Change is a near constant in high school football.
Whether it's kids graduating, the never-ending alterations to regions and classifications, new coaches or new schemes, change isn’t anything new.
The changes experienced in Region 9 over the offseason might qualify, however.
Four teams changed head coaches, including 2017 region champion Dixie, fellow 4A quarterfinal participant Desert Hills, Hurricane and Canyon View.
The Flyers said goodbye to Andy Stokes, who took the vacant job at Timpview, and welcomed back Blaine Monkres and his .700 winning percentage. The Thunder, meanwhile, moved on from two-time state champion Carl Franke, bringing in Snow College assistant coach Mark Murdoch. Hurricane swapped out Steve Pearson after the worst season of his four-year tenure, replacing him with Canyon View’s Skyler Miller. The Falcons filled their vacancy with Chris Sawyers, who previously made his living coaching in Nevada.
Even teams that didn’t replace head coaches, like the Pine View Panthers, saw considerable upheaval in their coaching staffs. The Panthers brought in a new offensive coordinator — Gary Crowton — and a new defensive coordinator — Nick Hansen — in an attempt to remake a team that advanced to the 4A quarterfinals.
The changes only continue from there. All but two schools (Cedar and Snow Canyon) will have a new man under center. Massive amounts of defenders are gone, countless playmakers. Most of the teams in Region 9 will hardly be recognizable.
And yet for everything that has changed in the region, everything is expected to mostly stay the same.
Pine View, Desert Hills and Dixie are the favorites, a step above the rest, and each believes they have what it takes to bring home the region crown.
“We feel that if we can stay healthy, with our returners and underclassmen, that we can make a run at the region championship,” Pine View head coach Ray Hosner said. “Both of our new coordinators are experienced, and they have brought a new level of excitement and energy to the program. If we can stay healthy, we feel pretty good about our chances.”
Murdoch, meanwhile, has no intention of watching the Thunder regress on his watch.
“They’ve got a great program here and a winning tradition, and it’s been nice to kind of step into that and continue to build and then take things a different way but still be successful,” he said. “There are a lot of people that expect the success (here), but at the same time I don’t feel like — especially right off the bat — that people have put the pressure on me.”
As for the Flyers, Monkres is more than familiar with the expectations that come with that program and embraces them fully.
“We want high expectations. Success breeds success,” Monkres said. “Kids come and go, they see what the team did before them and they know what the expectation is.
“Compete for a region title, compete for a state title. They know what the kids have done before them and they don’t want to be the group that drops the ball and has a bad year. I think they are up to the task.”
In a tier below the “Big Three” are Snow Canyon and Cedar. The Warriors and Redmen will likely be locked in a battle for the fourth and final playoff spot all season, and it’s anyone’s guess who’ll claim it. Both programs reject the notion that they cannot contend for a region title, however.
“We always have a goal of wanting to win a region championship,” Snow Canyon head coach Mark Esplin said. “That’s kind of the end goal. We want to compete and play every down with our very best effort.”
“Going into the region, obviously you take it one game at a time, but our kids want to set a goal to compete for the region championship this year,” Cedar head man Josh Bennett added. “It has been a few years since Cedar has done that. I think we’ve got the team, if we stay healthy, that we can do that.”
Bringing up the rear in Region 9 are the Hurricane Tigers and Canyon View Falcons. Both programs are replacing head coaches and coming off disappointing seasons, so expectations are low.
Every program and coach agree on one thing heading into the season — Region 9 is as good as they come.
“There is an excitement because every Friday night has an effect on the standings,” Monkres said. “Our region really prepares you once you get to the tournament. You are used to competing on every Friday night knowing that if you don’t, you are going to lose. You play a good team every Friday night. It teaches the kids to be prepared.”
Deseret News projections for Region 9 football teams in 2018
(Preseason rankings are based on coaches votes)
1. Pine View: Things have changed this offseason for the Panthers. The team welcomed new coordinators — Gary Crowton on the offense, Nick Hansen on defense — and like every team in the region has had to replace starters who graduated. Compared to its chief rivals, Desert Hills and Dixie, however, the changes at Pine View are miniscule at best. As such, and thanks to the return of vital players at almost every level of the defense, not to mention on offense, the Panthers are the favorites to claim the region title. Koa Katoa is back at middle linebacker, Jayshon Allen at safety and a trio of studs along the defensive line in Solo Katoa, John Parry and Brooks Maile. On offense, the Panthers return quarterback Dallin Brown, as well as wide receivers Hunter Moore and Gavin Bateman. The mixture of talent and experience should give Pine View an edge over its fellow region competitors and allow the team to make noise come playoff time. 2017 record: 8-4 Playoffs: Lost to Sky View 35-21 in the 4A quarterfinals.
