Considering its upcoming schedule, it's not a stretch to think the Cottonwood football team could be looking at an undefeated regular season heading into the playoffs.

The Colts just may be that good.

In its second season at the Class 5A level, Cottonwood is out to a 3-0 start, after a momentum-changing win over Alta and blowouts over Sky View and American Fork. The remainder of the schedule reveals one difficult game — Hunter — but at home.

Considering the difficulty of losing two head coaches — Cecil Thomas to Weber State, and Teko Johnson, who died over the summer before he could coach a game — that the team is doing so well is a huge accomplishment.

"We've had it rough since the end of last season," said Josh Lyman, the Colts' interim head coach. "But this team has character and heart. We have almost the entire defense back from last season and we have a lot of leadership returning as well."

Cottonwood also has an explosive offense and a budding superstar in sophomore quarterback Cooper Bateman. The spread formation has put up a combined 85 points in the past two weeks, with 45 of that total coming against Sky View.

Nadan Hosea's already made his mark at running back, rushing for six touchdowns in the first three weeks and averaging more than 5 yards per carry. Inoke Lotueluel has 15 catches for 232 yards and a touchdown, and Robert Bevridge has made an impact as well with a pair of touchdown grabs.

But Bateman has stolen the spotlight. Colts offensive coordinator Scott Cate, in a bit of breaking news, told The Tribune on Monday morning that Bateman has received a formal offer from the University of Utah, the first offer of his career.

"And Florida State, California and USC are very interested in him." Cate said. "He's got to keep his head on straight. But if he does, I think he could be a national-level recruit."

And to think, it was a toss-up before the season whether or not he would even be starting. But at 6-foot-3, an already sturdy 200 pounds, and having a rocket arm, and 4.7 speed in the 40-yard dash, Bateman's physical attributes were too much to ignore. It was only a matter of his maturity at such a young age matching his talent.

That question has been put to rest. Bateman is averaging almost 16 yards per completion, he's thrown three touchdown passes and has thrown for 539 yards in his young career. More importantly, he's shown a feel for the pocket and he's allowed his coaching staff options.

"We really thought we were going to be a predominantly run-based team," Cate said. "But Cooper's developed faster than we had hoped, and we're trying to open up the offense a bit because of it."

The Colts have a deep defense. Luke King has five sacks in three games. Cottonwood has picked off five total passes and King is leading the team with 36 tackles. Combine that with an offense that's really hit its stride, and it's easy to surmise that the Colts are one of the teams with hopes of challenging Bingham for a Class 5A state title.

tjones@sltrib.com —

Cottonwood football

3-0 on the season

Scored 85 points in the last two weeks

A favorite to win the Region 2 title