Exceeding Expectations
One of the fun parts of any high school football season is watching an unheralded team rise up and defy expectations. It’s a simple matter to predict teams like Alta or Bingham will have good seasons, but it’s always harder to foresee which ones will have a breakout year.
As we reach the halfway point of the prep football season, here are some teams who I think have performed far above preseason expectations so far.
Ogden – The Tigers are 4-0 for the first time since 1966 and it represents a major step forward for a program that was among the state’s worst just a few years ago. Eric Eyre has done a fantastic job turning Ogden around with his spread offense. The Tigers’ explosive offense has given fits to each opponent they have faced so far. Nik Allred has thrived in the spread offense and turned into a dangerous playmaker, throwing for 1,176 yards and 15 touchdowns — while completing 82 percent of his passes.
Wasatch – I have to brag a little here. The Wasps were my preseason pick as a 3A team who would exceed expectations. What I didn’t realize is the Wasps would double last year’s win total after just four games. But Wasatch, now 4-0, is taking 3A by storm after switching to a spread offense to make better use of a talented receiver corps and the passing abilities of Payton Davis. One thing that has also helped the Wasps is a vastly improved offensive line. It has given Davis time to make plays. The results? 936 yards and nine touchdowns through four games for Davis.
Brighton – Okay, so the Bengals lost to Lone Peak last Friday. But you can’t discount the fact that, at 3-1, Brighton looks like it has progressed by leaps and bounds from ’08. The Bengal defense notched shutouts in each of its three victories. Personally, I’m happy to see Ryan Bullett finally have some success as head coach. I still remember when some hotheaded fans were making up flyers and putting them on cars at Brighton calling for Bullett to be fired just a few games into his first season. Fortunately for the Bengals, those shortsighted fans did not get their wish.
South Sevier – The Rams have not won a state championship since 1925 and have put together only 12 winning seasons in school history. But South Sevier might be in for a memorable year in 2009. A 4-0 start, the team’s best ever, has the Rams working their way into the 2A title chase. One reason for the success: running back Landon Leavitt. In four games, Leavitt has rushed for 420 yards and six touchdowns and has 32 tackles and two sacks on defense.
Provo – The Bulldogs have always lived in the shadow of city rival Timpview when it comes to football. But this fall, a 3-1 start has given Provo a reason to pay attention to something besides basketball. Maka Unufe has been nothing short of spectacular. The Bulldog receiver accounted for 250 yards of total offense in the season opener against Cyprus and has averaged nearly 100 yards receiving in three games.
Olympus – Incorporating an I-back into the Titan offense was the best decision first-year Olympus coach Mike Smith could have made. Terry Isaia was a 1,000 yard rusher two consecutive years back in Virginia and he has added another dimension for the 3-1 Titans. For Olympus, Isaia has totaled seven touchdowns and 532 yards on 94 carries in just four games. He has yet to total less than 100 yards in any game so far, which can only mean good things for the Titans going forward.
This is by no means a complete list, so feel free to contribute any other teams worth a mention. Which teams do you feel like have been surprise teams early in the season?
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