Note: Spanish Fork finished with a 7-4 overall record in 2018 and was second in Region 10 with a 4-1 record. It lost to Dixie 31-20 in the 4A quarterfinals.
Spanish Fork 2018 Offensive and Defensive Stats
SPANISH FORK — Making the jump to 5A is tough in its own right, but couple that with losing vast starting experience on both sides of the ball, and the challenge becomes that much harder.
One. That's it. Just one returning starter on both sides of the ball this year for the Dons, which could lead to a lot of precaution.
But despite the need to field 21 new starters this fall, Spanish Fork coach Preston Parrish is optimistic about his team's chances.
“We lost a really good senior class, and we return just one of 22 starters,” Parrish said. “But most of the guys who return have a lot of varsity experience, so even though the numbers don’t look good at all, it’s better than it appears.”
Spanish Fork is a tight-knit community with Parrish taking pride in being the coach there with its unique challenges.
“It’s a home-grown program here, and any time you play with just your own kids you’re going to have ups and downs,” Parrish said. “You just have to recognize that and deal with that the best way you can. I enjoy everything about Spanish Fork and how we do things here.”
The Dons will compete in Region 8 against top teams like Springville and Provo, with Parrish excited about the prospect.
“I think we can compete with everyone on our schedule,” Parrish said. “People will look and see that we don’t have hardly any returning starters, and that’s OK. We know what we have and we know these kids have worked hard and will step up and be better than most people may think.”
Spanish Fork Dons at a glance
Coach: Preston Parrish is in his fourth year coaching at Spanish Fork and has a 16-14 record at the program. He previously worked as an assistant at Davis. He played at Bountiful, where he was named an all-state lineman, before playing college football for Portland State.
Parrish's thoughts on the new UHSAA RPI:
“You don’t have the luxury to develop and sort of learn like you used to with the new RPI, which is tough for a rebuilding team like us.”
Spanish Fork offensive snapshot
Offensive coordinator: Jake Brandon/Josh Jensen
2018 offensive production: 36.7 ppg (4th in 4A)
— One returning starter
— Pistol/multiple
Lone offensive returning starter
— Jacob Moore: Moore does a bit of everything for the Dons and will contribute heavily on offense, defense and special teams.
Newcomers to watch
Corbin Harrison (WR)
Eli Davidson (WR)
Kaden Holt (QB)
Zach Dart (QB)
Tayson Reid (RB)
Aaron Jenson (OL)
Sinclair Dain (OL)
Hunter Rasmussen (OL)
Parrish on Jacob Moore:
“He’ll play linebacker, wide receiver, safety — everything. He’s a very versatile player and we’ll ask him to do a bit of everything for us this year.”
Parrish on his quarterbacks:
“We have a battle right now between a senior and a sophomore quarterback who we both like. So they’ll battle throughout camp and we’ll obviously go with who we feel can help us the most.”
Keys to offensive success in 2019:
The story is an obvious one for the Dons, as multiple guys have to step up and step up in a hurry to achieve good success on offense. the quarterback position will need to be solidified along with every other position on the field.
Spanish Fork defensive snapshot
Defensive coordinator: Preston Parrish
2018 defensive production: 24.2 ppg (11th in 4A)
— One returning starter
— 4-3 hybrid
Returning starter
Jacob Moore (DB)
Newcomers to watch
McKay Leilua (LB)
Gabe Oldham (DL)
Bryndon Cabreros (DL)
Tapu Anesi (DL)
Brad Stevens (DB)
Jeffrey Hernandez (DB)
Parrish on his defensive backfield:
“Our corners are going to be really inexperienced, but we’ve had a good competition there. I think a good group will emerge in the coming weeks from the guys who are competing for spots.”
Parrish on his defense in general:
"We're going to need some guys to step up, but like I said, we feel we have guys with enough experience to get ready to take on bigger roles. It's going to have to happen fast, but we feel we'll be ready."
Keys for defensive success in 2019:
It's basically the same as it is on offense with most every position to be manned by new starters. Depth will also play big with the Dons set on competing against several teams with more player personnel.
