For many of this season’s championship football teams, the 2023 season brought with it an air of restoration.
Each of the 2023 Deseret News Players of the Year played a part in their team’s ascension. With the exception of 2A, the POY of each classification led a campaign that ended in the first state championship of their varsity careers.
With the maturation of the 8-player football division this year, it’s the first time that Deseret News will name Players of the Year from seven classifications.
This year’s Deseret News Players of the Year are Corner Canyon’s Tate Kjar, Timpview’s Helaman Casuga, Crimson Cliffs’s Steele Barben, Richfield’s Reggie Hafen, San Juan’s Parker Snyder, Beaver’s Kutlur Matheson and Rich’s Jaden Desch.
Class 6A
Tate Kjar, Corner Canyon, WR, Sr.
For all of Corner Canyon coach Eric Kjar’s reputation of developing stars at the quarterback position, his posterity has excelled at catching those passes. Tate Kjar, the middle son of his own head coach, capped off a career for the record books, joining his older brother, Noah, in several categories. Tate’s senior year stat line totaled 112 receptions for 1,813 yards and 15 touchdowns.
The UHSAA has only ever recorded nine instances of a receiver catching 100-plus passes in a single season, and Tate Kjar has two of them. After reeling in 102 passes in 2022 (fifth-most in state history), the future Utah State Aggie upped that to 112 in 2023, the second-most in state history. In addition to those two records, he finished sixth in history in career receptions (225), fourth in single-season receiving yards and sixth in career receiving yards (3,585).
“He’s a really tough kid, and he’ll battle and compete to the end,” Eric Kjar said. “He will not back down, and you see it in the way he plays, they way he blocks. It’s not even just even receiving. You watch him block, and he’s always running downfield and getting on guys and freeing them up on the run. There’s just a toughness and a (willingness to) show up to practice every day and work hard and work hard all summer that I felt he brought to the team.”
Eric Kjar said Tate’s impact on the field “changed the way defenses played us.” Tate is listed as a three-star recruit by 247Sports, and was a big part of Corner Canyon’s return to the top of 6A this season with the school’s fourth state title.
Class 5A
Helaman Casuga, Timpview, QB, So.
Most who watched the 5A state championship in 2022 were pretty convinced that Timpview was going to win the 2023 state title, and a big reason why was Helaman Casuga.
Casuga, as just a sophomore, was one of the highest-rated prospects in Utah playing this season, a four-star recruit per 247Sports. At the ripe age of 14, Casuga gained full control of the starting quarterback job with the Thunderbirds just a few games into the season, and he capped off the season throwing for over 300 yards and a touchdown as Timpview pushed a seemingly unbeatable Lehi team to three overtimes before falling, 29-23.
In 2023, Casuga nearly doubled his passing yardage, throwing for 4,135 total yards and 33 TDs in leading Timpview to its first state title since 2014. Not a bad resume for a kid just barely old enough for a driver’s license.
“Helaman is young but is the ultimate competitor,” Timpview coach Donny Atuaia said. “He works hard and the rest of the team sees it. You will find him on the field first for practice throwing to his receivers. You will usually see the same group to be the last to leave the field after practice. (He) is positive and composed in any scenario on the field. His teammates love to be around him because he will fight for them. Helaman is a huge reason for Timpview’s success this season.”
Class 4A
Steele Barben, Crimson Cliffs, QB, Sr.
Anyone who’s watched a high school football game in the St. George area in the last decade or two has a fairly high likelihood of hearing the name Barben. From Dixie to Desert Hills and now Crimson Cliffs, the senior quarterback bore a family legacy of championship football, and now he can add a page of his own in delivering the Mustangs their first state championship in school history.
“Having the last name Barben in Region 9 comes with a lot of weight and responsibility. There have been some great Barbens. Steele has not disappointed,” Crimson Cliffs coach Wayne Alofipo said. “He is everything you look for in a signal caller. His composure in the pocket, accuracy and IQ make him different! In his first year as a starter for us in a new offensive scheme last year, Steele shined!”
Barben completed his senior as one of the top QBs in the state, throwing for 3,536 yards and 46 TDs with, and here’s the kicker, just six interceptions. No other quarterback among the top 20 in TD passes threw fewer interceptions save for San Juan’s Parker Snyder (6 INTs). Because of Crimson Cliffs’s dominance across the board this season, Barben accomplished these numbers while also sitting out of nine fourth quarters and six entire second halves.
“We are just grateful that we have a Barben here at Crimson. What Steele has done in two years here at Crimson as the starter is unreal,” Alofipo said. “He is one of our team leaders and captains and has done a great job! He leads mainly by example, as he has the one common Barben trait, which is a lot of humility. He doesn’t care for the limelight and he loves seeing his teammates succeed.”
Barben is a highly-successful multi-sport athlete, and his football future remains uncertain.
Class 3A
Reggie Hafen, Richfield, QB, Sr.
