We are trying to build off of last year. We just want to keep that momentum going. – South Sevier head coach Weston Zabriskie
Note: South Sevier finished with a 4-7 overall record in 2016 and fourth 2A South with a 2-3 record. It lost to Summit Academy 41-14 in 2A quarterfinals.
South Sevier 2016 Offensive and Defensive Stats
MONROE — It’s rare when a team is both young and experienced. Rarer still is that combination in a championship contender, and yet that is the 2017 South Sevier Rams.
“We lost a lot of seniors from last years team, but most of our main contributors are returning, including our leading rusher (Tyson Chisholm),” said South Sevier head coach Weston Zabriskie. “We had a lot of younger players put into some big roles last season which means we now have a lot of experienced juniors to rely on.”
Among those juniors are Chisholm and defensive lineman Mason Schaugaard, both of whom helped lead the Rams to a decent 4-7 record and a run to the 2A quarterfinals.
“We are trying to build off of last year. We just want to keep that momentum going,” said Zabriskie.
The Rams had the ninth-best offense and eighth-best defense in 2A last season, marks that Zabriskie is sure they can improve upon.
“We had a lot of younger kids that were put into some big roles last year, and as a result, we really struggled to finish games. We were in a lot of games and then would have five-six minutes lapses where we would allow a couple touchdowns or turn over the ball. We’ve worked really hard to eliminate those mental lapses this season. If we can, we feel like this team can take us pretty far.”
Far could mean a position at the top of the south region of 2A or a deep run in the playoffs. And yet, even with the potential of this year's Rams, Zabriskie was quick to note what they really want to achieve is “improvement each and every week. We have the same goal every year, to get better and reach our potential. This program is all about teaching the boys to reach their potential. These kids just love football and have played it for so long. We just hope to help them reach their potential and are excited to see the result,” said Zabriskie.
South Sevier Rams at a glance
Coach: Weston Zabriskie is entering his eighth season as head coach of the Rams. He has compiled a 23-51 record during his tenure in Monroe. Zabriskie is a graduate of North Sanpete High School, as well as Utah State University.
South Sevier Offensive Snapshot
Offensive coordinator: Richard Chisholm
2016 offensive production: 20.5 ppg (9th in 2A)
-- 4 returning starters
-- Wing-T offense
Key offensive returning starters
-- Tyson Chisholm (RB)
Chisholm was dominant last season, carrying the ball 192 times for a team-best 1,254 yards and 17 touchdowns. The Rams star also hauled in 18 passes for 257 yards, the third-best mark on the team, and a score.
His best performance came against North Sevier, against whom Chisholm rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns.
-- Carter Anderson (Slot/RB)
Anderson was an essential part of the Rams attack last year, rushing for 435 and a touchdown, all the while racking up 299 receiving yards and three scores. His yards-per-catch average was by far the best on the team, at 29.9, while his yards-per-carry mark was also excellent, at 7.50.
Returning offensive starters
Tyson Chisholm (RB)
Carter Anderson (Slot/RB)
Mason Schaugaard (OL)
Zach Roberts (OL)
Caleb Barton (QB), is undecided as to whether or not he will return to the team this season
Offensive newcomers to watch
(WR)
Yates Taylor (WR)
Wyatt Morrison (TE/WR)
Treyson Winkle (QB)
Zabriskie’s comments on Carter Anderson:
“He plays the slot position but also carries the ball a lot in our offense. He has great hands and runs great routes. We feel good about Carter and what he brings to our team,” said Zabriskie.
Zabriskie’s comments on quarterback position:
“We have questions about quarterback right now. Caleb Barton, who was our starter last year, is not sure if he is coming out to play this season. If he doesn’t we have a young sophomore, Treyson Winkle, who runs the offense very well. He is a kid we feel can put his teammates in the positions they need to be. It would be nice to have a returning starter at that position but we feel good either way,” said Zabriskie.
Zabriskie’s comments on offensive philosophy:
“It’s no secret that we are a team that has to run the ball to be successful. The strength of our team is our line play, as well as our skill and depth at running back. We have two returning offensive line starters, as well as two kids other kids who got some time on the line last year. We return two of our top running backs and have a third who looks likely to have a breakout season,” said Zabriskie.
Keys for Offensive Success in 2017:
The key to every successful South Sevier offense is a strong offensive line and good runnings backs, and the Rams have both heading into the 2017 campaign. South Sevier returns two starters on the O-line and has two additional linemen with significant experience. Add in running backs Tyson Chisholm and Carter Anderson, and the Rams look set to run over the competition.
If South Sevier can get consistent production from the quarterback position, regardless of who claims the job, then they can have one of the more dynamic offenses in 2A.
South Sevier Defensive Snapshot
Defensive coordinator: Weston Zabriskie
2016 defensive production: 26.7 ppg (8th in 2A)
5 returning starters
4-3 defense
Key defensive returning starters
-- Tyson Chisholm (MLB)
Chisholm was even better on defense than he was on offense. The middle linebacker racked up 137 tackles, the highest number of any player in the state, according to Zabriskie. Chisholm had double digit tackles in all but three games last year, including 19 tackles against San Juan.
-- Mason Schaugaard (DL)
One of a trio of returning defensive line starters, Schaugaard was excellent up front in 2016. His 41 tackles were the fifth best mark on the team, trailing only Chisholm and three departed seniors. Schaugaard also recorded two sacks, tied for the third-most on the Rams.