Coaches preseason Region 8 straw poll: Fourth
Deseret News Region 8 prediction: Fifth
Key region game: Sept. 27 vs. Maple Mountain
Bottom line
Parrish has forged a strong program, but some growing pains are sure to come this coming season, considering the jump in competition coupled with a vast lack of starting experience across the board. The Dons won't get blown out the water by any means, but may struggle to finish on top or near the top of Region 8.
2019 Schedule
Aug. 16 — CEDAR, 7 p.m.
Aug. 23 — at Cedar Valley, 7 p.m.
Aug. 30 — CYPRUS, 7 p.m.
Sept. 6 — at Provo, 7 p.m.
Sept. 13 — WASATCH, 7 p.m.
Sept. 20 — at Salem Hills, 7 p.m.
Sept. 27 — MAPLE MOUNTAIN, 7 p.m.
Oct. 4 — at Springville, 7 p.m.
Oct. 10 — PAYSON, 7 p.m.
Oct. 16 — at Mountain Ridge, 7 p.m.
….
Felt’s Facts for Spanish Fork High School
All-time record: 379-450-20 (99 years)
Region championships: 7 (1935 co, 1961, 1969, 1970 co, 1973 co 1977 co, 1991 co, 2012)
Playoff appearances: 33
Current playoff appearance streak: 2
All-time playoff record: 21-32
State championships: 0
State championship record: 0-1
Most played rivalry: 98 meetings with Payson dating back to 1917. Spanish Fork leads 51-43-4.
Felt’s Factoid: SF’s Hayden Nielsen is one of just five Utah high school players to accumulate more than 9,000 career yards of total offense (9,451 from 2009-11).
...
Last 5
- 2018 — 7-4 (4-1 in Region 10 – 4A Quarterfinals)
- 2017 — 6-4 (4-1 in Region 10 – 4A First round)
- 2016 — 3-6 (2-4 in Region 8 – Missed playoffs)
- 2015 — 5-6 (3-3 in Region 8 – 4A First round)
- 2014 — 6-6 (2-4 in Region 8 – Missed playoffs)
...
Spanish Fork coaching history
- 2016-current — Preston Parrish (16-14)
- 2015 — Jordan Smith (5-6)
- 2012-2014 — Kirk Chambers (23-14)
- 2006-2011 — Matt Christensen (41-28)
- 2000-2005 — Scott Brumfield (29-34)
- 1995-1999 — Everett Kelepolo (25-26)
- 1987-1994 — Doug Snell (26-49)
- 1981-1986 — Dave Clark (21-36)
- 1965-1980 — DelRay "Andy" Anderson (79-74-3)
- 1956-1964 — Don Fuller (42-38-3)
- 1953-1955 — Thayne Stone (3-17-1)
- 1952 — Gus Black (1-6)
- 1949-1951 — Thayne Stone (6-14-1)
- 1948 — Gus Black (2-3-1)
- 1940-1947 — Unknown (16-39-1)
- 1939 — Lloyd Jacobsen (4-2)
- 1932-1938 — Unknown (20-20-4)
- 1928-1931 — Fenton Reeves (12-6-3)
- 1919-1927 — Unknown (2-15-2)
- 1918 — Mr. Simmons (0-2)
- 1916-1917 — Unknown (6-7-1)
.....
Deseret News First Team All-Staters the past 10 years
- 2018 — Sam Dawe, OT
- 2018 — Kaleb Lundquist, CB
- 2017 — Wei Stanton, P
- 2016 — Wei Stanton, P
- 2014 — Adrian Rodriguez, OL
- 2012 — Braxton Argyle, RB
- 2012 — Colton Olsen, WR
- 2012 — Wyatt Groves, DL
- 2012 — Gunnar Beus, LB
- 2011 — Hayden Nielsen, QB
- 2011 — Christian Taele, RB
- 2011 — Sosiua Vaitohi, OL
- 2011 — Colin Argyle, LB
- 2010 — Isaac Asiata, OL
- 2009 — Chase Loftin, WR
- 2009 — Isaac Asiata, OL
To view second team and honorable mention all-staters through the years, check out the Deseret News All-State Archives.