High school football: Canyon View Falcons 2020 preview

Note: Canyon View finished with a 1-9 overall record in 2019 and was tied for sixth in Region 9 with a 1-6 record. It was RPI seed No. 18 in the 4A playoffs, and was eliminated by Cedar Valley in first round.

CEDAR CITY — Canyon View coach Chris Sawyers didn’t mince words when talking about last year’s defense: “We were awful.” Indeed it did, ranking dead last in 4A scoring defense, allowing 43.5 points per game.

Head coach: Chris Sawyers

Entering his third year as Canyon View’s head coach with a combined 4-16 record the first two seasons. Prior to that he was head coach at Sunrise Mountain in Las Vegas for three years. He’s a graduate of Carson High School in Nevada and Fort Lewis College in Colorado.

In fairness, Canyon View wasn’t that much better on offense, ranking 20^th out of 22 teams averaging only 11.3 ppg.

As discouraging as the mounting losses were, Sawyers is optimistic things will turn the corner in 2020 as he enters his third year as head coach at the program.

“The kids that are in our program now are pretty much our kids and they know our system. As far as teaching went this offseason it was really a blessing, we got to go into nuances of things that we were doing rather than how we line up and those kinds of things,” said Sawyers.

With seven major contributors back on both sides of the ball, there’s plenty of experience to build around.

One of the biggest areas of improvement could come at quarterback. Jake Garrett started as a freshman last season, but he could make big improvements a year wiser and stronger.

“He did a really good job as a freshman, but the game is really big when you’re moving up as a freshman. He’s really showed a lot of poise, and has all the ability in the world. He’s a good football player and only getting better. Having a little bit of experience is going to be enormous for him,” said Sawyers.

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Canyon View Falcons at a glance

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

“I’m gonna be honest with you, it kind of worked to our advantage a little bit. The kids were stuck in their houses for so long we had a lot of kids that came out cause they were bored or something. Our numbers are good.”

2020 Schedule

Aug. 14 — PAYSON, 7 p.m.

Aug. 21 — GRAND, 7 p.m.

Aug. 28 — ENTERPRISE, 7 p.m.

Sept. 4 — at Snow Canyon, 7 p.m.

Sept. 11 — CRIMSON CLIFFS, 7 p.m.

Sept. 18 — PINE VIEW, 7 p.m.

Sept. 25 — at Cedar City, 7 p.m.

Oct. 2 — at Hurricane, 7 p.m.

Oct. 9 — DESERT HILLS, 7 p.m.

Oct. 14 — DIXIE, 7 p.m.

Canyon View Offensive Snapshot

Offensive coordinator: Patrick Achord

2019 offense: 11.3 ppg (20th in 4A)

2019 offensive statistics

• 7 returning starters
• Spread offense

Returning offensive starters

• Jake Garrett (QB)
• Kyson Parker (OG)
• Ethan Rigtrup (OT)
• Tyler Maine (WR)
• Jake Tom (WR)
• Kody Callison (WR)
• Gunner Hatch (RB)

Offensive newcomers to watch

• Tyler Barton (WR)
• Wyatt Stevens (OL)

Coach Sawyer’s keys for offensive success in 2020:

“We’ve got to be able to run the football a little bit more effectively than we did a year ago, and hang onto the football. We had some massive turnovers games last year, and we’ve got to do a better job keeping the ball on our side for sure. If we run the ball a little better, then our RPO game will be better and then our passing game will obviously be better because we can play action a little bit. If we can’t run the ball it’s going to be a long year.”

Canyon View Defensive Snapshot

Defensive coordinator: Chris Sawyers

2019 defense: 43.5 ppg (22nd in 4A)

2019 defensive statistics

• 7 returning starters

Returning defensive starters

• Dayne Hudson (DL)
• Gavin Foster (DL)
• Waylon Jones (LB)
• Cooper McMullin (LB)
• Tommy English (LB)
• Jake Tom (CB)
• Brayden Floyd (S)

Defensive newcomers to watch

• Tyler Barton (CB)
• BoDee Burrows (LB)
• Logan Potter (DL)
• Gabe Lake (S)

Coach Sawyer’s keys for defensive success in 2020:

“We didn’t get a lot of turnovers last year, so we’re really focused on making sure we get turnovers. The other thing is we have to stop the run, we’ve got to do a better job of stopping the run and getting everyone going. In our league we do have some teams that like to chuck it around the yard quite a bit, but it really all comes down to whether you can stop the run. We’ve got some good size kids up front, we got some returning front seven guys and our safeties are pretty physical. I feel as if we’re going to do a much better job stopping the run.”

Deseret News outlook for 2020

In his first two seasons as head coach, Chris Sawyers’ teams have a combined 4-16 record. As discouraging as that’s been for the self-described impatient coach, Sawyers is optimistic the foundation laid over the past two years will start paying dividends this fall. That’s a big if for a program that’s had very limited success in its 23 years of existence.

Felt’s Facts for Canyon View

• All-time record: 48-172 (23 years)

• Region championships: 0

• Playoff appearances: 6

• All-time playoff record: 1-6

• State championships: 0

• State championship record: 0

• Most played rivalry: 23 meetings with Cedar and Dixie dating back to 1997. Cedar leads 19-4 and Dixie leads 22-1.


Last 5 Seasons

• 2019 — 1-9 (1-6 in Region 9 – 4A First round) 
• 2018 — 3-7 (2-4 in Region 9 – Missed playoffs)
• 2017 — 0-9 (0-6 in Region 9 – Missed playoffs)
• 2016 — 4-7 (3-2 in 3A South – 3A Quarterfinals)
• 2015 — 5-6 (2-3 in 3A South – Missed playoffs)

Canyon View coaching history


• 2018-current — Chris Sawyers (4-16)
• 2017 — Skyler Miller (0-9)
• 2013-2016 — Robby Robinson (13-30)

• 2008-2012 — Alex Huxford (7-40)

• 2004-2007 — Randy Hunter (10-28)

• 1997-2003 — Danny Lewis (23-49)


Deseret News All-State Archives

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

Canyon View All-State at-a-glance

Deseret News First Team all-staters the past 10 years


• 2016 — Dallen Smith, OL
• 2016 — Porter Miller, P
• 2015 — Jackson Vasi, RB
• 2015 — Keith Clarke, OL
• 2014 — Braxton Higgins, RB