Note: Brighton finished with a 7-4 overall record in 2015 and was third in Region 3 with a 4-2 record. It lost to Herriman 49-17 in 5A first round.
Brighton 2015 offensive and defensive stats
COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — The toughness just wasn’t there at the end of the season for Brighton’s football team last year.
That wasn’t a problem early, especially in Week 1 when the Bengals held eventual 5A champion Herriman to 150 yards rushing en route to the 23-14 victory.
In the rematch in the first round of the 5A playoffs three months later, Herriman crushed Brighton 49-17, rushing for a whopping 461 yards and six touchdowns.
“We’ve got to establish the physical presence. Last year we started very well against Herriman but by the time we played them the second time we were pretty beat up and they ran (over us),” said Brighton coach Ryan Bullett.
Brighton’s depth doesn’t compare with some of the larger 5A schools, so when the starters start getting nicked up it’s tough for the program to keep pace.
“You have to be pretty talented to get up on the turf. We were good enough last year, just the injury bug hit us and unfortunately we didn’t get there,” said Bullett.
A year later, the talent is once again there for the Bengals who’ve had a great summer and are anxious to get after it. They open the season at Herriman, a great early measuring stick game for their retooled defensive line. And then on the last day of the regular season, Brighton hosts No. 1 Bingham, which could be for the region title if the teams stay healthy through the 10-week grind of the regular season.
The player Brighton most needs to stay healthy is Stanford commit Sione Lund. He’s at the heart of everything offensively and defensively, and his variety of lingering injuries last year really hampered the team.
“He was a little bit nicked up last year early in the year with a rib, and we didn’t play him as much on defense early and didn’t run him as much as we wanted either. This year he’s got to carry the ball 20 times a game for us to be successful,” said Bullett.
In 11 games last year, Lund never carried the ball more than 18 times. Even with his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, 19 touches was the most he had in a single game.
He still rushed for over 100 yards in eight of 11 games, finishing the season with 1,184 yards and 13 touchdowns. The sky is the limit with what he could accomplish if healthy.
Blocking for Lund this year are three returning starters on the offensive line, Emmett Koozer, Josh Davis and Zach Lowry.
“The best thing about our O-line is their work ethic. Since the end of last season they’ve been getting after it, I’m exciting to see how far we go with the guys we have and new guys who are going to step up,” said Lund.
Bullett knows every defense Brighton faces will be keen on slowing Lund, but that could be risky this year.
Kimball Reece saw limited action in the backfield last year, but Bullett really likes the athleticism he brings to complement Lund.
Returning starting quarterback Andrew Covey is also a weapon to carry the ball. He rushed for 361 yards last year as a junior, highlighted by his 192-yard rushing performance against Jordan. Much of that damage came in the second half with Lund on the sideline with his shoulder wrapped in ice.
Last summer, Covey was a projected starting wide receiver for Brighton, and then an afterthought at QB as the fourth stringer. Aided by a transfer and injuries, however, he was the starting quarterback the second half of the season.
Bullett said Covey did well under the circumstances, but not getting any of the summer reps at QB definitely hindered him. With proper reps this summer, the level expectation is much higher.
“I think this year his pocket presence will be better. Last year he got out of the pocket really quick, and that was inexperience. And it made some of our playing calling a little bit tougher ’cause he wasn’t as comfortable stepping up,” said Bullett.
There’s an outside chance Covey could still be used as a wide receiver if Brighton’s coaching staff likes what they see at quarterback from Copper Hills transfer Alex Zettler.
Whoever gets the nod at QB though, the receiving core around them is brand new. Simi Fehoko dominated with 1,455 yards and 16 touchdowns despite constant double teams last year, but he graduated — as did Brighton’s second-leading receiver.
Lund is the top returning receiver for the Bengals with 19 catches for 160 yards out of the backfield. Tight end Max Miner had seven catches for 71 during the season. As for Brighton’s projected top three wide receivers — Jeremy Fehoko, Marcus Vehikite and Tate Weichers — they had one combined catch.
“Our passing game will develop as we get going, but we need to definitely establish the run to start the season,” said Bullett.