By all metrics, Richfield had its best football season in school history, going completely undefeated for the first time ever and claiming its first state title since 1984. At the center of all of that was Reggie Hafen, whose impact went far beyond just the stats.
Words do little justice to express the impact had on the Sevier County community by the Wildcats’ special season, but Hafen’s leadership was second to none in helping the team rise to the top of an extremely competitive 3A field in 2024. Hafen finished the season with 37 total TDs — 25 passing, 12 rushing — and had a nearly 70% completion rate.
Short fields and blowout wins thanks to a suffocating defense meant Hafen didn’t really have to do as much as some other quarterbacks in the state on a weekly basis, but if anyone doubted what he was truly capable of in big moments, he quieted those thoughts in a big way with a dynamic 406-yard passing performance in the 3A state championship game.
Reggie was just exceptional in guiding our offense this year and a true leader of the entire team,” Richfield coach Eric Thorson said. “He’s the kind of quarterback every player respects, willing to do whatever is needed to make the team better. Players seemed to up their game just being around him. Reggie is calm under pressure, builds up players around him, and is the driver of determination to win. Reggie’s best quality as a team leader was his ability to read a defense and make adjustments to keep the ball moving down the field. More than once we would come up with a plan based on how a defense was playing and he would say, ‘Well if it’s not there I’ll just change it.’ His confidence in running the offense was unmatched.”
Class 2A
Parker Snyder, San Juan, QB, Sr.
There is something to be said for going 25-0 as a starting quarterback at any level, and Parker Snyder, who was last year’s 2A MVP, is a big reason why the San Juan Broncos have scarcely been touchable in nearly three seasons.
Snyder completed his high school career as a two-year starter throwing for over 7,000 yards and 86 TDs. While tossing 39 this season, he threw only six picks, joining Steele Barben as the only two QBs in the top 20 for passing TDs with six or fewer INTs.
“Parker was the backbone of our team’s success this season,” San Juan coach Barkley Christiansen. “Parker is the true definition of a leader on and off the field. He made it a point this season to be everyone on the team’s friend, and it showed in the way he played for his team and the way his team played for him. Parker led by example all year with an incredible work ethic and a winning mindset, always improving how we do things in our program.”
Snyder was a dual-threat QB, and he wasn’t far off being a 1,000-yard rushing this season as he ran his way to 14 TDs and 824 rushing yards. He also kicked several PATs, and on defense, he racked up 30 tackles and two INTs, including a pick-six.
“He was huge for us off the field, and on both sides of the ball,” Christiansen said. “He is more then deserving to be POY for back to back years.”
Class 1A
Kutlur Matheson, Beaver, TE/LB, Sr.
The dictionary definition of a football player, in the mind of Beaver head coach Jonathan Marshall, is senior Kutlur Matheson.
Beaver’s gameplan often dominates opponents by committee, so it’s uncommon for any player to really stuff the stat sheet. Yet, as a two-starter, Matheson was all over the field for the Beavers, recording 110 tackles and an interception on defense while being one of his team’s most versatile threats offensively — the ultimate “glue guy.”
“Kutlur did so many things for our team. He was a tremendous leader that led by example. He set the tone for our team. He has an amazing work ethic and could literally play any position on the field. As far as our coaching staff was concerned, Kutlur could do everything on the football field,” Marshall said. “One of his greatest attributes is how coachable he is. He played wherever we asked him to play. He played tight end, quarterback, and fullback on the offensive side of the ball. As a tight end in our wing-T offense, his ability to down-block and set the edge was a huge key in our offense’s success.”
Matheson is credited by Marshall as being the lynchpin of a defense that shut out three opponents and surrendered seven points or less in 8 of its 13 games, never allowing more than 20.
Class 1A 8-player
Jaden Desch, Rich, ATH, Sr.
As part of the transitionary period of Rich from 11-player to 8-player football, Jaden Desch’s was “a machine the last couple years for us,” Rich football coach Tyson Larsen said.
There wasn’t much the senior two-way starter couldn’t do. He was the top receiver in the 8-player division in receiving yards (800) and TD catches (12), and on the defensive side, he racked up 59 tackles, seven INTs and a fumble recovery to earn the first-ever Deseret News Player of the Year award for the 8-player football division.
Desch helped Rich become a title-contending program once again with his blend of skillful receiving in an offense that heavily relied on running the ball.
“(Desch) made the OC’s job easy because if we ever needed a big play, Jaden was hungry for the moment and often delivered as his performance showed,” Larsen said. “Defensively, he was one of the state leaders in interceptions while also being one of the hardest-hitting and best-tackling high school players to come through Rich High School. Perhaps his greatest football contribution to our team, however, was his willingness to do whatever the team needed. While he was often the guy that the team trusted to make big plays, he also as a captain and leader was always vocal about them doing whatever was needed to help the team be successful.”