High school football: Box Elder Bees 2020 preview

Note: Box Elder finished with a 3-8 overall record in 2019 and was sixth in Region 5 with a 1-4 record. It was RPI seed No. 18 in the 5A playoffs and was eliminated by Alta 27-21 in first round.

BRIGHAM CITY — Last season, the Box Elder Bees were best described as young. The 2019 Bees had a small class of seniors, and as a result the team fielded quite a few underclassmen. The result was easily seen on the field, as the Bees struggled to a 3-8 overall record and a 1-4 mark in Region 5.

Head coach: Robbie Gunter

Entering his 18^th straight season as a head coach in Utah and 12^th at Box Elder guiding the program to a 93-95 record over the past 11 years. He previously spent six years at Viewmont leading the Vikings to a 36-29 record during that span. He’s a graduate of Idaho’s Marsh Valley High School and Southern Utah University.

By the end of the year, the team was bruised, battered and beaten down, and then suffered a heartbreaking 27-21 loss to Alta in the first round of the playoffs. It was tough, long-time Box Elder head coach Robbie Gunter explained.

“We played so many guys last year because we didn’t have as many seniors,” he said. “We had a lot of guys start and play, and that was really tough because they were young.”

All of it worked for the benefit of this year’s team, though. The Bees head into the 2020 season with battle-tested roster, and Gunter couldn’t ask for much more.

“It is awesome because we have that experience now,” he said. “They have battled and they are coming back.”

Offensively, the Bees will run that classic offense, the Wing T, with quarterback Parker Buchanan at the head. A two-year starting quarterback set to begin his third season under center, Buchanan now boasts a combination of experience and athleticism that should make the Bees’ attack dangerous. 

“We have a quarterback who has started for two years and that is always a benefit,” said Gunter. “Whether it is high school, college, wherever. A returning quarterback helps a lot.”

Defensively the Bees will stick with the 4-2-5 formation, but with key returners back at every level of the defense, including defensive end Gavin Hansen, linebacker Kellen Collier and defensive backs like Trevin Johnson and Alex Sorensen, there is excitement there too.

“We have some of our top defensive players returning,” said Gunter. “We feel really good about that.”

The Bees still have a great deal of youth across the program — “We have a smaller senior class,” Gunter noted — and how that collection of youth turns out will go a long way in determining what kind of season the team has.

Still, there is a great deal of optimism, with hope for a bounce-back year.

“We have a lot of young guys who have worked hard, are talented and are chomping at the bit,” said Gunter. “We have some of our top defensive players returning, ready to lead. We are excited.”

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Box Elder Bees at a glance

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

“Oh man. When spring sports were canceled, basically everyone had to work out on their own. Everything was bodyweight work. We believe the springtime is usually the opportunity for the individual player to make themselves better, though, and they did that, just in a different way than normal.

“When we got them back, it was like the greatest day ever. As a teacher without students, that was a weird and helpless situation. We are coaches because we love working with kids. To go three months without really any one-on-one contact with them was really difficult.

“When they first came back, and I don’t know if we overdid it or not, it was just so awesome to be around them, even though we had to go through all the protocols. It was a great experience to be around them.”

2020 schedule

Aug. 14 — KEARNS, 7 p.m.

Aug. 21 — at Green Canyon, 7 p.m.

Aug. 29 — vs. Rigby, Idaho (at Idaho State), 4 p.m.

Sept. 4 — at Bear River, 7 p.m.

Sept. 11 — at Farmington, 7 p.m.

Sept. 18 — VIEWMONT, 7 p.m.

Sept. 25 — at Bountiful, 7 p.m.

Oct. 2 — WOODS CROSS, 7 p.m.

Oct. 9 — at Bonneville, 7 p.m.

Oct. 14 — MURRAY, 7 p.m.

