This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.

MURRAY SPARTANS

THE HURRY-UP — Murray finished 7-6 in 2015, and 3-2 in league play. The Spartans lost to Springville, 35-0, in the Class 4A quarterfinals.

Murray took third in Region 6 a year ago, and still ended up being the only team from the league to win a playoff game. A coaching change brought in 25-year veteran Blaine Monkres, who most recently served as the offensive coordinator at Dixie State. "It's just kind of a learning process right now – them getting to know me and me getting to know them," Monkres said.

The Spartans have sufficient talent to get back to the playoffs. However, a number of players are stepping into bigger roles than they've previously been accustomed to.

QUARTERBACKS — Noah Shoeman, Kobe Graham and Kennedy Wisness are all in competition to run the spread offense. Monkres wants his quarterback to be an athlete first and foremost, so he said whoever demonstrates they can be "the total package" will win the job. Whoever it is, he'll have big shoes to fill in replacing Drew Cash.

RUNNING BACKS — Hunter Jones sees the field extremely well and showed a knack for making finding gaps as a junior. Jones is deceptively fast, yet he won't win many foot races. Damian Symes and Ryley Stapley will get carries as well.

RECEIVERS — Gage Cuthbertson played some quarterback as a junior before suffering an arm injury while pitching for Murray's baseball team. He moves to receiver, where his height will give him an advantage, to stay readily involved in the offense. Max Demass also has good size to offer the new quarterback a reliable target, while Donovan Spillers is a burner in the slot.

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN — Returning stalwarts Braxton Jones and Austin Galloway hold down their positions at tackle and center, respectively, while three new starters still vying for reps in practice will fill out the line.

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN — Braxton Jones and Austin Galloway will likely start on the opposite side of the ball as well in the base 3-5 defense. Noah Tyler slots in at defensive end to offer a boost to the pass rush.

LINEBACKERS — Dylan Bennett will be counted on to be a leader defensively as he steps into the starting middle linebacker spot. Brandon Alvarez is a lock to start in one of the outside positions, with the Spartans still determining who will fill in holes in their front.

DEFENSIVE BACKS — The strength of Murray's defense, Gage Cuthbertson, Jensen Kay and Landin Sorenson make this secondary one of the most proven in the league. They'll need to be opportunistic in both pass coverage and in stepping up to help against the run for this defense to be successful.

KEY PLAYERS

Hunter Jones, RB — Jones accounted for 1,239 yards of offense and 16 touchdowns in 2015, and with an unproven signal caller, he'll be relied on to carry the offense.

Gage Cuthbertson, WR/DB — Cuthbertson was Murray's top defensive back during his junior season, intercepting five passes. He's a talented athlete who is an asset to a team largely in transition.

Jensen Kay, DB — Murray's top returning tackler combined with Cuthbertson to help form a solid pass defense.

KEY LOSSES

Drew Cash, QB — The Idaho State signee threw for 2,201 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Maxs Tupai, DE — A University of Utah signee, Tupai led the Spartans with 116 tackles and eight sacks to earn a place on the all-state first team.

Isaiah Gibson, WR — Gibson was the go-to receiver, racking up 62 catches for 788 yards and six touchdowns.

NAME TO KNOW

In the middle of a defense still familiarizing itself with a new way of doing things, Dylan Bennett is a solid linebacker who gets after the ball well. He'll need to have a big season to help Murray consistently manage stops.

2016 SCHEDULE

Aug. 19 — ROY, 7 p.m. 

Aug. 26 — at Copper Hills, 7 p.m. (Won, 52-20, in 2015)

Sept. 2 — TOOELE, 7 p.m. (Won, 23-20)

Sept. 8 — JUAN DIEGO, 7 p.m. (Won, 28-7)

Sept. 16 — at Skyline, 7 p.m. (Won, 35-28)

Sept. 23 — CYPRUS, 7 p.m. (Won, 49-7)

Sept. 30 — at Kearns, 7 p.m. (Lost, 21-18)

Oct. 7 — OLYMPUS, 7 p.m. (Lost, 33-22)

Oct. 14 — HILLCREST, 7 p.m. (Won, 49-7)

VERDICT

The Spartans are revamping how they approach the game, and lost a great deal of contributors from last season. With so many question marks, this campaign will be one of incremental improvement. And yet Murray could sneak into the playoffs depending on how well it adapts to a new style.

PREDICTED FINISH IN REGION:  Fourth