Note: Timpview finished with an 11-2 record in 2015 and first in Region 7 with a 6-0 record. It lost to East 49-14 in the 4A championship game.
Timpview 2015 offensive and defensive stats
PROVO — For Andre Owensby, the disappointment of losing the 4A state championship was so painful last fall, the Timpview senior still feels it.
“My expectation is to get to the state championship again and winning it,” said the senior lineman. “Because last year we fell short, and I don’t want to have that feeling again. … It was really bad. There was just something inside of me that was like, ‘Wow, I don’t ever want this feeling again. And I don’t want anybody else to have it with me.’”
His desire to avoid that heartbreak motivates him as a player and a leader. He is part of the core that will lead this year’s Timpview team — the offensive line.
The entire offensive line is made up of three–year returning starters, and head coach Cary Whittingham hopes they will provide key leadership for a young, inexperienced team.
“The offensive line is important for any team at any level,” he said. “They can generate success at any level if you’ve got five good offensive linemen. … The success comes from the old standby, ‘It’s won in the front, in the trenches.’ If you don’t have a good offensive line, it’s a struggle.”
Because success starts with the offensive line, a group often overlooked or ignored by fans in favor of skill players, Timpview should have a great foundation on which to build this season.
As much comfort as that should bring Whittingham, there are still a lot of unanswered questions for the team that lost a lot with graduation, but has talent in the pipeline and gained two significant transfers in senior defensive back/wide receiver Chaz Ah You and senior running back Alema Te’o.
“We don’t even know our quarterback situation yet,” Whittingham said in late July. “We’ve just got to figure it out. Every year, a coach’s stress is ‘how am I going to put these pieces together.’ The offensive line is not a problem.”
Ah You, a four-star recruit who played at Westlake last year, said he feels at home in the Timpview locker room, despite just being part of it for a few weeks.
“These guys took me in,” he said. “They accepted me right away. Everybody knows their role, so nobody is hating on anybody. Everybody knows what they gotta do for us to be successful.”
He said he feels like he can be a leader if he works hard and delivers in games. He said he’s used to working hard, as the players at Westlake gave as much as they could.
“We worked our butts off,” he said.
He said the difference at Timpview is the expectation of success.
“Here the mentality is we expect to win,” he said. “I like that mentality; it’s the mentality I’ve always had.”
Whittingham said he believes any player can develop leadership skills.
“In high school it’s probably easier to step in and lead, because in college, everybody is pretty good,” Whittingham said. “In high school, you get those occasional few good kids, and players will latch onto their leadership because they’re so talented.”
The T-birds are tweaking a few things in the wake of last year’s second-place finish.
“We’re trying to learn a few lessons about what we could do to get our key players on the field more, instead of solely platooning,” Whittingham said. “We’re trying to get the more talented kids on the field on both sides of the ball.”
He pointed to the fact that East quarterback Johnnie Lang played both offense and defense.
“We’re trying to figure out how to get enough out of our elite players, but not so much we’re burning them out or causing more chance for injury,” Whittingham said.
The T-birds have quite a few players who could play roles on both sides of the ball — Donovan Faumui, a senior linebacker; Morgan Anderson, a senior defensive back; Oliver Peters, a senior defensive back; Beau Tu’ua, a defensive back; Eric Calantoc, a senior slot; and Brig Sibley, a senior cornerback.
But what may be almost as important as figuring out which pieces will fit together best is finding a way to capitalize on last year’s loss in the title game.
“It’s always tougher, I think, to repeat because kids get complacent,” Whittingham said. “When you didn’t win, I think the kids tend to want it more and work harder and expect it less. There’s been some years here, no doubt, where kids have thought, ‘We’re going to step on the field and we’re going to win.’ And they just don’t work hard — whether it be in the weight room, on the field or practice. That’s always been tough.”
Shintaro Mann said there is less danger of that this year because the players are determined not to end the season with a loss. He sees their first order of business one of chemistry.
“My expectation is for us to become a brotherhood,” he said. “And I think we’re coming together. We’re real close. But I think we need to get that brotherhood going first, and then everything will take its place.”
So how does one build that brotherhood?
“We work hard,” he said matter-of-factly. “If everyone keeps working hard, and we trust each other, and we keep building that brotherhood, we’ll be good.”
Timpview T-birds at a glance
Coach: Head coach Cary Whittingham enters his fifth year as the T-birds' head coach. The Provo High and BYU alum owns a 47-8 record, and last year is the first season he wasn’t able to lead the program to a 4A title.
Offense (spread, four returning starters)
Offensive coordinator: John Teuscher, first year.
Returning offensive starters
Andre Owensby, senior, left tackle
Jacob Palu, senior, left guard
Shintaro Mann, senior, center
Jacob Jeffries, junior, right tackle
Defense (4-3; four returning starters)
Defensive coordinator: Josh Arnold, fifth year.
