_Note___: Lehi finished with a 12-2 overall record in 2017 and was first in Region 6 with a 5-0 record. It Beat Skyridge 55-17 in 5A championship.
Lehi 2017 Offensive and Defensive Stats
LEHI — The atmosphere has changed around the Lehi football program, which is a good and an unsure thing heading into the 2018 season.
Fresh off a state championship, the Pioneers lost a lot, namely quarterback Cammon Cooper and star receivers Dallin Holker and Kade Moore, along with a lot of other parts of last year's team. But what remains is something Lehi coach Ed Larson hopes permeates for some time.
"It was a special team and a special class of seniors, but hopefully they left a legacy and what it's supposed to look like," Larson said. "Now we just need to develop what will be a much younger and inexperienced team and develop them. It's a new challenge."
This year's team reminds Larson of his team three years ago when Cooper and the others were sophomores. That team finished 3-7 but was competitive against some of the top teams housed in Region 4.
"We'll have a lot of guys trying to figure it out, so it's sort of like Christmas when you truly don't know what you're going to get," Larson said. "We believe in these kids and their talent, but the big thing is how they come together as a team. Overall talent is just one aspect of forming good teams."
As far as competing in Region 6, Larson expects Highland to be good and for every game to serve as a challenge.
"We have real good coaches in this region and I really get along with all of them," Larson said. "It makes for some fun competition and some good competition. Region is going to be a good test for us and hopefully we'll come together and figure out what we are by the time of region play."
Lehi Pioneers at a glance
Coach: Ed Larson is entering his fifth year as Lehi’s head coach, having led the team to a 23-23 record the past four years. He has 11 years of overall head coaching experience with a 45-68 career record. He’s a graduate of Piedmont Hills High in California.
Lehi Offensive Snapshot
Offensive coordinator: Ed Larson
2017 offensive production: 38.9 ppg (4th in 5A)
- 3 returning starters
- Air Raid
Key offensive returning starter:
- Carson Manookin (RB): Manookin rushed for 1,192 yards last season and seven touchdowns. "We're fortunate to have Manookin back. He really did well for us playing running back last year and we'll probably rely on him even more this season," Larson said.
Returning offensive starters
- Carson Manookin (RB)
- Ammon Critchfield (OL)
- Bridger Rhoades (OL)
Larson's comments on the quarterback situation:
"There's a good battle going between Hayden Retts and Cammon's little brother, Creyton Cooper, so we'll decide here soon who we'll go with. Retts has a bit of an edge right now, but they'll keep battling and it's a good battle."
Larson on his receivers:
"Gentry Cox is our guy there who got some good playing time last year and he's a real good player. We got Trey Andersen looking to fill in at receiver and some real good young guys that we think we have done some good things here."
Larson on his offensive line:
"They're good, solid offensive linemen who will be leading what's a pretty inexperienced and young group."
Lehi Defensive Snapshot
Defensive coordinator: Joseph Haymore
2017 defensive production: 19.8 ppg (6th in 5A)
- 3 returning starters
- 4-3
Key defensive returning starter:
- Oakley Krunvieda (DB): "He's one of the only truly experienced guys we have back, but he's a real good player and a good leader," Larson said.
Returning defensive starters
- Dallin Green (LB)
- Jacob Vasquez (DB)
- Oakley Krunvieda (DB)
Larson on his defensive line:
"We'll be brand new there, so that's always a concern. We lost some real good players up front in what I feel was a real underrated defense for us last year."
Larson on the strength of his defense:
- "We feel our secondary has some real good players and we do have some good experience there relative to the other positions."
Coaches preseason Region 6 straw poll: Second
Deseret News Region 6 prediction: Third
Key Region Game: at Skyline (Oct. 17)
Bottom Line: Lehi will take at least one step back this year, but that's the way it goes when you lose the wealth of talent the Pioneers did off of last year's team. This year's team has some decent talent that may emerge, but making the playoffs will be a chore, along with advancing even past the first round of the playoffs. Larson has established a good system, though, that should help his players perform relatively well.
2018 Schedule
- Aug. 17 — ALTA, 7 p.m.
- Aug. 4 —TAYLORSVILLE, 7 p.m.
- Aug. 31 — at American Fork, 7 p.m.
- Sept. 7 — at Springville, 7 p.m.
- Sept. 14 — MAPLE MOUNTAIN, 7 p.m.
- Sept. 21 — at Olympus, 7 p.m.
- Sept. 28 — WEST, 7 p.m.
- Oct. 5 — HIGHLAND, 7 p.m.
- Oct. 12 — at Murray, 7 p.m.
- Oct. 17 — at Skyline, 7 p.m.
Felt's Facts for Lehi
All-time record: 368-444-22 (96 years)
Region championships: 13 (1940, 1944, 1950, 1963, 1990, 1992, 1996 co, 1997, 1999 co, 2000 co, 2003 co, 2004 co, 2017)
Playoff appearances: 33
Current playoff appearance streak: 2 (2016-2017)
All-time playoff record: 24-30
State championships: 3 (1980, 2000, 2017)
State championship record: 3-2
Most played rivalry: 72 meetings with American Fork dating back to 1927. American Fork leads series 49-19-4.
Felt's Factoid(s): Lehi holds the record for fewest rushing yards allowed in a playoff game: minus-54 in a 1980 Class 2A quarterfinal.
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Last 5
- 2017 — 12-2 (5-0 in Region 6 – 5A Champions)
- 2016 — 8-4 (4-2 in Region 4 – 5A Quarterfinals)
- 2015 — 3-7 (1-5 in Region 4 – Missed playoffs)
- 2014 — 0-10 (0-6 in Region 4 – Missed playoffs)
- 2013 — 5-5 (2-4 in Region 4 – Missed playoffs)
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Lehi coaching history
- 2014-current — Ed Larsen (23-23)
- 2011-2013 — David Hastings (7-13)
- 2007-2010 — Derrick Peyton (3-36)
- 2002-2006 — Joe Hays (22-30)
- 1998-2001 — Steve Clements (33-13)
- 1995-1997 — Chad Wilson (23-9)
- 1989-1994 — Jeff Kilts (27-30)
- 1975-1988 — Lou Andrus (57-78)
- 1971-1974 — Lloyd Jacobsen (12-24)
- 1967-1970 — unknown (18-19)
- 1960-1966 — Jim Crittenden (42-21-1)
- 1956-1959 — unknown (14-15-3)
- 1955 — Joe Crammer (2-5-1)
- 1951-1954 — unknown (14-15-3)
- 1944-1950 — Dean Prior (25-26)
- 1929-1943 — unknown (36-54-9)
- 1928 — Ross Nielson (2-4)
- 1925-1927 — unknown (3-11)
- 1921 — Wallace West (0-2)
- 1919 — unknown (1-4)
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Deseret News Mr. Football recipients
- 2017 — Cammon Cooper, QB
Deseret News MVPs the past 10 years
- 2017 — Dallin Holker, TE
Deseret News First Team all-staters the past 10 years
- 2017 — Will Overstreet, S
- 2017 — Jeremy Hansmann, MLB
- 2017 — Drake Knowles, DT
- 2017 — Kade Moore, WR
- 2016 — Carson Terrell, TE
- 2016 — Will Overstreet, CB
To view second team and honorable mention all-staters through the years, check out the Deseret News All-State Archives.