High school football: Springville Red Devils 2020 preview

Note: Springville finished with a 6-4 overall record in 2019 and was fourth in Region 8 with a 3-3 record. It was RPI seed No. 7 in the 5A playoffs, and was eliminated by Timpview 21-14 in second round. 

SPRINGVILLE — High school football programs don’t come much more consistent than Springville, which should serve it well during the inconsistent times brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Head coach: Willy Child

Heading into his ninth season as head coach at Springville, where his teams have posted a 59-33 record over that stretch. He’s a graduate of Springville High School and BYU.

When assessing what type of team the Red Devils will field in 2020, it’s relatively easy, considering the consistency. Observers can expect a hard-working and competitive product that will again form to become a legitimate contender in the 5A classification.

“Well, we’re hoping,” responded Springville coach Willy Child when asked of his team’s ability to be competitive in 2020. “As always, there’s a lot of work to be done, but we like what we have and we believe in our system.”

The system Child refers to is a relatively no-frills straight-ahead approach that has provided a lot of success for the Red Devils in recent years. Last season saw them again finish with a solid record before being narrowly eliminated by 5A championship finalist Timpview.

This year, with a decent amount of returning starters, Springville hopes to again advance to the semifinal round at Rice-Eccles Stadium and legitimately compete for the coveted state championship it’s come close to over the course of several seasons.

“We’ll go forward with our approach and the kids are working hard to form a competitive team,” Child said. “I’m proud of the system we’ve built here and we really have great kids who work hard, and that’s why we’ve been successful.”

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Springville Red Devils at a glance

Coach Child’s thoughts on how his players dealt the COVID-19 adversity in the spring and summer:

“We’re using the masks whenever we have to, and sanitizing our hands as much as possible, just like most people. So you adapt and go about your business as much as possible. I think kids have done well with it because they want to play. They’ll do whatever it takes.”

2020 Schedule

Aug. 14 — at Dixie, 7 p.m.

Aug. 21 — SKYLINE, 7 p.m.

Aug. 28 — at Bountiful, 7 p.m.

Sept. 4 — MAPLE MOUNTAIN, 7 p.m.

Sept. 11 — at Provo, 7 p.m.

Sept. 18 — BRIGHTON, 7 p.m.

Sept. 25 — at Salem Hills, 7 p.m.

Oct. 2 — at Spanish Fork, 7 p.m.

Oct. 15 — WASATCH, 7 p.m.

Springville offensive Ssnapshot

Offensive coordinator: Doug Bills

2019 offense: 26.3 ppg (15th in 5A)

2019 offensive statistics

• 5 returning starters
• Pro-style offense

Returning offensive starters

• Cole Clement (TE)
• Will Penrod (RB)
• Kevin Kolomalu (RB)
• Zach Mitchell (WR)
• Carlitos Cornejo (OL)

Offensive newcomers to watch

• Cade Dellamas (QB)
• Porter Small (OL)
• Pata Kaisa (OL)
• Brady Mortensen (WR)

Coach Child’s keys for offensive success in 2020:

“We’re young on offense, but had a lot of sophomores playing last year, so the playing experience is there, and it should help us. We’ll have a new quarterback, so that will be an adjustment, but hopefully it works out there. As always, we’ll look to run the ball first, and then work in the pass game after. We feel we have the players to do that effectively.”

Springville defensive snapshot

Defensive coordinator: Dave Valeti

2019 defense: 18.2 ppg (8th in 5A)

2019 defensive statistics

• 6 returning starters
• 4-3 defense

Returning defensive starters

• Cole Clements (LB)
• Jackson Rapier (DB)
• Kevin Kolomalu (DE)
• Hondo Quezada (DB)
• Will Penrod (LB)
• Seth Rigtrup (DB)

Defensive newcomers to watch

• Porter Small (DE)

Coach Child’s keys for defensive success in 2020:

“We really like our defensive line, and think that will be the strength of us on that side of the ball. We have some good defensive backs, also, and feel we can field a productive defense. Like on offense, we played quite a few sophomores last year, so those guys have good experience, and we like our leaders — guys like Hondo Quezada, Seth Rigtrup, Cole Clements, and some of the other guys.”

Deseret News outlook for 2020

It’s always easy to project how Springville will fare, and this year appears to be no different. Expect the Red Devils to be on top or at least near the top of Region 8 play and then make a good run in the postseason. Line play is always at a premium, and Child’s team appears to have good returning talent on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Should new starting quarterback Cade Dellamas prove effective, the offense should be able to put up points while the defense will be able to limit opposing offenses effectively.

Felt’s Facts for Springville

• All-time record: 445-413-32 (103 years)

• Region championships: 25 (1922, 1926, 1929, 1933, 1938, 1954, 1976 co, 1977 co, 1978, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986 co, 1988 co, 1990, 1991 co, 1992, 1993 co, 2001, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017)
• Playoff appearances: 49
• All-time playoff record: 31-47

• State championships: 1 (1985)

• State championship record: 1-4

• Most played rivalry: 95 meetings with Payson dating back to 1909. Springville leads 57-31-7.

Last 5 seasons

• 2019 — 6-4 (3-3 in Region 8 - 5A Second round)
• 2018 — 6-6 (2-3 in Region 8 – 5A Quarterfinals)
• 2017 — 9-4 (5-0 in Region 8 - 5A Semifinals)
• 2016 — 12-1 (6-0 in Region 8 – 4A Runner-up)
• 2015 — 11-1 (6-0 in Region 8 – 4A Semifinals)

Springville coaching history


• 2012-current — Willy Child (59-33)

• 2008-2011 — Scott Mitchell (30-17)

• 2007 — Dan Hansen (2-9)

• 1990-2006 — Doug Bills (89-80)

• 1981-1989 — Ray Newbury (59-29) *1 state title
• 1966-1980 — Mike Jacobsen (72-68-1)

• 1962-1965 — Karol Bills (2-5-29)

• 1957-1961 — Benny Kilpack (9-30)

• 1945-1956 — George Pehrson (46-38-11)

• 1942-1944 — Art Gilbert (6-12-2)

• 1937-1941 — Ned McBeth (17-15-5)

• 1936 — Carl Davis (3-1-2)

• 1935 — Mr. Rowe (2-2-2)

• 1932-1934 — Paul Thorne (5-12-1)

• 1930-1931 — Bob How (6-5-2)

• 1929 — Unknown (4-2-1)

• 1928 — C. B. Leddingham (5-1-1)

• 1908-1927 — Unknown (26-28-1)


Deseret News All-State Archives

Check out our archives of Deseret News all-state teams from 1929 to 2019 at Deseret.com.

Springville All-State at-a-glance

Deseret News First Team all-staters the past 10 years


• 2019 — Austin Mortensen, WR
• 2018 — Simote Iloa, DT
• 2018 — Rylan Poulsen, S
• 2017 — Bradley Nicol, DE
• 2017 — Lakei Kolomalu, OG
• 2017 — Cole Bowers, FB
• 2016 — Jackson Murphy, FB
• 2016 — Andrew Slack, OT
• 2016 — Viliami Kolomalu, OLB
• 2016 — Junior Mulipola, DT
• 2016 — Brennan Rymer, CB
• 2015 — Adam Rodriguez, DL
• 2013 — Zach Hansen, DL

• 2011 — Caleb McCray, LB

• 2010 — Marcus Case RB

• 2010 — Matt Sumsion TE

• 2010 — Brody Swanson DL