Woods Cross coach Andrew Fresques has seen the desire and determination from his team to quickly return to the heights they achieved just a few seasons ago.
“These kids know winning,” Fresques said. “They know how to win, and they expect to win. Not long ago, this team was 11-2 and going to the semifinals. These kids watched those teams, and some of them were even a part of those teams as freshmen. We want to get back to that.”
The Wildcats won’t lack motivation in 2017 when they look to build upon their playoff appearance last year. The new Region 5 is smaller but includes city rivals Bountiful and Viewmont as well as playoff regulars Roy and Box Elder.
“I’m excited to be in this region with these great teams that are really close,” Fresques said. “Bountiful is always a playoff team despite their down year last year, Viewmont is a great team, Roy won Region 1 last year and Box Elder is another playoff team. This is a tough region, but that’s what I want because then you’re ready for playoff football.”
WOODS CROSS WILDCATS<br>Coach • Andrew Fresques, first year<br> Last season • 6-5, 3-2 in Region 5<br>2016 playoffs • Def. Kearns 35-17; lost to Springville 43-7 (Class 4A Second Round) <br>State championships • 1989<br>2017 SCHEDULE <br>Aug. 18 • Maple Mountain, 7 p.m. <br>Aug. 25 • at Alta, 7 p.m. <br>Sept. 1 • at West, 7 p.m. <br>Sept. 8 • Logan, 7 p.m. <br>Sept. 15 • at Roy, 7 p.m. <br>Sept. 22 • Davis, 7 p.m. <br>Sept. 29 • Bountiful, 7 p.m. <br>Oct. 6 • at Viewmont, 7 p.m. <br>Oct. 13 • Box Elder, 7 p.m. <br>Oct. 18 • Northridge, 7 p.m.
Behind center • The new leader of the Wildcats didn’t know where to begin when asked about his offensive backfield. “We have a lot of playmakers,” Fresques said. “We are probably more deep at the skill positions than any other school that I’ve been a part of.” Ashton Fornelius returns at quarterback and will be looking to air it out more than last season. His partner(s) in the backfield will continue to shift because the running back spots have been by committee so far this offseason. Senior Nuuletau Sellesin and juniors Jemmar Thomas, Justice Samuelu and Jaxson Keene all have been getting reps with the first team.
Ball hawks • Senior Judge Samuelu returns as a two-way starter at receiver and corner. He was one of the Wildcats’ leaders in receptions and interceptions last season. Seniors Nick Howe and Caden Brewster also will be valuable two-way ball hawks, in addition to juniors Jordan Johnson (TE), Tucker Goodfellow (WR), Kwaku Robinson (SB/CB) and Gabe Nelson (CB).
In the trenches • While the depth is not as prevalent on the fronts as it is in the skill positions, the starting lines are enough to keep the Wildcats in games. Seniors Jake Watkins, Chris Cologna and Sam Clark return as starters, while others like seniors Dom Torres and Josh Larsen bring some varsity experience. Watkins and Torres also will be featured starters on the defensive front, with Sellesin and others rotating through.
Hit men • Seniors Tanner Miller and Josh Larsen and junior Justice Samuelu will be prowling the middle of the field at the linebacker spots. “They’re all sure tacklers and they’re not afraid to come up and hit anyone,” Fresques said. “We lost some good players on defense from last year, but a lot of these got playing time behind them, so we don’t expect much dropoff. We expect to reload at a lot of positions on defense.”
Key returners • Ashton Fornelius, Sr. (QB/SS); Judge Samuelu, Sr. (SS/WR); Jamahl Kitiona, Sr. (DE)
Key losses • Jeremy Sperry, RB (614 yards, 6 TD); Cameron Tagge, FS (59 tackles, 3 INT, 1 sack); Mitch Dalley, LB (55 tackles, 1 INT, 1 sack); Amos Sauni, DE (20 tackles, 5 sacks)
The next wave • Carson Naegle, JR. (QB); Justice Samuelu, Jr. (RB/LB); Kwaku Robinson (SB/CB); Charles Rasband, So. (OL/DL)