Coming of its best year in more than a decade, West football suddenly found itself without a head coach after Justin Spencer defected to Woods Cross.

But the Panthers didn't have to look far to find their next man — defensive coordinator Keith Lopati will take the reins of the program. And the first-time head coach is looking forward to the opportunity.

"More than anything, I want to manage the program so we can get to the level I'm looking for. We want West to be one of the very best programs in the state. It takes a lot of commitment."

Lopati is a Highland High graduate who played running back at the University of Hawaii. He joined the Panthers staff this past season, when the team went 6-6 and finished in the quarterfinals of the Class 5A tournament. West had one of the better defenses in the state, averaging less than 20 points allowed per game. He also coached on Highland's defense for six seasons prior to joining the Panthers.

But Lopati will be concentrating on improving West's offense. He said he expects to run it himself and use multiple formations. Lopati has a triple-option background, so he said he'll mix some of that in.

He also hope to retain the talent in the Panthers' district by appealing to them with academics.

"West is one of the best academic schools in the state, and I'm not sure people know that," he said. "We want to keep the guys we have, and show them the grass isn't always greener on the other side."

Lopati begins as head coach immediately. He already is on the faculty at West.

— Kyle Goon

kgoon@sltrib.com

Twitter: @kylegoon