Defensively, the key is toughness. Brighton went 2-4 over its last six games last season, with the wins coming against West Jordan and Copper Hills. In the four losses to Jordan, Sky View, Bingham and Herriman, the team surrendered an average of 41 points. It’s a terrible recipe for high school football success in October.
A fully healthy Lund should help, as he and Reece are returning starting outside linebackers. Lund led the team with 120 tackles, while Reece was fifth with 75 tackles.
Salua Masina, the younger brother of Uaea and Osa Masina, is the projected starter at middle linebacker. He played part time as a sophomore, but he’ll be counted on to play nearly every snap this season.
“He’s a little later bloomer than the other ones, but he’s really starting to develop,” said Bullett.
Miner is a returning starter at defensive end, where he racked up 59 tackles a year ago. He’s been slowed by a back injury this summer, but should be healthy by the start of the season. Koozer and Davis played a little defensive line last season, but Bullett believes there’s enough depth this season in the trenches to try to platoon his players.
That opens the door for AJ Rich to get increased playing time on the defensive line.
Covey is the lone returning starter in the secondary, but Bullett likes the athleticism of newcomers like Cade Palmer, Fehoko, Vehikite and Zettler.
Brighton Bengals at a glance
Coach: Ryan Bullett is entering his 11th year as head coach at Brighton High School. He’s amassed a 62-49 record during that decade. He’s a graduate of Hillcrest High School.
Offense (6 returning starters; One-back offense)
Offensive coordinator: Denny Crocket (11th year at school)
Returning offensive starters
Andrew Covey (QB)
Sione Lund (RB)
Kimball Reese (RB)
Emmett Koozer (OL)
Josh Davis (OL)
Zach Lowry (OL)
Max Miner (TE)
Offensive newcomers to watch
Alex Zettler (QB)
Jeremy Fehoko (WR)
Marcus Vehikite (WR)
Tate Weichers (WR)
Defense (4 returning starters, Odd stack defense)
Defensive coordinator: Ryan Bullett
Returning defensive starters
Andrew Covey (CB)
Sione Lund (LB)
Kimball Reece (LB)
Max Miner (DE)
Defensive newcomers to watch
AJ Rich (DL)
Salua Masina (LB)
Cade Palmer (CB)
Jeremy Fehoko (S)
Marcus Vehikite (S)
Alex Zettler (CB)
Coaches' preseason Region 3 straw poll: Third
Deseret News Region 3 prediction: Third
Bottom line: The talking point is realistically the same this year as it was a year ago. If Brighton can stay healthy, it can compete with Bingham for the region title. If the injuries start to pile up, the depth just isn’t there and the 2016 season could be another one-and-done playoff year for the Bengals. Lund is the key. If healthy, he should easily rush for over 1,500 yards, giving Brighton that dominant run threat it needs.
Last 5
2015 — 7-4 (4-2 in Region 3 — 5A first round)
2014 — 10-2 (4-1 in Region 3 — 5A semifinals)
2013 — 12-2 (4-1 in Region 3 — 5A runner-up)
2012 — 8-5 (2-3 in Region 3 — 5A first round)
2011 — 5-4 (3-2 in Region 3 — 5A first round)
Brighton coaching history
2006-current — Ryan Bullett (62-49)
1999-2005 — Tom Cushing (69-17)
1988-98 — Lynn Freestone (90-33)
1978-87 — Steve Dangerfield (70-32)
1974-77 — Unknown (21-19)
1970-73 — Rex Wright (19-19)
1969 — Dean Stringham (1-8)
Deseret News Mr. Football recipients the past 10 years
2015 — Simi Fehoko, WR
Deseret News First Team All-Staters the past 10 years
2015 — Sione Lund, RB
2014 — Simi Fehoko, WR
2014 — Osa Masina, LB
2014 — Cody Barton, DB
2013 — Osa Masina, RB
2013 — Jackson Barton, OL
2013 — Tyson Aldridge, OL
2013 — Isaiah Kaufusi, LB
2012 — Jackson Barton, OL
2009 — Ricky Heimuli, OL
2005 — Visesio Salt, OL
2005 — Jesse Taylor, LB
2005 — Coleman Petersen, K
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