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One of the newest high schools in Utah is making a big splash.

Corner Canyon High School, a Class 4A school in Draper that is set to open its doors for the 2013-14 school year, announced a multitude of coaching hires Monday afternoon in a news release.

Perhaps none was more notable than Russ Boyer, who comes to Corner Canyon after a tremendous run with the 5A Brighton boys' soccer program.

Boyer's teams at Brighton have played for seven state championships and walked away triumphant twice in back-to-back years in 2008 and 2009 over the last 10 years.

Boyer was named the Utah coach of the year by the Utah High School Activities Association and also was named the Western Regional Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations in 2008.

Donald Eck, a former offensive lineman at the University of Utah under former Ute coach Ron McBride, was hired to lead the Corner Canyon football program. After coaching jobs with NFL Europe, Eck returned to Utah to coach at Weber State as an assistant head coach/offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Eck recently joined former Utah football coach Jim Fassel in the United Football League, where he was the offensive line coach for the Las Vegas Locomotives.

Krissa Reinbold was hired as coach of the Corner Canyon girls' soccer team. Reinbold, a former prep star in Folsom, Calif., still holds the California state record for most goals scored in a high school career with 137. Reinbold went on to star at BYU, where she was a two-time captain and a second-team All-American with the Cougars in 2003.

Former Bingham High star Charron Mason has been tabbed to lead the Corner Canyon girls' basketball program. The former Miner turned Miner assistant coach — she'll serve as an assistant at Bingham through the end of the season — graduated from Southern Utah University in 2002.

Tony Cannon, a popular name in the Alta High realm who has 24 years of coaching experience, has been named coach of the Corner Canyon boys' basketball program. Cannon has been an assistant coach with the Hawks where he previously was the coach for six years. Cannon's teams won two region championships and one state championship during that time.

Corner Canyon is scheduled to compete in Region 7, along with Mountain View, Murray, Olympus, Orem, Skyline and Timpanogos, during the 2013-14 season.

Another school also announced a coaching hire Monday. Westlake has hired former BYU quarterback Steve Clements to lead the Thunder football program. Clements replaces former coach Gary Clark, who was in charge of the Westlake program for just one season.

Clements spent four years as the coach at Lehi, where his teams went 33-12 during that four-year span. The Pioneers won the 3A state championship during his third year at the helm. Clements moved back to his home state of Texas in 2006 and began coaching at Haltom High and the next year moved to Dallas Hillcrest High. Clements currently teaches at Trinity High School in Euless, Texas, and provides private quarterback training in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex area.

"I've kind of got an affinity for both places," Clements said Monday evening. "I always knew I was probably going to get back to Utah, I just didn't know when."

Clements said when he left Utah to return to Texas he never thought he'd return in the capacity of being a head coach. He said his time at Lehi, while tremendously successful, was grueling because the amount of responsibility a football coach had to endure 10 years ago was "quite enormous."

He said he never lost the fire for coaching and looked back to the lessons he learned under former BYU coach LaVell Edwards and former BYU offensive wizard Norm Chow.

"As far as the coaching aspect, that never leaves you," he said. "Whether I'm 41 like I am now or 61 or 81 or back when I was 21, [coaching] gets in your blood and it stays. You don't forget how to coach or be a leader of young men."

Clements said he's tentatively scheduled to make the move back to the Beehive State in March 2013 but added he's going to make a trip a bit earlier to meet his players.

He'll be taking over a Westlake program that moves up from 4A to 5A in 2013. The Thunder finished 4-6 in 2012, but starting quarterback Gavin Williams will be a junior next year.

Asked what kind of style he expects to bring to the Thunder, Clements said he'll play to his team's strengths, whatever they may be.

"If you don't have the groceries to cook a steak, sometimes you have to make cereal," he said. "It depends on what's in the pantry. The cupboard is not bare, I do know that."

-Chris Kamrani —