Prep football preseason tidbits

Kickoff for the high school football season is still over a month away, but things are really starting to ramp up around the state. Teams have participated in various 7-on-7 camps and team camps, and the athletes are making the final push in the weight room before practice really gets going on Aug. 4.

We’re gearing up for the season at the newspape as well, and I’ve already visited nine high schools in the past two weeks as the Deseret News prepares for our preseason stories beginning in early August. Including myself, there are six Deseret News writers actively involved in previewing every team and every region in the state.

Here’s a few notes from what I’ve seen so far:

North Summit: The Richins boys, Colby and Caden, are much bigger than I remember and they’re a big reason why the Braves are my pick to win it again in 2A.

Parowan: Rolling into Fillmore for the Millard camp earlier this week, a suburban full of Parowan players showed off their singing skills. Belting out at the top of their lungs, several players serenaded a family getting into their car at the Paradise Golf Course with the song, “I’m not going to write you a love song.” Hopefully the players are as brave and bold on the football field this year as they were with their singing.

Rich: The Rebels are going to be good, that’s obvious. What I couldn’t believe is that the bus ride from Randolph to Monticello and Kanab is 11 hours. Amazingly, Rich is traveling to both high schools later this year. Ouch.

Millard: Two straight championship game losses haven’t hurt the program one bit. There were a ton of kids at Millard’s camp when I made the run through Fillmore, and a lot of them were big, big kids.

Enterprise: The numbers are down, and coach Barry Jones is going to be relying on a lot of young kids this year. It’s going to be tough too, especially with the team trying to go with the spread offense this year.

Morgan: There’s high expectations in Morgan, and quarterback Matt Largent is a big reason why. He took over midway through the 2007 season and nearly led Morgan to an upset of Judge in the playoffs.

Manti: Quarterback Griffin Aste is big, big kid. He’s poised for a big senior season. Good luck finding a group of kids more dedicated than the Manti football team. Weight lifting sessions are beginning at 5:30 a.m. this summer.

Bear River: I was in Garland early one morning, and I’ve got to say kudos to the Bear River mothers. In past years Bear River participated in a summer camp down in central Utah, but this year coach Chris Wise decided to keep it at home. It wouldn’t have been possible without the mothers making the meals all week.

Logan: Jeff Manning is poised for a huge senior season, and as a result the Grizzlies are big favorites to repeat as 3A champions. On a side note, Riley Nelson’s little brother is a freshman, so the quarterbacking position at Logan High is going to be in good hands for years to come.

Check back in the coming weeks for more updates, including 5A and 4A notes.