We’ll have a better knowledge of our system and we should be physically in better shape. We should understand our opponents and how to study them a little better. – Skyline head coach Zac Erekson
Note: Skyline finished with a 4-6 overall record in 2016 and fourth in Region 6 with a 2-3 record. It lost to East 70-20 in 4A first round.
Skyline 2016 Offensive and Defensive Stats
EAST MILLCREEK — Winning four games and making the postseason would be acceptable for some teams, but for Skyline head coach Zac Erekson and the Eagles, it was just the beginning.
“I thought last year went OK — then I would stop there," Erekson said. "We had some flashes. We had to learn how to be a little tougher, my expectations for our program and how we’re going to do this. You make the playoffs in your first year — that’s an OK start.”
Erekson, whose first year coaching the team was in 2016, recognizes that growing pains are inevitable. For him, results are going to come from his team buying into the new system. And this off-season, Erekson says they have.
"We should be tougher than we were last year," Erekson said. "We’ll have a better knowledge of our system and we should be physically in better shape. We should understand our opponents and how to study them a little better.”
Most of Erekson's core — Skyline has 14 returning starters — will be back for the upcoming season. Erekson believes that the experience and already-established comradery will make a difference for the team, but the new faces — or the players new to the sport, as a whole — are just as important.
“Our guys have been working their butts off all summer," Erekson said. "They’ve bonded well together over the past several months. Hopefully we’ve gotten better at the little things, which will help us win games on Friday nights.”
Skyline Eagles at a glance
Coach: Zac Erekson
Skyline Offensive Snapshot
Offensive coordinator: Zac Erekson
2016 offensive production:
- 29.0 ppg (11th in Class 4A)
- Spread offense
- 8 returning starters
Key offensive returning starters
Dax Lowe, C
Zach Coombs, G
Cris Espinel, G
Yioti Karahalios, WR
Briggs Binford, WR
Taylor Larsen, WR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLBjEWpr_ykSaione Matagi, RB
Tommy McGrath, QB
Erekson's comments on offensive success:
"I expect us to be very good on offense this year," Erekson said. "While it is always hard to replace a 1,500-yard rusher (Seth Kaelin), I believe Siaone Matagi could be even better. Our quarterback and three of our four wide receivers, as well as three guys on our offensive line, are returning."
Erekson's comments on the team's biggest offensive flaw:
"We need to take care of the football," Erekson said. "We had way too many turnovers. If we can keep possession of the football, we’re going to be OK. We can be really dangerous if we avoid those mistakes.”
Skyline defensive snapshot
Defensive coordinator: Mike Carlson
2016 defensive production:
- 32.5 ppg (19th in Class 4A)
- 3-4 defense
- 6 returning starters
Key defensive returning starters
Nifai Tonga, DE
Zach Boyd, DE
Jaxson Waite, MLB
Anish Singh, CB
Taylor Larsen, S
Kendrick Williams, OLB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg_XHXiQtCAErekson's comments on Williams:
“He’s kind of a late bloomer for us — didn’t become a starter until the third week of the season," Erekson said. "He was on a tear after that. He’s our emotional leader and leader by example. He’s done everything a coach could as of a high school football player. The players follow his lead. He’s done everything above and beyond. He’s gained 25 pounds since the end of the last football season. He’s been studying all the defenses. He’s going to be a beast on the field this fall.”
Erekson's comments on Tonga:
“I wish he was still a secret," Erekson said. "Last year was his first playing football and he ended up being a unanimous first team all-region player. He’s decided that football may be his sport of choice. He’s soaking up all the knowledge he can. I’m excited to see what he can do up front.”
Erekson's comments on defensive success:
"Defensively, we need to be better than we were last year," Erekson said. "We have a lot of great talent and leadership on defense. Kendrick Williams should be one of the best defensive football players in the state along with Nifai Tonga. I expect those two young men to really get our defense going this year and help keep people out of the end zone."
Erekson's comments on the team's defensive flaw:
“Our special teams were horrendous last year," Erekson said. "If we do the little things better, we can hopefully get a chance to play at the U.”
Coaches preseason Region 6 straw poll: Fourth
Deseret News Region 6 prediction: Fourth
Bottom line: Erekson wants his team to remain disciplined. The expectations for the team aren't incredibly high, but the Eagles seem to have the makings of a team that can pull off some upsets and becomes sneakily underrated.
"We’ve got to do better than we did last year," Erekson said. "That’s where we start. For us, we want to play at Rice Eccles. That’s a realistic expectation for us. If that can happen, we’ll have a successful season. We have to allow ourselves to have a good playoff seeding to make the path more manageable.”
2017 Schedule
Aug. 18 — GRANGER, 7 p.m.
Aug. 25 — BYE
Sept. 1 — JUAN DIEGO, 7 p.m.
Sept. 8 — at Wasatch, 7 p.m.
Sept. 15 — at Brighton, 7 p.m.
Sept. 22 — at Highland, 7 p.m.
Sept. 29 — at Murray, 7 p.m.
Oct. 6 — WEST, 7 p.m.
Oct. 13 — OLYMPUS, 7 p.m.
Oct. 18 — at Lehi, 7 p.m.
….
Felt’s Facts for Skyline High School
All-time record: 441-187-1 (55 years)
Region championships: 21 (1965, 1966, 1967, 1969 co, 1972, 1976, 1978 co, 1979, 1987 co, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994 co, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2012-co)
Playoff appearances: 45
Current playoff appearance streak: 3 (2014-2016)
All-time playoff record: 88-31
State championships: 14 (1967, 1969, 1970, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2005)
State championship record: 14-6
Most played rivalry: 51 meetings with Olympus dating back to 1962. Skyline leads 27-23-1.
Felt’s Factoid(s): Skyline holds several playoff records, including most championship game victories (14), most consecutive championships (five), most consecutive playoff wins and most total playoff wins (88). ... The Eagles have never lost a home playoff game (38-0). ... Skyline holds the record for consecutive winning seasons with 23 from 1989 to 2011. ... Skyline also holds the record for most consecutive scoring games (262) from 1986-2007.
Last 5
2016 — 4-6 (2-3 in Region 6, 4A First round)
2015 — 5-7 (1-4 in Region 6, 4A First round)
2014 — 7-5 (4-2 in Region 7, 4A Quarterfinals)
2013 — 4-6 (2-4 in Region 7, Missed playoffs)
2012 — 5-5 (4-1 in Region 7, 4A First round)
….
Skyline coaching history
2016-current — Zac Ereksen (4-6)
2014-2015 — Justin Thompson (12-12)
2012-2013 — Steve Marlowe (9-11)
1986-2011 — Roger DuPaix (246-74)
1982-1985 — Ray Groth (17-23)
1980-1981 — Gil Cordova (7-13)
1968-1979 — Ken Schmidt (108-26)
1964-1967 — H.G. Linford (31-10)
1962-1963 — Wayne Startin (7-12)
.....
Deseret News Mr. Football recipients
2000 — Steve Tate, QB
1999 — Bo Nagahi, DB
Deseret News First Team all-staters the past 10 years
2012 — Garrett England, Specialist
2011 — Zach Russon, OL,
2010 — Nick Johnson OL
2008 — Tenny Palepoi, DL
To view second team and honorable mention all-staters through the years, check out the Deseret News All-State Archives.