This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Maple Mountain Golden Eagles
The Hurry-up — Maple Mountain finished 7-4 in 2015, and 3-3 in Region 8 play. The Golden Eagles lost to Salem Hills 7-6 in the 4A play-in game.
The 2015 season was one of highs and lows for Maple Mountain. The highest high was when the Golden Eagles were 6-1 and near the top of the Region 8 standings with Springville. The lowest low came one week later when starting quarterback Jaren Hall went down with a season-ending injury in a region loss to Wasatch. The high-soaring Golden Eagles came crashing down to earth, losing three of their last four games, including back-to-back losses to Salem Hills in their regular-season finale and the 4A play-in game.
"There was a lot of good and a lot of bad," Maple Mountain coach Brad Burtenshaw said of last season. "We won a lot of good games and got on a roll, but losing our quarterback really hurt. We couldn't get back in a rhythm after that."
In 2016, Maple Mountain will have to replace a lot of offensive production in order to compete with some of the best teams in the region. While change is inevitable in high school football, Burtenshaw feels like he can work with the change from last season to this season.
"There are still some question marks, some positions we feel confident about with guys coming back," Burtenshaw said. "We feel like we've been able to build around some different strengths we have this year, it's been about finding those strengths and figuring out how to utilize them."
Quarterbacks — Burtenshaw is not ready to name a starter just yet, but he did acknowledge that senior Tyson Denison is the front-runner as of now. Denison was put in an unenviable situation last year having to replace Hall after just returning from an injury of his own. Unfortunately for the Golden Eagles, it was just too much to ask from the inexperienced junior. Now Denison returns with varsity experience, a clean bill of health and most importantly, a chip on his shoulder.
Running backs — Burtenshaw expects the Maple Mountain rushing attack to be by committee, with several players capable of running the ball effectively. Senior Harrison Casper returns to the offensive backfield after finishing as the team's third-leading rusher last season. The rest of the backs are defensive starters who will rotate on offense depending on play and situation. Seniors Connor Mckell, Garred Blanthorn and Cody Cloward are all expected to see time at running back.
Receivers — 6-foot-5 senior Dawson Beutler will be the go-to guy in the air, having finished as the second-leading receiver for the Golden Eagles last season. The rest of the receiving corps is made up of players who saw varsity time last season but couldn't make much of an impact because of various injuries. Seniors Cameron Asay, Karter Shaw and Brooks Oberhansley are expected to add production at receiver with various younger players vying for playing time out wide.
Offensive linemen — The Golden Eagles return two starting offensive linemen in seniors John Bishop and Harrison Allphin. Burtenshaw credited the hard work from the line in the weight room and said that this year's line will be one of the strongest he has had, but also one of the youngest. Several juniors are vying for starting roles on the line, and Burtenshaw is waiting for the competition to play out before naming any presumptive starters.
Defensive linemen — Senior and three-year starting defensive end Garred Blanthorn returns, as does fellow senior Zack Mower at the other end position. With each measuring at 6-1 and around 230 pounds, expect opposing quarterbacks and running backs to be scrambling to try and avoid the two bruisers on the ends. Bishop and fellow senior Nate Leckie are competing for the starting nose guard/tackle spot.
Linebackers — The linebackers are the biggest question mark on Burtenshaw's defense. A senior-heavy linebacker corps last season means that this year's group of linebackers is inexperienced and unproven. Senior Cody Cloward returns with the most varsity experience, and seniors Wes Bastian, Connor McKell and Nic Heaps are also competing for starting positions. Burtenshaw didn't want to say that anything is for certain at the linebacker positions.
Defensive backs — Unlike the linebackers, the secondary has most of its starters returning, with seniors Karter Shaw and Dawson Beutler back at cornerback, and senior Peyton Pond returning at free safety. Connor McKell was the other starting safety last season, but Burtenshaw said that he expects him to stay at linebacker barring any unforeseen circumstances. That leaves players like Chase Prather, Cam Asay and Hunter Jacobsen to compete for the other starting safety spot.
Key Players
Dawson Beutler, WR/DB — With 529 yards and six touchdowns on 32 receptions, Beutler returns as the most experienced receiver from last season. He will shoulder the responsibility of being the go-to receiver, as well as defending the opposing team's best receiver on the defensive end.
Harrison Casper, RB — 69 carries in 2015 makes Casper the most experienced running back returning to the Maple Mountain offense. As the only running back not expected to start on defense, Casper will have to stay healthy and be a reliable rushing option if the Golden Eagles hope to produce in the run game.
Garred Blanthorn/Zack Mower, DE — Combining for 91 tackles and 14.5 sacks last season, Blanthorn and Mower will need to exceed those numbers this season in order to help out the severely inexperienced linebackers.
Key Losses
Jaren Hall, QB — Hall was the catalyst for everything the Maple Mountain offense did in 2015, which became painfully apparent after Hall was knocked out for the remainder of the season in a loss to Wasatch. Even with the injury, Hall finished as the team's top passer and rusher, with over 1,700 all-purpose yards and 17 touchdowns.
James Wilson, WR — Hall's favorite target last season, Wilson finished as the team's top receiver with 534 yards and five touchdowns on 38 receptions.
Noel Unufe, OL/DL — The 6-5, 260-pound Southern Utah University signee was a monster at center and created a lot of plays for his defensive teammates. He also finished with 11 tackles as a defensive nose guard.
2016 Schedule
Aug. 19 — at Woods Cross, 7 p.m. (Won, 21-18)
Aug. 26 — at Corner Canyon, 7 p.m. (Won, 31-30)
Sept. 2 — NORTH SANPETE, 7 p.m. (Won, 41-15)
Sept. 9 — SPRINGVILLE, 7 p.m. (Lost, 14-13)
Sept. 16 — AMERICAN FORK, 7 p.m.
Sept. 23 — at Spanish Fork, 7 p.m. (Won, 13-11)
Sept. 30 — UINTAH, 7 p.m. (Won, 43-8)
Oct. 7 — WASATCH, 7 p.m. (Lost, 22-7)
Oct. 14 — at Payson, 7 p.m. (Won, 38-7)
Oct. 19 — at Salem Hills, 7 p.m. (Lost, 22-0 and, 7-6)
Verdict: The Golden Eagles definitely have some talented pieces returning, especially at the receiver, defensive line and defensive back positions. But questions loom large at running back, offensive line and linebacker. Burtenshaw and company will have to figure out some things fast if they hope to get off to a good start like they did last season. Like last season, Maple Mountain has a grueling early schedule with Woods Cross, Corner Canyon, Springville and American Fork all in their first five weeks of the season. The Golden Eagles will probably have to win at least two of those games (Springville being the priority) if they hope to find themselves at the top of Region 8 in October.
Projected finish in region: 6th