Note: Lehi finished with a 5-6 overall record in 2018 and was third in Region 6 with a 3-2 record. It lost to Jordan 56-28 in the 5A first round.
Lehi 2018 Offensive and Defensive Stats
LEHI — A lot of what unfolds during a season is due to what happens in the offseason, which is one of the reasons Lehi football saw a bit of a dip in overall play last season. One year after the program took the 5A state championship it was ousted in the first round, although the Pioneers looked poised to improve this coming year.
“Because of a snafu in our scheduling we really didn’t have an offseason lifting and conditioning program for a while, and it showed,” said Lehi coach Ed Larson. “We weren’t as big and as strong as some other teams, but that changed this past offseason. We got it back and I feel it will show this year.”
It also hurts losing many key parts off a championship team.
“We’re making the climb back after winning that championship,” Larson said. “We lost 37 seniors off that team, so that’s not easy to replace. We took a bit of a dip last year, but I feel we’re on our way back up.”
Lehi will have to make improvements in a new region assignment that looks to be tougher than what it took on in Region 6.
"Region 7 has some very good teams in it and it's going to be a bit of a brutal finishing schedule for us," Larson said. "But hopefully we're up for the challenge and I think we're set to make some good improvements this year."
Lehi Pioneers at a glance
Coach: Ed Larson is entering his sixth year as Lehi’s head coach, having led the team to a 28-29 record the past five years. He has 1s years of overall head coaching experience with a 50-74 career record. He’s a graduate of Piedmont Hills High in California.
Larson's thoughts on the new UHSAA RPI:
“Regions only really matter for scheduling purposes now. But what’s going to be interesting is how it turns out for those teams that win a region championship, even though that region proves to be sort of weak. No one really knows about all that, so it’s going to be interesting to see how it all works out.”
Lehi Offensive Snapshot
Offensive coordinator: Ed Larson
2018 offensive production: 28 ppg (11th in 5A)
— 6 returning starters
— Air Raid
Key offensive returning starter
— Carsen Manookin (RB): Manookin is a three-year starter who rushed for 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns last season.
Returning offensive starters
Creyton Cooper (QB)
McKay Wall (WR)
Josiah Westover (TE)
Carsen Manookin (RB)
Dylan Bell (OL)
Dylan Mackay (OL)
Offensive newcomers to watch
Isaiah Tuaui (WR)
Payton Faris (WR)
Breydon John (WR)
Charles Jacob (TE)
Coach Larson on quarterback Creyton Cooper:
“He had some injury issues from playing baseball, so it’s taken some time to come back from it because there’s so much pain. So he’s continuing to work and he loves the game. He’s a really good athlete and I love what I’m seeing him develop.”
Coach Larson on running back Carsen Manookin:
“It’s all about Carsen Manookin. He’s a tough sucker and he’s the kid every coach loves to coach. He’s always smiling and willing to do whatever we ask. Now he’s worked hard to improve his explosiveness and we feel it’s really going to pay off.”
Keys to offensive success in 2019: It's all about the offensive line for the Pioneers. Should the O-line suffice then Manookin should chew up a lot of yardage while Cooper gets Larson's Air Raid offense humming.
Lehi Defensive Snapshot
Defensive coordinator: Joseph Haymore
2018 defensive production: 22.5 ppg (12th in 5A)
— 7 returning starters
— 4-3
Key returning defensive starter
— Jacob Vasquez (LB): Vasquez anchors what Larson believes will prove a very stout linebacking group.
Defensive returning starters
Jacob Vasquez (LB)
Tyler Ehat (LB)
Matt Bullpit (LB)
Ryder Hatch (DL)
Christian Wren (DL)
Christian Moody (DB)
Mao Putasi Young (DB)
Defensive newcomers to watch
Gage Kent (DL)
Harrington Ray (DL)
Izak Harward (DB)
Bode Hinckley (DB)
Jaxson Southard (DB)
Coach Larson on his defensive line:
“I really like my defensive ends. We have great athletes on the edge, so I’m not as concerned there as I am about stopping guys up the middle.”
Coach Larson on his back seven players:
“We like our linebackers, but defensive back might be the area where we’ll need some guys to step up. We have a few returning starters, but we’ll rely on some new guys there and maybe even some freshmen who will need to step up.”
Keys to defensive success in 2019: The defense returns good talent, but as Larson says, the defense needs to prove tough up the middle against some very stout opponents.
Bottom line
The new RPI should help Lehi a lot considering how tough Region 7 looks on paper. Look for the Pioneers to improve their overall play from a year ago and possibly make a deep run in the postseason.
Coaches Region 7 preseason straw poll: Fourth
Deseret News Region 7 prediction: Fourth
Key region game: Oct. 16 vs. Orem
2019 Schedule
Aug. 16 — AMERICAN FORK, 7 p.m.
Aug. 23 — CRIMSON CLIFFS, 7 p.m.
Aug. 31 — CENTURY, IDAHO, 4 p.m.
Sept. 6 — MOUNTAIN RIDGE, 7 p.m.
Sept. 12 — at Timpanogos, 7 p.m.
Sept. 20 — PROVO, 7 p.m.
Sept. 27 — at Timpview, 7 p.m.
Oct. 4 — at Alta, 7 p.m.
Oct. 10 — at Taylorsville, 7 p.m.
Oct. 16 — OREM, 7 p.m.
….
Felt's Facts for Lehi High School
All-time record: 373-450-22 (97 years)
Region championships: 13 (1940, 1944, 1950, 1963, 1990, 1992, 1996 co, 1997, 1999 co, 2000 co, 2003 co, 2004 co, 2017)
Playoff appearances: 34
Current playoff appearance streak: 3 (2016-2018)
All-time playoff record: 24-31
State championships: 3 (1980, 2000, 2017)
State championship record: 3-2
Most played rivalry: 73 meetings with American Fork dating back to 1927. American Fork leads series 50-19-4.
Felt's Factoid: Lehi holds the record for fewest rushing yards allowed in a playoff game: minus-54 in a 1980 Class 2A quarterfinal.
...
Last 5
- 2018 — 5-6 (3-2 in Region 6 – 5A First round)
- 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)
.....
Lehi coaching history
- 2014-current — Ed Larson (28-29)
- 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)
....
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.