Note: Skyline finished with a 4-7 overall record in 2019 and was fifth in Region 6 with a 2-4 record. It was RPI seed No. 20 in the 5A playoffs, and was eliminated by Murray 36-28 in first round.
SANDY — After a 4-7 season last year, Skyline head coach Mike Carlson can see the Eagles turning the corner and getting back into a winning record this year.
“We didn’t win as many games as we wanted to, obviously. We had a lot of close games. We were in pretty much every game that we played. I think that we were three or four touchdowns away from winning seven, eight games,” Carlson said.
The Eagles hope that experience will help the returning starters this year.
“We were on the edge where we just didn’t quite have enough to push it over the brink and win the game. So this year we’re hoping that we’ve learned a lot from our mistakes last year and that we can have that extra touchdown in the bank that we can pull out a lot of those wins instead of having them turn into losses,” Carlson said.
Skyline has a lot of skill players back on offense, including quarterback Braxton Bolingbroke, who threw for 19 touchdowns last year, and four returning wide receiver starters, including top receiver Hudson Manwaring. On defense, the Eagles will return linebacker Zac Tueller, who was a key part of the Eagles’ defense last season.
“We made a lot of good strides as far as changing team culture, creating team chemistry. We’re carrying a lot of that momentum into this season, which has helped our team tremendously. So overall it was a huge growth year for our program. We saw a lot of positive changes and we’re just looking to keep carrying the momentum that we built last year into this season,” Carlson said.
Skyline Eagles at a glance
Coach Carlson’s thoughts on how his players dealt with the COVID-19 adversity in the spring and summer:
“We were making a ton of progress this spring in the weight room and a lot of stuff that were were doing and getting a lot better at as far as strength and conditioning is concerned, and then when that hit all of the sudden, I mean, obviously we couldn’t do anything at all, so it’s tough to have that break. Instead of working out together, we sent out workout plans to each player every week that they had to complete. It’s been very different, a very different summer. We’ve had our workouts before they came, so that we could be in pads, we’re all spaced out all over the football field. We had all of our equipment out. It’s just been very different. Every single day that we have practice, we have to check kids, take their temperature, sanitize your hands. 100% completely different than any years that I’ve been a part of. It’s been crazy.”
Skyline Offensive Snapshot
Offensive coordinator: Mike Carlson
2019 offense: 29.4 (8th in 5A)
2019 offensive statistics
- 8 returning starters
- TTB offense
Returning offensive starters
- Braxton Bolingbroke (QB)
- Hudson Manwaring (WR)
- Austin Okenwa (WR)
- Ty Limpert (WR)
- Issac Visser (WR)
- Broox Yapias (C)
- James Kerr (G)
- Inoke Touhuni (G)
Offensive newcomers to watch
- Royall Wilson (RB)
- Zach Tueller (RB)
Coach Carlson’s keys for offensive success in 2020:
“Protect the passer has been one of our biggest things. We throw the ball a lot, so pass protection is crucial to our success. If we could give our quarterback time to get the ball to our talented receivers, then we’re going to have a lot of success. If we can’t, then they’ll struggle a little bit, so protecting the passer is big. We have a new running back crew this year. So we’re always looking to establish the run, our running backs Royall Wilson and Zach Tueller look to carry the load for us in the run game. Protecting the passer and then establishing the run will be crucial for us to have success this year.”
Skyline Defensive Snapshot
Defensive coordinator: Trevor Woodall
2019 defense: 27.2 ppg (18th in 5A)
2019 defensive statistics
- 5 returning starters
- 4-2-5 defense
Returning defensive starters
- Zach Tueller (LB)
- Issac Visser (CB)
- Roman Franco (S)
- Hudson Mannwarring (CB)
- Nick Landefeld (S)
Defensive newcomers to watch
- Miles Hall (LB)
- Thomas Bunker (LB)
Coach Carlson’s keys for defensive success in 2020:
“We have to play the run a lot better than we did last year. Last year, that’s kind of what bit us in the butt, was not being able to stop the run. We have to be able to tackle and be more physical. If we can do that, we’ll win a lot more games than we did last year.”
Deseret News outlook for 2020
Skyline should be improved from last season and should find itself on the right side of some close games with returning experience. The Eagles’ offense will be aided by returning eight of its starters while Skyline’s defense will have to find some newcomers to fill voids. All in all, Skyline could get back into a winning record if all goes right.
Felt’s Facts for Skyline
- All-time record: 454-206-1 (58 years)
- Region championships: 21 (1965, 1966, 1967, 1969 co, 1972, 1976, 1978 co, 1979, 1987 co, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994 co, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2012-co)
- Playoff appearances: 47
- All-time playoff record: 88-33
- State championships: 14 (1967, 1969, 1970, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2005)
- State championship record: 14-6
- Most played rivalry: 54 meetings with Olympus dating back to 1962. Skyline leads 28-25-1.
Last 5 Seasons
- 2019 — 4-7 (2-4 in Region 6 – 5A First round)
- 2018 — 3-8 (1-4 in Region 6 - Missed playoffs)
- 2017 — 6-4 (3-2 in Region 6 - 5A First round)
- 2016 — 4-6 (2-3 in Region 6 - 4A First round)
- 2015 — 5-7 (1-4 in Region 6 - 4A First round)
Skyline coaching history
- 2019-current — Mike Carlson (4-7)
- 2016-2018 — Zac Erekson (13-18)
- 2014-2015 — Justin Thompson (12-12)
- 2012-2013 — Steve Marlowe (9-11)
- 1986-2011 — Roger DuPaix (246-74) *8 State Titles
- 1982-1985 — Ray Groth (17-23)
- 1980-1981 — Gil Cordova (7-13)
- 1968-1979 — Ken Schmidt (108-26) *5 State Titles
- 1964-1967 — H.G. Linford (31-10) *1 State Title
- 1962-1963 — Wayne Startin (7-12)
San Juan All-State at-a-glance
Deseret News Mr. Football recipients
- 2000 — Steve Tate, QB
- 1999 — Bo Nagahi, DB
Deseret News First Team all-staters the past 10 years
- 2018 — Chris Dudley, P
- 2017 — Taylor Larsen, WR
- 2012 — Garrett England, Specialist
- 2011 — Zach Russon, OL
- 2010 — Nick Johnson OL