High school football: Canyon View Falcons 2019 preview

Note: Canyon View finished with a 3-7 overall record in 2018 and was fifth in Region 9 with a 2-4 record. It did not qualify for the 4A playoffs.

Canyon View 2018 offensive and defensive stats

CEDAR CITY — In his first season at Canyon View last year, Chris Sawyers said he inherited a pretty talented team but a group that he said "hadn't spent any time in the weight room."

The Falcons still beat Cedar and Hurricane in Region 9 play, but it wasn't enough to secure a playoff berth.

Sawyers said this year's team might not be as talented as a year ago, but they've spent a lot of time in the weight room and are "very, very strong."

That added strength throughout the team, combined with the players having a year under their belt with Sawyers' offense and defense, and there's reason to be excited at Canyon View in 2019.

"That first year we kind of came into our own late in the season and that's one of our biggest advantages this year: the kids feel comfortable in our system," said Sawyers.

Canyon View ranked 15th in 4A scoring offense last season and 20th in scoring defense, but a jump in both of those areas is certainly a possibility based on a strong summer from the Falcons.

Canyon View only returns a couple of varsity starters from last year, as most of the returning experience with Sawyers' offense and defense came at the junior varsity level. Those players will need to adjust quickly to the speed of varsity football.

The Falcons open the season with a home game against 2A's Beaver, a good chance to try to build confidence against a lower-classification team before heading into the grind of Region 9.

Canyon View Falcons at a glance

Coach: Chris Sawyers is entering his second season as head coach at Canyon View after putting together a 3-7 record in his debut season last year. He's a graduate of Carson High School in Nevada.

Coach Sawyers comments on new UHSAA RPI:

"I think teams like our team that have struggled to get into the playoffs love it. I think that with our strength of schedule in our region, which is if not the best, one of the best regions in the state, is going to benefit us immensely. I'm excited about it. I think it's going to be pretty cool. There were some years where our region had four teams in the (semifinals), it's changed a little bit the last few years. I think it will be really good for us."

Canyon View offensive snapshot

Offensive coordinator: Chris Sawyers

2018 offensive production: 24.4 ppg (15th in 4A)

— 3 returning starters

— Spread offense

Key offensive returning starters

— Joe Pulica (OL)

Canyon View's strong athlete will be a very key position on the offensive line at guard.

— Kysun Parker (OL)

He's a very big tackle who should be able to protect the quarterback despite some of the strong pass rushes in Region 9.

Returning offensive starters

Kysun Parker (OL)

Joe Pulica (OL)

Karsten Jensen (WR)

Offensive newcomers to watch

Brisin Jake (QB)

Tanner Hardin (RB)

Jaxton Yardley (RB)

Brayden Floyd (RB)

Jake Tom (WR)

Rayce Martinez (WR/TE)

Hayden Springer (WR)

Tyler Barton (WR)

Habakkuk Lopez (OL)

Ethan Rigtrup (OL)

Coach Sawyers comments on new QB Brisin Jake:

"He has lots of arm talent; basically with Brisin, our success is going to depend on how much he can digest and do quickly. How often can he figure out what is the right read."

Coach Sawyers comments on building continuity between new QB and new receivers:

"Football has changed so much over the last 20 years. If it wasn't so important I don't think a lot of these coaches, including myself, would be out there working all summer long to make it happen. I can't overstate how important it is to make sure our kids are all on the same page. You obviously have turnover at positions, you just hope that you're doing a good job developing younger kids."

Coach Sawyers comments on strength of the offensive line:

"Our offensive line should be one of our strengths this year. It was a weaknesses for us last year even though we had some really talented kids, just not very strong. Kysun Parker is a big tackle for us, he's about 6-foot-4, 285, he's got a lot of people looking at him, he's a real special kid, going to be a junior. He's only 15, he's a huge 15-year-old. On the other side we have Ethan Rigtrup, who's also a junior. He's a little leaner at 215, but both of those kids are really athletic and they're going to give us a chance to be pretty good. On interior we have a senior, Joe Pulica, who is a very talented kid, probably strongest kid in our program."

Keys for offensive success in 2019:

Brisin Jake could be one of the best receivers in Region 9 this year, according to Sawyers, but he needs his senior to play quarterback with a lack of depth at the position. It's not his natural position and will take time for him to pick it up at full varsity speed. How quickly he adjusts will have a huge bearing on Canyon View's success this year.

Canyon View defensive snapshot

Defensive coordinator: Tyler Muse

2018 defensive production: 34.9 ppg (20th in 4A)

— 3 returning starters

— 3-4 defense

Key defensive returning starters

— Joe Pulica (DL)

Top returning defensive lineman returns after recording 31 tackles for the Falcons last year.

