Note: Fremont finished with an 8-4 overall record in 2014 and a 6-0 record in Region 1. It lost to Riverton in the 5A quarterfinals.


Fremont’s 2014 Stat Recap

PLAIN CITY — Don't ever sleep on the Silver Wolves.

Because if you do, you'll be sorry.

Region 1 opponents found that out the hard way last year, when a relatively unheralded Fremont High football team — which had gone 0-3 in the 2014 preseason following a pair of uncharacteristic losing seasons — promptly ran the table in region play, rattling off an unbeaten 6-0 league slate as part of an eight-game winning streak that didn't end until the 5A state quarterfinals.

Veteran head coach Kory Bosgieter had great admiration for that group of young men, their determined work ethic and willingness to listen and learn.

"Those guys were a lot of fun," Bosgieter said of the 2014 team. "And even though we went 0-3 in the preseason, I still felt like we had a pretty darned good team. We lost those games to some really good teams — Jordan, Brighton and Roy — and we played 'em all very close. So we felt pretty good about things.

"I was more concerned about what was going on confidence-wise with our kids. So it was huge for us to go out there and beat Davis at Davis (in their second league game last year). That was huge. It got it rolling for us."

And while Bosgieter loved the way last year's team came together and got things done, he's got a good feeling about this year's group of guys as well.

"We were very senior-oriented last year. But we've got some good kids this year, too," he said. "They're just not very experienced. I think we have players, we just have a lot of questions right now because we're not experienced.

"Consistency has been an issue for us this summer; we've got to become more consistent. And I'm hoping that as we get varsity experience and maturity, that that'll help. But we've got to become more consistent. We've got to try and get better every day. People always say that, but it's really true.

"I like our kids," Bosgieter said. "We have more question marks probably right now than we did a year ago, and that's just because we were so senior-oriented last year. We've got a lot of guys that don't have a lot of varsity experience right now, but I think we've got guys that can make plays. They've played football, they just don't have a lot of varsity experience. We know what we saw from them in the summer, so we've got a feel for where we need to improve."

The Wolves have five returning starters on offense, including senior running back Braxton Porter, junior slot receiver Haze Hadley and three senior O-linemen — Brock Carter, Zach Clawson and Kole Calvert — but they've got just two returning starters on the defensive side in Calvert and linebacker Caleb Ingram.

The quarterback position is still up in the air with juniors Saxton Morby and Caleb Taylor vying for the starting job.

"Saxton came in last year in the Syracuse game when Justin (Shaw) got hurt and polished off a region title for us, and then won a playoff game for us," Bosgieter said. "There's not a lot of sophomores that win playoff games. He's a good athlete."

In limited duty, Morby completed 58 of 77 passes for 555 yards and four touchdowns with three interceptions last season.

"We've got two good quarterbacks," added Bosgieter, noting that last year's experience showed once again how important it is to have more than one QB who can guide the team and keep the chains moving on offense.

Porter and junior Austin Freeman lead the way at running back. Freeman had 67 carries for 346 yards (averaging over five yards per carry) and six touchdowns last year, while Porter added 240 yards on 56 carries (4.29 ypc) and scored three TDs.

"They both played a lot last year and give us two very good running backs," Bosgieter said.

Providing depth in the backfield will be freshman Jay Scott, who tips the scales at 186 pounds.

"He's pretty exciting, and we're excited about him," Bosgieter said. "Our kids have taken him under their wing, and that's neat to see. He'll definitely be with us on Friday nights."

Hadley is a dandy little three-year starter at the slot. Last year, he had 50 catches for 622 yards and four touchdowns. He'll be backed up by senior Owen Toone.

"Haze is a special player," Bosgieter said. "He started as a ninth-grader for us, and he made a cut this summer in a scrimmage at the Weber State camp, and I told my coaches, 'There aren't many guys on this earth that can do that.' He's fun to watch."

At wide receiver, seniors Parker Wayment, Derek Gallegos, Jacob Baird and Bryant Beus will all see action.

At tight end, seniors Branson Harrop and Ingram will share the bulk of the playing time. Ingram is also a three-year starter at linebacker for the Silver Wolves.

"He's a good leader, a hard worker," Bosgieter said of Ingram. "He's just a quality kid. He's our best football player."

But Ingram suffered a shoulder injury this summer during a 7-on-7 matchup and had to have surgery on his labrum. Bosgieter hopes to have him back by the time region play starts.

Junior Colter Wilde will also see some playing time at tight end.

Carter is the returning starter at center, where he'll be backed up by junior Tyson Gibson. Clawson starts at one guard position, backed up by senior Garrett Butler, while junior Mitch Halbritter is the likely starter at the other guard spot, with senior Wyatt Hansen proving depth.

Calvert starts at offensive tackle, with senior Nate Montgomery backing him up, while junior Corben Hayes is the probable starter at the other tackle position, with senior Jaden Clark behind him.

On the defensive line, Calvert is a returning starter there as well at tackle, where he had 72 tackles and nine sacks last season. He's backed up by Hayes.

"You don't get a lot of juniors that can play both ways on the line, and he's one of the few I've had here that could," Bosgieter said of Calvert, a good athlete who also plays on Fremont's basketball team. "Even guys that are great two-way players as seniors, it's hard for them to do it as a junior. But Kole did it."

Hansen is the other starting defensive tackle, backed up by Clark.

Montgomery and senior Hunter Behm will likely start at defensive end, with Harrop and Wilde also available there.

At linebacker, Owen Toone and senior Bridger Stratford man the middle spot, with Ingram a returning starter on the outside, where he piled up 82 tackles, two interceptions and a sack last season. Porter and seniors Caleb Hahn and Jake Elliott will also see plenty of playing time at the outside linebacker spots.

