By Steve Pimper
MaxPreps.com
It's now less than a month until the Utah Friday night lights are switched on again and the 2007 prep pigskin campaign kicks off from Tremonton to St. George with 94 schools looking to run, pass and kick their way to a state title come late November.
With summer camps, weight lifting workouts, conditioning schedules and non-contact practices in full swing across the Beehive State, it's time to wipe off the dusty crystal ball and gaze into the future of a few of the teams and players that will undoubtedly impact this fall's action.
This season will see a new high school, the Syracuse Titans, open its doors to welcome in a first-year student body and athletic program eagerly ready to establish its own new traditions, competitive teams and cross-county rivalries in the Davis School District.
So without further delay, here's a quick capsule preview as July comes to a close and opening kickoff literally only weeks away:
In the 5A ranks (state's largest schools) it appears early on that the defending state champion Bingham, could be a real threat to repeat in 2007 despite losing the classification's MVP to graduation (wide out Jordan Pendleton to Brigham Young University). Head coach Dave Peck has quietly built a powerful program as the Miners have gone 24-1 over the past two years (14-0 last year) and return probably the premier place-kicker in the state (maybe the entire western states) in Justin Sorenson. Sorenson converted 62 of 70 point-after attempts last season (which includes his current streak of 35-straight) and also booted 11 field goals (a long of 52 yards). Sorenson also kicked off 96 times last year with 81 of his kicks going for touchbacks (84 percent not returned). This is a weapon most schools in the state can't come close to matching. Sorenson has also made a a verbal commitment to Brigham Young University.
One other returning standout for Bingham is 6-4, 320-pound offensive lineman Derek Tuimauga, who has anchored the Miners' offensive line for the past two years. Sprinkle in experience at nearly every position on both sides of the ball makes the Miners an obvious preseason choice as a team with a real opportunity to hoist back-to-back gold trophies come Thanksgiving weekend.
The biggest challenger to dethroning the Miners may be last year's runner-up, the Alta Hawks of Sandy. The Hawks under head coach Les Hamilton lost last year's championship game to Bingham by a mere two points, 21-19, and return All-State running back Sausan Shakerin to lead the offense. Shakerin scored 222 points (37 touchdowns) and rushed for 2,355 yards as a junior in leading Alta to an 11-3 record.
Skyline and Northridge are two other schools that can't be overlooked. Two other schools that cannot be overlooked in any preseason preview. Skyline has captured six of the last 12 state titles under head coach Roger Dupaix, while Northridge has claimed three titles in the same span. American Fork, Davis, Fremont, Pleasant Grove, Timpanogos, and Spanish Fork could also emerge as contenders.
Also of note in the 5A classification is a pair of Copper Hills standouts that have already made verbal commitments to state universites. Kendrick Moeai, a 6-3 wide receiver, has cast his lot with Utah, while teammate Sealver Siliga, a 6-2, 340-pound lineman, is headed to Brigham Young.
Cottonwood, Salt Lake City East, Bountiful, Olympus, Mountain Crest, Box Elder, and defending champion Timpview could all contend in the wide-open 4A ranks.
In addition, three schools from southern Utah - Pine View, Dixie, and Snow Canyon - are making the move up from 3A to the 4A level for this season as these St. George-based schools continue to explode with the state's fastest growing population base. It will be interesting to watch Snow Canyon's super sophomore back of last year, Adam Timo, attempt to duplicate his breakout season against stiffer competition.
At the 3A level, head coach Chris Wise of Bear River has guided his Bears to three of the last four titles at this mid-sized school level and will reload for another run. James Cordova's Judge Memorial Bulldogs or Mike Favero's Logan Grizzlies are sure to make things interesting, however. Juan Diego, Delta, and last year's big surprise, Park City, are also preseason favorites to break into 3A's elite.
The smaller schools are always the most difficult to size up accurately in predicting who might capture the respective crowns come late November. With that disclaimer out of the way, the usual suspects in 2A include Juab, Manti, Grand County, San Juan and Kanab, while Duchesne, Rich, and Monticello should be in the hunt at the 1A level.