— Karsten Jensen (CB/S)

Recorded 24 tackles and two interceptions and returns with the most experience in Canyon View's secondary.

Returning defensive starters

Joe Pulica (DL)

Gavin Carter (DL)

Karsten Jensen (CB/S)

Defensive newcomers to watch

Brisin Jake (S)

Jake Tom (S)

Dane Hudson (DL)

Walker Adams (DL)

Ethan Rigtrup (DL)

Russell Close (LB)

Cole Lake (LB)

Tanner Hardin (LB)

Coach Sawyers comments on returning starter Joe Pulica:

"I hope to start another kid defensively and use Joe as a roller (and then starter him full time on offensive line), but every team has those kids that are just flat out more physical than the other kids, and he's our strongest dude for sure."

Coach Sawyers comments on strong linebacking core:

"We're pretty strong and we move pretty well. We have real depth at linebacker this year, which was the place we had no depth last year. I'd say we have seven kids for four spots and we have pretty good backups there. We're blessed with those kinds of bodies. Tanner Hardin will play our will linebacker spot and he's a next-level kid. He'll go play somewhere next year, I just don't know what level. He started with football so late he's a late bloomer, but he's a special kid and can really run."

Keys for defensive success in 2019:

Canyon View allowed five touchdowns per game last season, and Sawyers said reversing those struggles has a lot to do with getting lined up correctly. He said it's going to be extremely important for his players to recognize the formations in-game throughout the season and get lined up quickly to defend specific plays. Sawyers believes he has a really good defense if they figure those important details.

Bottom line

In his first season as head coach, Sawyers guided the Falcons to region wins over Hurricane and rival Cedar. They were also competitive against Snow Canyon, all indicators that he's got the program headed in the right direction. There's still a huge gap to close, though, to compete at the top of Region 9 as his team suffered blowout losses to the top three teams in Region 9. If this team can add a couple more wins to its total and finish near .500, that would be a huge accomplishment.

Coaches preseason Region 9 straw poll: Seventh

Deseret News Region 9 prediction: Seventh

Key Region Game: vs. Cedar, Sept. 13 (Week 5)

2019 Schedule

• Aug. 16 — BEAVER, 7 p.m.
• Aug. 23 — MOAPA VALLEY, NEV., 7 p.m.
• Aug. 30 — at Crimson Cliffs, 7 p.m.
• Sept. 6 — at Pine View, 7 p.m.
• Sept. 13 — CEDAR, 7 p.m.
• Sept. 20 — HURRICANE, 7 p.m.
• Sept. 27 —at Desert Hills, 7 p.m.
• Oct. 4 — at Dixie, 7 p.m.
• Oct. 11 — SNOW CANYON, 7 p.m.

….

Felt's Facts for Canyon View

All-time record: 47-163 (22 years)

Region championships: 0

Playoff appearances: 5

Current playoff appearance streak: 1 (2016)

All-time playoff record: 1-5

State championships: 0

State championship record: 0

Most played rivalry: 21 meetings with Cedar and Dixie dating back to 1997. Cedar leads 18-4 and Dixie leads 21-1.

Felt's Factoids: Canyon View and Cedar vie for the Pick, a traveling trophy that goes to the winner of the game between these Cedar City schools. ... Even though Canyon View has won just one playoff game, it's still in elite company: It's one of just 13 schools to have a perfect playoff record on its home field. … Canyon View ran what might be a record 102 plays against Dixie last season. (No such records are kept, but a typical high school game averages around 60 plays per team.)

...

Last 5

• 2018 — 3-7 (2-4 in Region 9 - Missed playoffs)
• 2017 — 0-9 (0-6 in Region 9 – Missed playoffs)
• 2016 — 4-7 (3-2 in 3A South – 3A Quarterfinals)
• 2015 — 5-6 (2-3 in 3A South - Missed playoffs)
• 2014 — 3-8 (2-3 in 3A South – 3A Quarterfinals)

...

Canyon View coaching history

• 2018-Current — Chris Sawyers (3-7)
• 2017 — Skyler Miller (0-9)
• 2013-2016 — Robby Robinson (13-30)
• 2008-2012 — Alex Huxford (7-40)
• 2004-2007 — Randy Hunter (10-28)
• 1997-2003 — Danny Lewis (23-49)

….

Deseret News First Team all-staters the past 10 years

• 2016 — Dallen Smith, OL
• 2016 — Porter Miller, P
• 2015 — Jackson Vasi, RB
• 2015 — Keith Clarke, OL
• 2014 — Braxton Higgins, RB

To view second team and honorable mention all-staters through the years, check out the Deseret News All-State Archives.

from Deseret News https://ift.tt/2YfTyMx