Note: American Fork finished with an 11-3 overall record in 2018 and tied for first in Region 4 with a 3-1 record. It lost to Lone Peak 34-29 in the 6A championship.
American Fork 2018 offensive and defensive stats
AMERICAN FORK — The Cavemen came just five points short of a 6A state championship a year ago, losing a heartbreaker to rival Lone Peak in a game where if just a few things went the other way, American Fork would have come away with a win.
Such a loss can be tough to get over, so are the Cavemen ready to put it behind them and move on?
“We better be because the season is just about here,” answered American Fork coach Aaron Behm. “So we’re going to learn from it. We’re going to be better because of it. It’s unfortunate the game ended like it did, but we look at it as progress for the program and learn some valuable lessons from it.”
A lot of teams that have the success American Fork had a year ago lose too much to be truly competitive the next season, although that doesn't seem to be the case with the Cavemen.
“We lost some guys, but we also have a lot of good talent coming back,” Behm said. “It’s not like we’re starting from scratch. We have guys we feel can compete and who can put together a good year.”
The toughest players to replace are undoubtedly receiver Chase Roberts, who signed to play with BYU, and quarterback Boone Abbott, who signed with Hawaii. But as prolific as both players were, Behm sees their move to college opportunities as a positive for the program.
“Losing really good guys should never be looked at as a bad thing,” Behm said. “It just means you’re producing great athletes that move on to bigger things, and now we have the chance to develop more guys like that. It’s always tough losing great kids, but that’s just the way it is and it’s great for the program to have kids have success and move on.”
American Fork Cavemen at a glance
Coach: Aaron Behm enters his tenth season at American Fork and has compiled a 58-46 overall record during his tenure. He's a graduate of Grant Community High School in Illinois.
Behm's thoughts on the new UHSAA RPI:
“I think it’s great, especially with our region. None of the teams in our region should be left out of the playoffs, so I think it’s great for that reason. It makes those non-region games more important, obviously, which I also think is good. We only have 10 games and it’s a great thing that every single one of those games matters quite a bit now.”
American Fork offensive snapshot
Offensive coordinator: Micah Hunsaker
2018 offensive production: 38.6 ppg (1st in 6A)
— 7 returning starters
— spread
Key offensive returning starters
— Devin Downing (WR): Downing had 79 receptions for 1,298 yards and 15 touchdowns a year ago.
— Jackson Gregory (RB): Gregory was the Cavemen's lead back last season before getting hurt toward the end of the year.
Returning offensive starters
Devin Downing (WR)
Jackson Gregory (RB)
Peyton Wilson (WR)
Tanner Holden (WR)
Hyrum Heelis (OL)
Houston Griffiths (OL)
Kaleb Ostler (OL)
Coach Behm on Devin Downing:
“Devin is a three-sport athlete and a big competitor. He’s an exceptional athlete and an exceptional person who also does things the right way. He was overshadowed a bit by Chase Roberts, but he’s been a very productive receiver for us and will be again this year.”
Coach Behm on Jackson Gregory:
“Jackson Gregory got really banged up toward the end of last year and couldn’t play in the state championship, but he’s healthy now and he’s a tank. He’s looking real good out there and we think he’s going to have a big year for us.”
Coach Behm on his offensive line:
“We have three returning starters, but the other guys — most of them have experience playing, so we’re confident with all of them and we’re adding some guys who transferred in. So we feel we’re going to have a very good offensive line.”
Coach Behm on his quarterback situation:
"We have two guys competing in Maddux Madsen and Hayden Betts. Both of them have done a great job and we'll narrow it down pretty soon. I think it's a good situation for us at quarterback. We'll miss Boone Abbott, but have a lot of confidence in both guys to replace him."
Keys to 2019 offensive success: American Fork has fielded the state's most prolific offense over the past two seasons and should prove productive yet again in 2019. The big key is at quarterback in replacing Boone Abbott effectively. Should the Cavemen do that, then the parts are in the right place around him to roll on to big numbers.
American Fork defensive snapshot
Defensive coordinator: Nate Cummings
2018 defensive production: 20.1 ppg (6th in 6A)
— 4 returning starters
— Multiple fronts
Key defensive returning starters
— Tanner Holden (DB): Holden leads what will be the strength of the defense in the defensive backfield.
— Bodie Schoonover (LB): Schoonover had 84 tackles and five sacks last season and is set for a big year, according to Behm.
Returning defensive starters
Tanner Holden (DB)
Bodie Schoonover (LB)
Kade Wakefield (LB)
Peyton Wilson (DB)
Coach Behm's comments on Bodie Schoonover:
“Everybody loves Bodie. He’s respectful and just does things the right way. We have a lot of kids like that, but Bodie, with his athleticism and character — he’s just special.”