Returning defensive starters
Terrence Faumui, sophomore, defensive end
Jackson Cravens, junior, defensive tackle
Kolby Enosa, junior, defensive line
Karene Reid, junior, linebacker
Coaches' preseason Region 7 straw poll: second
Deseret News Region 7 prediction: first
Bottom line: The T-birds need a new quarterback, with one candidate being junior Moses Niumatalolo. Once they decide on a quarterback, they will have plenty of weapons with the addition of Chaz Ah You and Alema Te’o. They have depth at defense, and if they can find the right combination of players and maintain chemistry, they will be tough to beat as they have tradition and leadership in spades.
2016 schedule
Aug. 19 — WEST, 7 p.m.
Aug. 27 — at Helix, Calif., 7 p.m.
Sept. 2 — TAYLORSVILLE, 7 p.m.
Sept. 9 — at Alta, 7 p.m.
Sept. 16 — at Provo, 7 p.m.
Sept. 23 — OREM, 7 p.m.
Sept. 29 — TIMPANOGOS, 7 p.m.
Oct. 7 — CORNER CANYON, 7 p.m.
Oct. 13 — at Mountain View, 7 p.m.
Oct. 19 — at Skyridge, 7 p.m.
Felt's Facts for Timpview High School
All-time record: 319-111 (38 years)
Region championships: 19 (1977 co, 1986 co, 1991, 1992, 1993 co, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005 co, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015)
Playoff appearances: 35
Current playoff appearance streak: 26 (1990-2015)
All-time playoff record: 71-24
State championships: 11 (1986, 1991, 1997, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014)
State championship record: 11-2
Most played rivalry: 40 meetings with Provo dating back to 1977. Timpview leads 30-10.
Felt’s Factoid(s): Timpview owns the second-longest winning streak in state history at 36, dating from Sept. 15, 2006, to Nov. 21, 2008. … The T-birds have the longest current winning streak, 26 games, since Sept. 6, 2013. That’s tied for the fifth longest streak all-time. … The Thunderbirds hold the record for total yards in a championship game, 611 in the 4A final in 2007. … Timpview’s Andrew Badger holds the state record for yards gained per reception during a season with 35.8 in 2003. … The Timpview defense set a championship game record with eight sacks in 2012. … Jake Lloyd tied the state record for season TD passes (53, with Logan’s Riley Nelson), in 2012.
Last 5
2015 — 11-2 (6-0 in Region 7 — 4A runner-up)
2014 — 14-0 (6-0 in Region 8 — 4A champions)
2013 — 13-1 (6-0 in Region 8 — 4A champions)
2012 — 9-5 (5-2 in Region 8 — 4A champions)
2011 — 10-3 (7-0 in Region 8 — 4A semifinals)
Timpview coaching history
2012-current — Cary Whittingham (47-8)
2005-2011 — Louis Wong (77-10)
1990-2004 — Chad Van Orden (134-38)
1985-1989 — Garry Walker (30-24)
1982-1984 — Sam Hard (15-13)
1977-1981 — Paul Gillespie (25-23)
Deseret News Mr. Football recipients
2014 — Britain Covey, QB
2008 — Craig Bills, DB
Deseret News MVPs the past 10 years
2013 — Britain Covey, QB
2012 — Jake Lloyd, QB
2009 — Ofa Latu, LB
2008 — Xavier Su'a-Filo
2007 — Dominique Moe, LB
2006 — Jackson Owen, RB
Deseret News First Team all-staters the past 10 years
2015 — Samson Nacua, WR
2015 — Andrew Owensby, OL
2015 — Nate Richardson, LB
2015 — Will Watanbe, DB
2014 — Jordan Espinoza, WR
2014 — Gabe Reid, DL
2014 — Devin Kaufusi, DL
2014 — Kainoa Tu’ua, LB
2014 — Isaiah Holloway, DB
2013 — Gabe Reid, DL
2013 — Isaiah Nacua, DL
2013 — Pio Stowers, LB
2012 — Dax Raymond, WR
2012 — Pita Taumoepenu, DL
2011 — Rickey Shumway, WR
2011 — Josh Burr, LB
2010 — Christian Covey, QB
2010 — Kalvin Cusick, OL
2010 — Colby Jorgensen, DL
2009 — Trevor Brown, QB
2009 — Tyson Tiatia, OL
2009 — Chris Badger, DB
2008 — Casey Rumsey, QB
2008 — Travis VanLeeuwen, WR
2008 — Bronson Kaufusi, DL
2008 — Jason Whittingham, LB
2008 — Chris Badger, DB
2007 — Quinn Mecham
2007 — Mark Ercanbrack, WR
2007 — Tui Crighton, OL
2007 — Craig Bills, DB
2007 — Xavier Su'a-Filo, OL
2007 — Kevin Bills, LB
2007 — Bronson Kaufusi, DL
2006 — Houston Reynolds, OL
2006 — Kevin Bills, DL
2006 — Devin Mausia, LB
2006 — Craig Bills, DB
To view second team and honorable mention all-staters through the years, check out the Deseret News All-State Archives.
Email: adonaldson@deseretnews.com
Twitter: adonsports