2. Desert Hills: After six incredibly successful seasons under Carl Franke that included two state championships, the Thunder begin a new era under the direction of Mark Murdoch. Expected to lead the way for the new-look Thunder are center Ryan Warner, wide receiver Gage Baird and junior quarterback Logan Wilstead on offense, and Dawson Mayfield (safety) and Jarron Polu (linebacker) on defense. Despite losing their head coach and a significant number of starters, the Thunder are expected to contend for the region title, per the usual, with Pine View and Dixie standing as the primary opposition. 2017 record: 6-5. Playoffs: Lost to Orem 37-17 in 4A quarterfinals.
3. Dixie: Not many teams could lose the majority of their starters, on both sides of the ball, including their star quarterback, not to mention their head coach, and still be expected to contend for the region title. Dixie is not a normal football team. Despite a troublesome lack of experience, except in the trenches with Karston Bauman, LT Burgess, Slayde Kolb and Kaiden Faumuina, among others, the Flyers are expected to contend for the top of the region, with the area’s coaches labeling the Flyers as the presumptive favorites. Blaine Monkres returns as head coach, hoping to continue the success he had at Dixie during his previous stint. The Flyers should, once again, be locked in a three-way race with Pine View and Desert Hills for the region title. 2017 record: 10-2. Playoffs: Lost to Mountain Crest 18-17 in the 4A quarterfinals.
4. Snow Canyon: Despite missing out on a playoff berth last season, not to mention losing starting quarterback Austin Staheli and leading rusher Toshfatafehi Wright, optimism abounds for the Warriors. Mike Esplin’s team returns its top tackler from 2017, Miles Reynolds, as well as two of its top three rushers in Ryan Bethers and Jace Mendenhall. Mendenhall will shift to quarterback in what should be a run-heavy spread attack. Overall, Snow Canyon will be young, but there is an expectation that a playoff berth is more than possible. The Warriors should be in direct competition with Cedar for the final playoff spot in the region, if not more. 2017 record: 6-3. Playoffs: Did not qualify.
5. Cedar: In each season under Josh Bennett, the Cedar Redmen have qualified for the state tournament, whether in 3AA or in 4A last season. The Redmen want more than just a playoff berth this year, after losing a hard-fought first-round playoff contest in 2017. Leading the way are nine returning starters on offense and eight on defense. Chief among that group will be the offensive and defensive lines, led by Bryce Crowley, Drew Fakahua, Ezra Lata and Chandler Twitchell, among others. Cedar also returns its starting quarterback Jaxon Garrett and running back Drake Fakahua, giving the team arguably the most experience of any in Region 9. The Redmen should be squarely in the mix of things as far as playoff berths go, and if things go particularly well, perhaps the region title. 2017 record: 4-6. Playoffs: Lost to Stansbury 28-20 in the 4A first round.
6. Hurricane: The Tigers had a difficult 2017 campaign. They missed the playoffs for the first time in five seasons, were soundly beaten by the best of Region 9, and were only able to muster victories over Mountain View and winless Canyon View. 2018 will be a season of discovery as Hurricane welcomes a new coach in Skyler Miller, the former coach at Canyon View, and says goodbye to Steve Pearson after four seasons. Per the program change-up, returning starters for the Tigers are few and far between, as Miller works to rebuild the Hurricane program from the ground up. 2017 record: 2-7 Playoffs: Did not qualify.
7. Canyon View: The Falcons struggled throughout the 2017 season, especially on offense, where they averaged just 5.3 points per game, and the result was a frustrating and disappointing winless season. Wins and losses weren’t the entire story for Canyon View, however, as the team played in multiple close contests toward the end of the year against Cedar, Snow Canyon and Hurricane. The Falcons return a host of starters, nine on offense and five on defense, for new head coach Chris Sawyers to work with, including quarterback Colton Shumway, defensive back Brady Lowry and linebacker Shelby Macintosh. The experience gained from such a difficult season should help the Falcons avoid another winless campaign, but a playoff berth may be too much to ask. 2017 record: 0-9. Playoffs: Did not qualify.