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UINTAH UTES
THE HURRY-UP
Last season, the Utes finished with a 4-7 overall record and a 2-4 mark in Region 3AA North. Uintah missed the playoffs for the second straight year, losing the play-in game 55-8 to eventual state champion Dixie. The Utes have a new head coach in Austin Heaps.
OFFENSE
First-year head coach Austin Heaps doesn't have a whole lot of players returning offensively, although he does have a 1,000-yard rusher coming back in Tyson Colton, who rushed for 1,035 yards on almost 200 carries last season to go along with 10 touchdowns, and will more than likely have to increase that workload this season after the team lost its quarterback to graduation. The backfield is the strongest option the Utes have on offense, and really their only option, so it shouldn't be a surprise if they are a very run-heavy team this season. Although, to be fair, they barely threw the ball last season, amassing only 54.7 yards per game through the air.
Senior Kedrick Coonis will have his hands full as the starter this year at quarterback. He has almost no experience at the varsity level. Luckily for Coonis, he does have a few of the wide receivers from last year coming back, most notably Trevor Lofthouse, but he too doesn't have all that much experience. Again, Colton will carry the bulk of the load for the Utes' offense after being their best option last season. Expect some early struggles on this side of the ball.
DEFENSE
Things should be a little better for the Utes on the defensive side, as they return all their linebackers from last season, including Dakota Havens and Brayden Lewis. Havens, who is a senior this year, is the team's returning leader in tackles after notching 85 during his junior campaign. Lewis was right there with his linebacker mate in tackles with 81 last season, and even had an interception.
While Coonis has little to no experience under center, the senior played strong safety last season and made 50 tackles in the Uintah secondary. Playing in a larger classification this season will certainly present a number of challenges, but it will help having this kind of experience defensively, especially given how the Utes fared last year.
In 2014, Uintah struggled on defense, giving up 34.1 points per game, while allowing a total of 428.9 yards per game in 3AA, which would rank second to last in 4A. Heaps will have to made quite a few adjustments, and fast, to get this team ready to play in a bigger conference with better offenses, especially in a region as stacked with talented players on offense.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Because of the conference realignment, there will definitely be some major challenges for a team that struggled in a lower division. With only one real option on offense and a few holes on defense, they may have trouble early on, but they should have enough talent and senior leadership to hang with the teams in Region 8.
BIG SHOES
Coonis is taking over for a quarterback that was a huge part of last season's offensive gameplan: Haden Bunderson, who rushed for 597 yards and passed for another 578 while rushing for eight touchdowns. The hope is Coonis will be less turnover-prone — Bunderson threw 14 picks last season compared to only three touchdowns.
PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH IN REGION: 7
RETURNING LEADERS
Passing: Kedrick Coonis (Sr.), 2-of-4 passing, 11 yards, 0 TD
Rushing: Tyson Colton (Sr.), 188 attempts, 1,035 yards, 10 TDs
Receiving: Trevor Lofthouse (Sr.), 11 catches, 147 yards, 2 TDs
Tackles: Dakota Havens (Sr.), 85 tackles
Sacks: Davis Kendrick (Sr.), 2 sacks
Interceptions: Tyson Colton/Dakota Havens, 1 interception
2014 RANKINGS
OFFENSE
Scoring: 23.6 ppg – 3rd in Region 8/14th in 4A
Rushing: 203.5 ypg – 2nd in Region 8/7th in 4A
Passing: 54.7 ypg – 6th in Region 8/23rd in 4A
Total: 258.2 ypg – 5th in Region 8/20th in 4A
DEFENSE
Scoring: 34.1 ppg – 6th in Region 8/20th in 4A
Rushing: 217.6 ypg – 6th in Region 8/21st in 4A
Passing: 211.3 ypg – 7th in Region 8/23rd in 4A
Total: 428.9 ypg – 7th in Region 8/25th in 4A
COACHING BIO
Name: Austin Heaps
Years with school: 1st Season
2015 SCHEDULE
Date, Opponent, Time (2014 result)
Aug. 21, at Orem, 7 p.m.
Aug. 28, Pine View, 7 p.m.
Sept. 4, at Union, 7 p.m. (Lost, 41-21 )
Sept. 11, Payson, 7 p.m.
Sept. 18, Salem Hills, 7 p.m.
Sept. 25, at Springville, 7 p.m.
Oct. 2, Maple Mountain, 7 p.m.
Oct. 9, at Spanish Fork, 7 p.m.
Oct. 14, at Ogden, 7 p.m. (Won, 37-21 )
Oct. 23, at Wasatch, 7 p.m.