The Hive Sports

by Daniel Olsen

The 2022 high school football season begins in August. In this preview series, we will break down all you need to know about high school football for the 2022 season. These previews of each region will catch you up on storylines surrounding every high school team in Utah.

Bonneville

2021 record: 6-5

After starting the year off 0-3 with double-digit losses in each of those games, the outlook on the season was not positive. However, they rebounded by winning five of their last six regular season games. They also pulled off a close home playoff win against Northridge before being summarily dismissed by Timpview 42-15 in the second round.

The Lakers are coached by Jantz Afuvai. After winning their first region title in 18 years in 2020, they fell off a little bit. However, don’t expect that trend to continue. The team will look to build on last year and have a strong season.

With the graduation of starting quarterback Koy Dixon, there will be a void to fill. His primary backup, Qwestyn Fielding, also graduated. That means the Lakers will start a quarterback that had never thrown at the varsity level. It will be interesting to see which new face emerges.

Bountiful

2021 record: 8-3

While the Redhawks did not lose a single game in region  play, their non-region losses were a little disappointing. They lost to Springville and Skyline by single digits. They were upset by 21 seed Orem in the second round of the 5A state playoffs.

Jason Freckleton is the head football coach for his alma mater. He started coaching Bountiful in the 2020 season and has fielded a winning program ever since. His teams have gradually improved with each passing game. He went from 7-5 his first season to 8-3 in 2021. If his team keeps improving at this rate, Bountiful could be a strong playoffs contender in the years to come.

Owen Geilman, the primary backup last year, has plenty of experience after completing just over half of his passes. The team has a chance to be successful if he can continue to improve as the primary starter.

Box Elder

2021 record: 4-8

Far from the three-time state championship level the Bees have been at in the past, the current Box Elder team had a rocky 0-3 start last year with all of those losses coming by double digits. The transition to 5A has proven difficult as they haven’t fielded a winning football team since the 2018 season. They are returning a large portion of their team this year, though, so that is a promising sign.

While the start was difficult, the Bees were led by coach Robbie Gunter to win the 101st annual Golden Spike game over Bear River in a close contest. Bear River is a 4A school that went winless last year, but that is a moot point when it comes to a rivalry game that the Bees won.

Cooper Stevenson, the starting quarterback last year for Box Elder, is returning for his senior year and will likely lead the team again. His individual goal should be to complete over half of his passes and limit his possessions to single digits. He had 11 interceptions and completed 48 percent of his passes. If he plays well then perhaps Box Elder could get back to a .500 record and give themselves a chance for a deeper playoff run than they have had in recent years.

Northridge

2021 record: 7-4

The five game win streak in the middle of last season was a recipe for a successful season for the Northridge Knights. However, the regular season success did not translate to the postseason as they lost a close 28-26 contest to Bonneville in the first round.

Andrew Fresques is back as the head coach and will look to continue to make a difference for the program on and off the field.

Malikai Williams, last year’s primary backup quarterback, is the favorite to get the starting job this fall. He completed 57 percent of his passes and converted one passing touchdown last year. It will be interesting to see what he will do with a larger sample size this year.

Viewmont

2021 record: 3-6

The Vikings had an improved season as they won just one game in 2020. However, they have room for improvement to be considered a competitive team. Their two losing streaks of three or more games made it difficult to gain momentum at any point in the season. With the exception of close losses to average teams like Logan and Provo, all of their losses were by double digits.

Viewmont has a new head coach, Dru Jones, leading the way. He played football for Northridge and has previous coaching experience at Layton Christian.

The best player on the team has returned to the lineup – senior quarterback Luke Jacobs. He is fully recovered from last year’s injury and will look to build on the electric offensive talent that he displayed last year. If he stays healthy, Viewmont could be the most improved team of the region.

Woods Cross

2021 record: 0-10

The Wildcats were simply not good last year. They were shut out on three occasions, and came within single digits just three times all season. Their last win was 647 days ago against Mountain View.

While the first year was a rough one for football coach Brody Benson, he is not discouraged. He will look to rebuild and help his team finish the season with some games in the win column.

Bradley Bailey split time last year but should be the clear favorite to start at quarterback this year. The Wildcats better hope that he improves because a 40 percent completion rate again won’t cut it in this competitive region.

Featured Image courtesy Woods Cross Football.