there will be a bull's eye on Herriman every time it steps on the field, and continued success may be determined by how well this year’s players handle that challenge.
Last 5
2015 — 11-3 (5-1 in Region 4 — 5A champions)
2014 — 8-4 (4-2 in Region 4 — 5A quarterfinals)
2013 — 6-6 (4-2 in Region 4 — 5A quarterfinals)
2012 — 8-3 (4-1 in Region 7 — 4A first round)
2011 — 8-4 (2-3 in Region 7 — 4A first round)
Herriman coaching history
2013-current — Dustin Pearce (25-13)
2010-12 — Larry Wilson (20-14)
Deseret News MVPs the past 10 years
2015 — Leki Fotu (DL)
Deseret News First Team all-staters the past 10 years
2015 — Stone Sagala, OL
2015 — Peni Mobley, LB
2015 — Noah Vaea, DB
2014 — Andre James, OL
2014 — Kalisi Moli, DL
2013 — Brandon Farmer, RB
2013 — Andre James, OL
2012 — Tueni Lupeamanu, Specialist
2011 — Francis Bernard, RB
To view second team and honorable mention all-staters through the years, check out the Deseret News All-State Archives.
James Edward is the Deseret News prep editor and Real Salt Lake beat writer. EMAIL: jedward@deseretnews.com