Coach Behm's comments on the defensive line:
“The defensive line is where we’ll be youngest. Our entire two-deep pretty much graduated, so we’ll need to build good depth there and hopefully things work out.”
Coach Behm's comments on his linebackers:
“Linebacker is a position that should be strong with Bodie Schoonover and Noah Moeaki returning on the outside. Then on the inside we have some junior varsity guys ready to step up.”
Coach Behm's comments on his defensive backs:
“Defensive back is where we have the most experience returning. Our cornerbacks are both experienced and Taylor Crump is a real good safety for us. It’s a strong position, we feel, and they’ll lead our defense.”
Keys to defensive success in 2019: The defensive line needs to step up in a big way, particularly against the physical teams in Region 4. Should the DL suffice, then a very good backfield and linebacking corps should make for a productive defense.
Coaches preseason Region 4 straw poll: Third
Deseret News Region 4 prediction: Third
Key region game: Oct. 10 at Lone Peak
Bottom line
American Fork looks to field one of the better teams in the state, but as always, that means it'll just be one of several top teams in Region 4. Indeed, Region 4 looks as formidable as ever, but with enough returning talent returning to Behm's proven system, it should see the Cavemen rising to legitimately contend in 2019.
2019 schedule
Aug. 16 — at Lehi, 7 p.m.
Aug. 23 — at Timpview, 7 p.m.
Aug. 30 — at Arbor View, Nev., 7 p.m.
Sept. 6 — at East, 7 p.m.
Sept. 13 — at Herriman, 7 p.m.
Sept. 20 — SKYRIDGE, 7 p.m.
Sept. 27 — at Westlake, 7 p.m.
Oct. 4 — PLEASANT GROVE, 7 p.m.
Oct. 10 — at Lone Peak, 7 p.m.
Oct. 16 — CORNER CANYON, 7 p.m.
……
Felt’s Facts for American Fork High School
All-time record: 489-324-21 (93 years)
Region championships: 17 (1937, 1938, 1939, 1942, 1953, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977 co, 1980, 1984, 1995 co, 2007 co, 2014)
Playoff appearances: 40
Current playoff appearance streak: 5 (2014-2018)
All-time playoff record: 29-38
State championships: 2 (1961, 1962)
State championship record: 2-4
Most played rivalry: 83 meetings with Pleasant Grove dating back to 1931. American Fork leads 51-31-2.
Felt’s Factoids: AF played West to a 30-30 draw after three overtimes — when the game was called because of darkness — in 1984. It ranks as the highest tie game between two Utah schools. ... AF holds the record for fewest total yards allowed in a championship game: The Cavemen held Grand County to minus-2 yards in the 1962 Class B championship.
...
Last 5
- 2018 — 11-3 (3-1 in Region 4 – 6A Championship)
- 2017 — 6-5 (2-2 in Region 4 – 6A Quarterfinals)
- 2016 — 8-6 (3-3 in Region 4 – 5A Semifinals)
- 2015 — 5-6 (3-3 in Region 4 – 5A First round)
- 2014 — 11-3 (6-0 in Region 4 – 5A Runner-up)
.....
American Fork coaching history
- 2010-current — Aaron Behm (58-47)
- 1983-2009 — Davis Knight (151-122)
- 1982 — Unknown (8-4)
- 1971-1981 — Don Mower (77-33)
- 1969-1970 — Tom Crittenden (11-7)
- 1960-1968 — Don Mower (62-22)
- 1941-1959 — Leo Nelson (81-56)
- 1929-1940 — Grant "Rags" Ingersoll (39-25)
- 1927-1928 — Unknown (0-8)
- 1908 — Mr. Wade and Mr. Pitt (1-0)
.....
Deseret News First Team all-staters the past 10 years
- 2018 — Kyle Thompson, K
- 2018 — Bodie Schoonover, OLB
- 2018 — Dallin Johnson, DE
- 2018 — Ryan Poulsen, OL
- 2018 — Devin Downing, WR
- 2018 — Chase Roberts, WR
- 2018 — Boone Abbott, QB
- 2017 — Jeff Harris, CB
- 2017 — Chase Roberts, WR
- 2017 — Bronson Barron, QB
- 2016 — Michael Richardson, OT
- 2016 — Alex Lindsey, OLB
- 2014 — Zach Katoa, RB
- 2014 — James Empey, OL
- 2014 — Nate Honey, LB
- 2010 — Ryker Mathews, OL
To view second team and honorable mention all-staters through the years, check out the Deseret News All-State Archives.