Note: Mountain Ridge finished with an 0-11 overall record in 2019 and was sixth in Region 7 with an 0-5 record. It was RPI seed No. 25 in the 5A playoffs, and was eliminated by Highland 58-21 in first round.
HERRIMAN — As a first year program, Mountain Ridge certainly took its licks in 2019. But a promising end to the season coupled with the return of a lot starters should see things trending up in in a very competitive Region 7.
Head coach: Mike Meifu
Entering his second season as head coach at new school Mountain Ridge after last year’s 0-11 campaign. Prior to starting the new program, he was the head coach at his alma mater West Jordan for four season where his teams went 24-18. He’s a graduate of Snow College.
As for the positives gained from last season, they’re hard to find on paper.
An 0-11 record, with the slimmest margin of the 11 losses coming in a 28-14 defeat at the hands of Payson indicates just how rough the inaugural season was, which was to be expected, to some degree.
“It was a tough year, no doubt, but that’s something that comes playing a lot of young guys going against a very tough region,” said Mountain Ridge coach Mike Meifu. “But we definitely improved and began to make good strides toward the end of the year.”
Meifu points to an playoff loss to Highland as indication of his program’s upswing. Sure, the Sentinels lost 58-21 to a tough Rams program, but were able to show good strides, nonetheless.
“I feel our offense really started to show some good things in that game, and it was sort of a progression throughout the year, up to that point,” Meifu said. “I think it gave our guys good confidence heading into the offseason and we feel we’ve continued making good progress through our workouts.”
Mountain Ridge Sentinels at a glance
Coach Meifu’s thoughts on how his players dealt the COVID-19 adversity in the spring and summer:
“It’s been crazy to work though, but I’m real proud of our kids. I think they’ve handled it extremely well, and I know it’s brought a lot more appreciation to be able to just practice and workout. I think they’ve handled the restrictions very well and going with whatever they’ve been allowed to do. But yeah, it’s been hard for everyone.”
2020 Schedule
Aug. 14 — at Olympus, 7 p.m.
Aug. 21 — at Kearns, 7 p.m.
Aug. 28 — HURRICANE, 7 p.m.
Sept. 4 — LEHI, 7 p.m.
Sept. 11 — at Timpview, 7 p.m.
Sept. 18 — ALTA, 7 p.m.
Sept. 25 — PAYSON, 7 p.m.
Oct. 2 — MAPLE MOUNTAIN, 7 p.m.
Oct. 9 — at Orem, 7 p.m.
Oct. 14 — at Spanish Fork, 7 p.m.
Mountain Ridge offensive snapshot
Offensive coordinator: Jack Pay
2019 offense: 7.0 ppg (25th in 5A)
2019 offensive statistics
- 10 returning starters
- Spread offense
Returning offensive starters
- Ayden Helm (QB)
- Logan Bennett (WR)
- Luke Johnson (TE)
- Jordan Day (WR)
- Kenyon Colemere (WR)
- Owen Soffe (OL)
- Nick Lober (OL)
- Feleti Liti (OL)
- Chase Higham (OL)
- Ryker Mather (WR)
Coach Meifu’s keys for offensive success in 2020:
“Well, it starts at quarterback and that’s the biggest thing for our offense — having our quarterback return after he made a lot of good strides last season. And then he has just about all the guys back around him, so you certainly expect to see improvement. I think we’ll show a lot more ability to score, and like I said, I really like how we were able to close the season.”
Mountain Ridge defensive snapshot
Defensive coordinator: Darius Matthews
2019 defense: 44.9 ppg (25th in 5A)
2019 defensive statistics
- 9 returning starters
- 4-3 defense
Returning defensive starters
- Ben Wempe (DB)
- Rylan Stevens (DB)
- Cade Uluave (DE)
- Chase Higham (DE)
- Owen Soffe (DT)
- Zander Herrera (DB)
- Carson Flanagan (DB)
- Luke Johnson (DB)
Coach Meifu’s keys for defensive success in 2020:
“It’s sort of the same story on defense as it is on offense. We have a lot of guys returning, although we’ll have to replace some very good linebackers we lost. But if we find some good linebackers, we feel we have all the other parts to make a lot of improvements on defense.”
Deseret News outlook for 2020
There’s little question Mountain Ridge will be improved in its second season as a football program. But considering the very tough Region 7 it’s assigned to, the overall record may have trouble revealing any improvements. The Sentinels play in 5A’s toughest region, from top to bottom, with no weeks off when taking on teams like defending champion Orem, with Timpview, Lehi and Alta. Good years are ahead of Mountain Ridge, although the going could again be rough this coming season, considering the competition.
Felt’s Facts for Mountain Ridge
- All-time record: 0-11 (1 year)
- Region championships: 0
- Playoff appearances: 1
- All-time playoff record: 0-1
- State championships: 0
- State championship record: 0-0
Mountain Ridge coaching history
- 2019 — Mike Meifu (0-11)
Deseret News All-State Archives
Check out our archives of Deseret News all-state teams from 1929 to 2019 at Deseret.com.