Returning defensive starters
Tyson Chisholm (LB)
Tucker Gayler (DL)
Carter Anderson (S)
Mason Schaugaard (DL)
Zach Roberts (DL)
Zabriskie’s comments on Tyson Chisholm
“He is only going to be a junior, but he has gotten even better this summer. Tyson has improved in all his lifts and has some colleges looking at him to see if he fits what they are looking to do. We will man the middle linebacker spot for us, and really is one of the main strengths of our defense,” said Zabriskie.
Zabriskie’s comments on youth/inexperience in secondary
With the exception of Carter Anderson, all of our defensive backs will be first-time varsity starters. These are kids that have put in a lot of time, have played well in practice the past two years and continued playing well throughout camp. They are kids that can make some plays. We are going to start some juniors, and there are even a few sophomores back there, that if they can develop they will be key contributors,” said Zabriskie.
Keys for Defensive Success in 2017:
The strength of the Rams defense with be the front seven, a group that features four returning starters. The defensive line is a strength, with three players, including Mason Schaugaard, Tucker Gayler and Zach Roberts, all set to play key roles.
The question mark for South Sevier is the secondary, which will be forced to rely on more than a few first-time starters. If those players can play to the caliber of the front seven, the Rams defense will be one of 2A's best.
Coaches preseason 2A South straw poll: Second
Deseret News 2A South prediction: Third
Key Region Game: Enterprise, Oct. 6 (Week 8)
Bottom line: South Sevier enters the 2017 season with most of its top talent returning. The Rams are young, many of their key contributors are juniors, and yet they're experienced thanks to last season's playoff run. Offensively, South Sevier will be as solid as ever, with an experienced offensive line and multiple strong backs, including Tyson Chisholm. Defensively, the Rams are primed for improvement, as long as they get decent contributions from the secondary. All in all, South Sevier looks ready to leap toward the top of the 2A South, and perhaps all of 2A.
2017 Schedule
Aug. 18 — at Kanab, 7 p.m.
Aug. 25 — at Richfield, 7 p.m.
Sept. 1 — GUNNISON, 7 p.m.
Sept. 8 — at North Summit, 7 p.m.
Sept. 15 — GRAND, 7 p.m.
Sept. 22 — at Beaver, 7 p.m.
Sept. 29 — at San Juan, 7 p.m.
Oct. 6 — ENTERPRISE, 7 p.m.
Oct. 13 — NORTH SEVIER, 7 p.m.
Oct. 20 — 2A PLAYOFFS, TBD
Felt’s Facts for South Sevier High School
All-time record: 204-319-1 (62 years)
Region championships: 7 (1925, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 2000, 2009 co)
Playoff appearances: 31
Current playoff appearance streak: 4 (2013-2016)
All-time playoff record: 12-30-1
State championships: 1 (1925)* Payson and South Sevier tied in the semifinals in 1925, but no state championship was held. Both were awarded state titles.
State championship record: 0-0
Most played rivalry: 57 meetings with Richfield dating back to 1920. Richfield leads 39-18.
Felt’s Factoid(s): Jared Petersen threw a 99-yard pass to Brett Wallace in 1997 to become one of just 13 pairs of players to complete a 99-yard pass. … South Sevier took home its only state championship football trophy without playing in a championship game, in 1925. In the semifinals that year, East and West tied, as did Payson and South Sevier. Rather than hold additional games to break the ties, all four were awarded state crowns.
Last 5
2016 — 4-7 (2-3 in 2A South, 2A Quarterfinals)
2015 — 1-9 (1-4 in 2A South, 2A First round)
2014 — 6-5 (4-2 in 2A South, 2A Semifinals)
2013 — 4-7 (2-4 in 2A South, 2A Quarterfinals)
2012 — 4-6 (2-5 in 2A South, Missed playoffs)
South Sevier coaching history
2010-current — Weston Zabriskie (23-51)
2003-2009 — Travis McAllister (34-35)
1998-2002 — Clint Christiansen (26-26)
1993-1997 — Brent Hafen (7-38)
1992 — Ron Winegar (1-8)
1991 — Rick Orr (1-7)
1984-1990 — Alfred Frehner (13-48)
1981-1983 — Garry Walker (6-20)
1980 — David Hare (6-5)
1971-1979 — Richard Orr (55-39)
1970 — Mike Jones (2-9)
Deseret News First Team All-Staters the past 10 years
2016 — Tyson Chisholm, RB/LB
2016 — Braxton Vakautakakala, OL/DL
2014 — Trevor Jones, QB/DB
2014 — Avery Healey, RB/LB
2014 — Brock Bastian, TE/LB
2013 — Wyatt Anderson, OL/DL
2012 — Wyatt Anderson, OL/DL
2011 — Patrick Baker, RB/DB
2010 — Logan Baker, TE/LB
2010 — Clayton Higginson, OL/LB
2009 — Ryan Anderson, OL/DL
2009 — Dillon Bishoff, WR/LB
2009 — Jace Mecham, OL/LB
2008 — Landon Leavitt, RB/LB
2008 — Scott Mathie, OL/LB
To view second team and honorable mention all-staters through the years, check out the Deseret News All-State Archives.