In the defensive backfield, senior cornerback Darin Sagapolu is a talented athlete with huge potential, Bosgieter says, with Beus, senior Nick Rabow and the athletic Morby also available at the corners.

At strong safety, senior Dallin Pingree, who Bosgieter calls "a tough little bugger, man, tough" and senior Joseph Packard will see duty, while juniors Noah Stanger, Taig Nielsen and Hadley will man the free safety spot.

And although they only have two returning starters on defense, Beus — who Bosgeiter credits as being a tough and competitive young man — Hadley and Sagapolu all recorded double-digit tackles for last season.

"We're not very big at all," Bosgieter said, "but we've got some kids that will lay the wood to you."

In a newly aligned Region 1 that finds Roy, Sky View and Mountain Crest coming in and Davis, Syracuse and Layton moving out, Bosgieter looks at league newcomer Sky View as the team to beat in Region 1.

"Sky View's loaded," he said. "They've got a lot of great athletes, and I think they're the team to beat. It's weird that we're not playing Layton and Syracuse and Davis, but we just brought in Roy, Mountain Crest and Sky View that are quality teams, and any of those guys could still be playing the last week of the season.

"I still think, top to bottom, this is the toughest region in the state. Sky View is very good, Roy is very good, Mountain Crest is very good, Northridge is very good, Clearfield is gonna be better, and Weber's gonna be better. I tell you, It's a tough region. You don't line up against somebody and just say 'OK, there's a place we're gonna get our starters out for a half.' That doesn't happen in this region. It's a tough league."

And what about the Silver Wolves' chances of repeating as region champions?

"It's a goal, it's a goal every year," Bosgieter said. "Our expectations are high here. We've got five region titles in the last 10 years out here, so we have high expectations. Whether or not we improve enough to meet that, we'll see. But it's a rich tradition here and the expectations are high. ... We are fortunate to have as rich of a tradition as we do. It's a good place to be.

"If we will approach our preparation and intensity for Sky View and Mountain Crest like we always did for Syracuse and Davis, we'll be fine.

"This group's tight," he said. "They've done a lot of things together in the offseason. Now I'm curious to see how we deal with adversity, because we know it's gonna come at some point. There are traits that all good teams have, and this team certainly has them, too."

Indeed, don't be foolish enough to sleep on these tradition-rich Silver Wolves — or they'll make you pay.

Fremont Silver Wolves at a glance Head coach: Kory Bosgieter is entering his eighth season as Fremont's head coach. He's compiled a 40-39 record at the school, with the Wolves reaching the 5A state championship game in both 2010 and 2011. He is 89-80 overall in 17 years as a high school head coach and guided Weber High to a state championship in 1999. He is a graduate of Bonneville High School and Weber State University.

Offense (5 returning starters; Spread formation)

Offensive coordinator: Lance Mimnaugh (11 years as an assistant)

Returning offensive starters

Braxton Porter (RB)

Haze Hadley (Slot)

Brock Carter (C)

Zach Clawson (OG)

Kole Calvert (OT)

Offensive newcomers to watch

Saxton Morby (QB)

Caleb Taylor (QB)

Jay Scott (RB)

Austin Freeman (RB)

Branson Harrop (TE)

Bryant Beus (WR)

Mitch Halbritter (OG)

Corben Hayes (OT)

Defense (2 returning starters; 4-3 formation)

Defensive coordinator: Ross Arnold (12 years as assistant)

Returning defensive starters

Kole Calvert (DT)

Caleb Ingram (LB)

Defensive newcomers to watch

Wyatt Hansen (DT)

Hunter Behm (DE)

Owen Toone (LB)

Caleb Hahn (LB)

Darin Sagapolu (CB)

Dallin Pingree (S)

Noah Stanger (S)

Coaches preseason Region 1 straw poll: Third

Deseret News Region 1 prediction: Third

Bottom line: Fremont has only a handful of returning starters from last year's team that ran the table in Region 1 and notched eight straight victories, including a 5A first-round playoff win. But veteran head coach Kory Bosgieter and his staff have shown a great ability to get the most out of their players' abilities, and the Silver Wolves have a rich winning tradition to uphold. A lack of varsity experience will likely show early in the season, but it's a good bet that Fremont will be in the hunt for the league title and a state playoff berth when October rolls around. An Oct. 14 home game against league favorite Sky View could go a long way in determining the region championship and postseason spots.

Last 5

2014 — 8-4 (6-0 in Region 1 – 5A Quarterfinals)

2013 — 1-9 (1-5 in Region 1 -- Missed playoffs)

2012 — 4-7 (2-3 in Region 1 – 5A Quarterfinals)

2011 — 10-3 (5-0 in Region 1 – 5A Runner-up)

2010 — 11-2 (8-0 in Region 1 – 5A Runner-up)

Fremont coaching history

2008-current — Kory Bosgieter (40-36)

1994-2007 — Blaine Monkres (101-59)

Deseret News MVPs the past 10 years

2011 — Nick Vigil, RB

Deseret News First Team all-staters the past 10 years

2014 — Paxton Merrill, TE

2014 — Nate Wadsworth, OL

2012 — Tucker Zanone, OL

2011 — Luke Hollingsworth, DL

2011 — Jordan Preator, DB

2011 — Rowdy Stucki, DB

2010 — Nick Vigil, RB

2010 — Jake Gallegos, DL

2006 — JC Oram, OL

2006 — Joe Ridenour, LB

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2005 — Austin Raught, WR

2005 — Walker Pebley, OL

To view second team and honorable mention all-staters through the years, check out the Deseret News All-State Archives.

EMAIL: rhollis@desnews.com

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