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BOX ELDER BEES

THE HURRY-UP

Box Elder finished 5-7 overall, 2-4 in league play, and lost to Corner Canyon, 34-13, in the first round in 2014.

OFFENSE

The Bees were middle-of-the-road offensively last season, but personnel changes — some ol' switcheroo of offensive starters to different positions — could have a positive impact this year.

Most notably: Darius McFarland, a 265-pound prospect committed to BYU as a defensive end and tight end, will relocate into the backfield as the primary option in Box Elder's Wing-T scheme.

"He does such a good job in space, we just thought he would be a great inside runner," Box Elder coach Robbie Gunter said. "This summer, getting ready to go, he's really shown us he can do some good things."

Last year's senior quarterback, Connor Udy, was efficient when the Bees called passing plays, throwing for more than 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns with only two interceptions, but the offense was never truly able to establish enough consistency to back opposing defenses on their heels. Jarom Mecham — one of the top safeties in the state — brings his athleticism to the running game at quarterback, but also has the ability to sling it.

"Just a big athletic kid that really is more of a distributor," Gunter said. "He really gets the ball out, understands what we're trying to do, and he's a great leader."

However, that's where experience ends on offense. The Bees are working in an entirely new set of receivers, while they're tasked with figuring out four replacements on the offensive line. Haydn Stender is a talent at guard, but his counterparts are a work in progress. In the run-heavy offense, continuity upfront is critical to any sustained success, which makes resolving the ongoing question marks on the line the No. 1 priority.

DEFENSE

Box Elder finished in the top 10 in the 4A classification in rush defense. In the new Region 5, they'll need to duplicate the success once more.

"We're going into a new region — well, they're coming into our region, I guess — and it's totally different," Gunter explained. "In the past, it's been a passing region, and now it's a pretty run-dominant region. We're still trying to see what we have to do. We feel like we have a great preseason to set ourselves up for that, but when I talk about improving every week, that means getting better at executing, competing."

Similar to the offensive side, the defense is working out the kinks accompanied with inexperience. McFarland will start on the defensive line, but Gunter noted he prefers to platoon as much as possible and would like to see him spelled more often on defense. Riley Taylor is another returning player on the interior defensive line, but the rest of the nine projected starters are newcomers to Friday night action.

"We have a bunch of guys that have done all the work," Gunter said. "They were good JV players, but when it's Friday night and the lights are shining, they're going to have to figure out how to play football and make sure they do their job."

WHAT TO EXPECT

Right now, there are a ton of unknowns surrounding this team, and in arguably the deepest region in the classification, they'll need to figure things out quickly to survive.

BIG SHOES

Riley Burt is now at BYU after rushing for 1,109 yards and 11 touchdowns. McFarland and Bryant Tingey, who rushed for 309 yards last season, should form a quality one-two punch.

PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH IN REGION: 5

RETURNING LEADERS

Passing: None

Rushing: Bryant Tingey (Sr.), 41 att., 309 yds., 3 TDs

Receiving: Darius McFarland (Sr.), 28 rec., 382 yds., 2 TDs

Tackles: Jarom Mecham (Sr.), 102

Sacks: Darius McFarland, 4.5

Interceptions: Jarom Mecham, 5

2014 RANKINGS

OFFENSE AVERAGE REGION (of 6) CLASS (of 26)

Scoring: 26.8ppg 4 11

Rushing: 233.5ypg 2 5

Passing:  91.2ypg 4 19

Total: 324.7ypg 3 11

DEFENSE

Scoring: 25.9ppg 4 12

Rushing: 129.8ypg 5 9

Passing: 164.7ypg 4 12

Total: 294.5ypg 4 8

COACHING BIO

Name: Robbie Gunter

Years with school: 7

Alma mater: Southern Utah University

PROJECTED STARTERS

OFFENSE

QB: Jarom Mecham (6-4, 195, Sr.)

RB: Darius McFarland (6-2, 265, Sr.)

RB: Bryant Tingey (5-11, 195, Sr.)

WR: Alan Bown (5-10, 167, Sr.)

WR: Dylan Rodriguez (5-10, 156, Jr.)

TE: Zach Gunn (6-3, Jr.)

LT: Carter Udy (Jr.)

LG: Jacoby Hunsaker (Sr.)

C: Cody Howard (6-1, 275, Sr.)

RG: Haydn Stender (6-1, 250, Sr.)

RT: Riley Taylor (Jr.)

DEFENSE

DE: Kirk Bissegger (6-5, 178, Jr.)

DT: Darius McFarland (6-2, 265, Sr.)

DT: Riley Taylor (Jr.)

DE: Ethan Bunderson (6-0, 170, Sr.)

LB: Jackson Lancaster (Sr.)

LB: Jason Vance (5-9, 165, Sr.)

LB: Bryant Tingey (5-11, 195, Sr.)

DB: Alan Bown (5-10, 167, Sr.)

DB: Cole Curtis (5-8, 140, Jr.)

S: Dylan Rodriguez (5-10, 156, Jr.)

S: Briar Bunderson (5-9, 165, Sr.)

SPECIAL TEAMS

K: Taylor Ashcroft (5-11, 170, Sr.)

P: Jarom Mecham (6-4, 195, Sr.)

R: Dylan Rodriguez (5-10, 156, Jr.)

R: Alan Bown (5-10, 167, Sr.)

2015 SCHEDULE

Date, opponent, time (2014 result)

Aug. 21, at Logan, 7 p.m. (Lost, 28-21 OT)

Aug. 28, Syracuse, 7 p.m. (Lost, 31-28 3OT)

Sept. 4, Bear River, 7 p.m. (Won, 34-25)

Sept. 11, at Herriman, 7 p.m.

Sept. 25, at Woods Cross, 7 p.m.

Oct. 2, Ogden, 7 p.m. (Won, 63-6)

Oct. 9, at East, 7 p.m.

Oct. 14, Bonneville, 7 p.m. (Won, 42-27)

Oct. 23, at Bountiful, 7 p.m.