Box Elder offensive snapshot

Offensive coordinator: Mike Robinson

2019 offense: 22.0 ppg (17th in 5A)

2019 offensive statistics

• Four returning starters
• Wing T offense

Returning offensive starters

• Kellen Collier (OL)
• Parker Buchanan (QB)
• Trevin Johnson (RB)
• Lincoln Torrey (C)

Offensive newcomers to watch

• Keaton Lamb (TE/K)
• Carson Arnold (TE)
• River Olsen (WR)
• Braylon Majors (WR)
• Sean Baker (WR)

Gunter’s keys for offensive success in 2020:

“I really think it is going to be really important for our young guys to step in there and be productive. Our top two receivers (from last year are gone). I don’t know if any of these guys caught passes. Maybe a few. Our top receivers and our tight end are gone. We have all new guys and I’m excited about them, but they have got to be able to take that athletic ability and make it translate onto the field. 

“We are also going to put a lot more on Parker and let him be our leader on the field. He is a dynamic quarterback that can do some things for us.”

Box Elder defensive snapshot

Defensive coordinator: Travis Mumford

2019 defense: 25.4 ppg (17th in 5A)

2019 defensive statistics

• Five returning starters
• 4-2-5 defense

Returning defensive starters

• Gavin Hansen (DE)
• Keaton Lamb (DE/K)
• Kellen Collier (LB)
• Trevin Johnson (DB)
• Alex Sorensen (DB)

Defensive newcomers to watch

• Chance Thackeray (S)
• Landon Earl (CB)

Gunter’s keys for defensive success in 2020:

“We have a returning all-state defensive end (Gavin Hansen) and that makes a big difference in the pass rush. Then there is Kellen Collier at linebacker. We have great unity at that group, and other guys that can’t wait to get on the field and take their turn. I really like our defense. It is a pretty simple defense, but it requires great effort and our guys are going to have put in the time and can play hard to make us a great defense.”

Deseret News outlook for 2020

The Bees were young, inexperienced and untested in 2019, and it often showed on the field. That should not be the case this season, however, with an experienced corps of returners back, including star quarterback Parker Buchanan. If all goes right — young players step seamlessly into vacated spots, while veterans like Buchanan and Hansen lead — Box Elder should be able to contend with the best that Region 5 has to offer. A more likely scenario, though, has the Bees duking it out as a middle-of-the-pack team, proving to be a difficult out on any given Friday night, but not exactly a title contender.

Felt’s Facts for Box Elder High School


• All-time record: 573-351-25 (103 years)

• Region championships: 36 (1919, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1928, 1930, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1957, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966 co, 1968, 1982, 1983 co, 1984 co, 1992 co, 1995, 1996, 2001 co, 2003, 2004 co, 2010 co, 2018 co)
• Playoff appearances: 62
• All-time playoff record: 43-54-1

• State championships: 8 (1926, 1928, 1935, 1945, 1946, 1957, 1960, 1995)

• State championship record: 6-10-1

• Most played rivalry: 98 meetings with Logan dating back to 1919. Box Elder leads 62-33-3.


Last five seasons

• 2019 — 3-8 (1-4 in Region 5 — 5A first round)
• 2018 — 7-4 (4-1 in Region 5 — 5A first round)
• 2017 — 4-6 (0-4 in Region 5 — missed playoffs)
• 2016 — 6-6 (2-3 in Region 5 — 4A quarterfinals)
• 2015 — 5-8 (2-4 in Region 5 — 4A first round)

Box Elder coaching history


• 2009-current — Robbie Gunter (57-66)

• 1991-2008 — Wes Roesler (128-71) *one state title
• 1988-1990 — Larry Findley (18-10)

• 1981-1987 — Michale Madeo (39-29)

• 1979-1980 — Larry Findley (10-10)

• 1974-1978 — Gordon Peterson (21-25)

• 1960-1973 — Les Dunn (80-55) *one state title
• 1921-1959 — Earl Ferguson (213-78) *six state titles
• 1917-1920 — Alvin Twitchell (7-7)


Deseret News All-State Archives

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

Box Elder All-State at-a-glance

Deseret News First Team all-staters the past 10 years


• 2019 — Gavin Hansen, DE
• 2019 — Logan Holgate, MLB
• 2018 — Ethyn Butler, OG
• 2015 — Haydn Stender, OL
• 2014 — Riley Burt, RB
• 2014 — Jarom Meacham, DB
• 2013 — Luke Daley, OL

• 2013 — Breckin Gunter, LB

• 2012 — Breckin Gunter, LB

• 2011 — Britton Gunter, DB