Note: Ridgeline is a first-year school participating in the 3AA North region.
MILLVILLE — Entering their first season in existence, expectations are high for the Ridgeline RiverHawks. Preseason predictions, both from high school football coaches as well as the media, name the RiverHawks as the second best team in the 3AA North region. Much of the expected success has to do with the seven returning starters, on both sides of the ball, that Ridgeline inherited from 5A football powerhouse Mountain Crest.
“The expectation level is high both within our program and outside our program,” said Ridgeline head coach Chris Howell. “We want to embrace those expectations. Mountain Crest obviously has had a long history of success with very tough competitive kids. We want to continue that tradition of toughness and competitiveness and bring it to Ridgeline. We want to build a culture of hard work and excellence, both on and off the field.”
Building a program from scratch, no matter the talent inherited, is a difficult task. For the RiverHawks, there have been challenges from the get-go. “We lifted (weights) for the first time in our own school last week,” said Howell. “We have had to use Mountain Crest’s facilities since February, and that has been a challenge. Not having our own place, and being beholden to Mountain Crest has been difficult. In addition to that we have been practicing at a nearby elementary school because our field isn’t finished yet.”
While not ideal, these challenges have allowed Howell to better understand the character of his players, and enabled him to observe how they deal with adversity and obstacles. “I am proud of my kids' resilience,” said Howell. “I haven’t heard anyone complain. They have just gone with the flow and done their best with what we have.”
That attitude should prove quite useful for the RiverHawks on the field. Ridgeline will primarily run a spread offense this season, though Howell was quick to point out his team's versatility. “We will go anywhere from two backs to five wide. We will be a spread-based team, but with the running backs we have we will go with a lot of two back sets,” noted Howell.
Chief among those running backs is Levani Damuni. Last season, as a starter at Mountain Crest, Damuni rushed for a team-high 388 yards and five touchdowns, along with an excellent 5.39 yards per carry. “As soon as he gets healthy he will play a lot of running back for us,” Howell said of Damuni. In addition to Damuni, the RiverHawks will look to Cody Olsen (56 yards and three touchdowns), Mitch Stott and Kody Pope to complete the backfield rotation. “We feel like we have a number of guys who can carry the ball back there,” said Howell.
Senior Payton Thomas will start at quarterback. Last season, as the primary backup to Mountain Crest star Tanner Schwab, Thomas completed six passes for 75 yards. “He is a really good athlete and a tough kid. We expect him to have a good year,” said Howell.
Thomas will throw the ball to receivers Jayden Olsen and Benson Hill, as well as tight end Theron Wallentine, among others. “We have a number of guys that can contribute,” said Howell when asked about his receiving corps. “We are going to have to work hard to get them touches in games. If we can do that, I feel like we can maximize our potential.”
Howell noted that the strength of his offense is his skill position players. “Our question marks on offense, really on both sides of the ball, is line play. We are not as tested up front as we are at our skill positions. We are going to need our young linemen to stay healthy and catch up to game speed quickly once the season starts.”
On defense, the RiverHawks will run a 3-4 scheme. Of the unit he coaches, Howell noted, “Our athleticism is our biggest strength by far. We have six or seven kids who played significant minutes on defense for Mountain Crest last season, and we are going to rely on their experience. Aside from them we have a lot of kids who run really well, are tough and have really picked up the nuances of our defense well.”
The RiverHawks will rely on many of the same players on defense that they use on offense. Among those players are linebackers Damuni, Stott and Pope. Damuni racked up an impressive 86 tackles, five sacks and one interception last season and will be expected to do much of the same this season. Stott was not far behind with his production, as he recorded 72 tackles, two sacks and an interception.
Thomas and Olsen will lead the secondary from the safety positions. Thomas was Mountain Crest’s leading tackler in 2015 with 91 tackles, and was tied for first on the team with two interceptions. Olsen was not too shabby either, with 47 tackles, one sack and an interception.
Senior Mason Fiefia, another Mountain Crest export, will start at nose guard for Ridgeline, a position he manned well as a Mustang. Fiefia recorded 48 tackles and two sacks last year and will be expected to lead a relatively young and inexperienced line this season. “He will play an important role in what we do. He is a very intelligent kid, a hard worker, and one of our team captains. He will be critical to our defense,” said Howell.
As far as season goals go for the RiverHawks, Howell is focused on off-the-field results. “We want to do things in the school,” said Howell. “We want our players to be the standard bearers of the kind of students we want at Ridgeline, not the exceptions.”
Ridgeline RiverHawks at a glance
Head coach: Chris Howell is entering his first season as head coach of the Riverhawks. He is a graduate of Logan High School and Utah State University. Prior to his tenure at Ridgeline, Howell was the head coach at Star Valley High School in Wyoming. In his final season with the Braves (he spent eight years in Star Valley), they finished with a 10-1 record and won the state championship. Previous to his stint as head coach at Star Valley, Howell served as the defensive coordinator at Sky View High School (he spent nine seasons at Sky View).
Offense (7 returning starters (started while at Mountain Crest); spread offense)
Offensive coordinator: Rob Thomas (First season as assistant)
Returning offensive starters
Payton Thomas (QB)
Levani Damuni (RB)
Cody Olsen (RB)
Mitch Stott (RB)
Kody Pope (RB)
Mason Fiefia (OL)
Oliver Taylor (OL)
Offensive newcomer to watch
Trevor Hobbs (OL)
Defense (7 returning starters (started while at Mountain Crest); 3-4 defense)
Defensive coordinator: Chris Howell
Returning defensive starters
Mason Fiefia (DL)
Oliver Taylor (DE)
Levani Damuni (LB)
Mitch Scott (LB)
Kody Pope (LB)
Cody Olsen (S)
Payton Thomas (S)
Coaches' preseason 3AA North straw poll: Second
Deseret News 3AA North prediction: Second
Bottom line: The RiverHawks, while the newcomers on the block, have a great deal of experienced talent. The coaching staff knows how to win, having done so at previous stops. If the young and inexperienced offensive and defensive lines come together and play to the level of the skill position players, Ridgeline will be right at the top of the region. If they don’t, the RiverHawks will still be a very difficult out.
2016 schedule
Aug. 19 — at Skyridge, 7 p.m.
Aug. 26 — at Provo, 7 p.m.
Sept. 2 — SPANISH FORK, 7 p.m.
Sept. 9 — BEAR RIVER, 7 p.m.
Sept. 16 — TOOELE, 7 p.m.
Sept. 23 — JUDGE MEMORIAL, 7 p.m.
Sept. 30 — STANSBURY, 7 p.m.
Oct. 7 — at Park City, 7 p.m.
Oct. 13 — at Logan, 7 p.m.
Oct. 19 — at Ben Lomond, 7 p.m.
Ridgeline coaching history
2016 — Christopher Howell (0-0)