MaxPreps 2013 Utah preseason football Fab 5

MaxPreps 2013 Utah Preseason Fab 5 presented by the Army National Guard 1. Bingham (South Jordan)
Head Coach: Dave Peck
2012 finish: 10-3, lost to Syracuse 21-16 in Class 5A semifinals.
Team preview

Penciling in the Miners as a state title contender is always a safe bet. Bingham has reached the Class 5A semifinals in the last seven years and won three state titles in that span. Six starters return on both sides of the ball. The offensive line has tons of experience, which should make it easier for Dalton Schultz and Scott Nichols to step up and be even bigger play-makers for Bingham this time around. The team is definitely embracing higher expectations.

"It's the kind of program we run," said Peck. "That's our expectation. We feel like we've let a couple (state titles) slip away at different times over the years where we were right there — including last year. We felt like had a chance to get into the championship game. We didn't get it done. It's driven these guys who played a year ago to work even harder, so I've been really happy with that."

See the Top 15 Utah football dynasties

2. Jordan (Sandy)
Head Coach: Eric Kjar
2012 finish: 12-1, defeated Syracuse 58-2 for the Class 5A title.
Team preview

No football player from Utah made a bigger splash nationally than junior quarterback Austin Kafentzis did a year ago. He dominated opponents in all phases of the offensive game. Kafentzis tallied 1,689 yards on the ground and 2,860 yards through the air to go with 54 total touchdowns in 2012. The Beetdiggers will need to fill some holes along the offensive line, with Spencer Hallings and Alex Kabwere the only seniors up front, so Kafentzis will get tested early. Defense could be the engine that makes this team go. Jordan allowed just 9.0 points per game during the playoffs in 2012.

"They can be really good the way they're coming in now and shaping up," Kjar said. "They've got a little ways to go. They've got some things to learn still in some key spots. But they're doing a really good job and they're building off from where they were last year."

See 10 Utah quarterbacks to watch in 2013

3. Timpview (Provo)
Head Coach: Cary Whittingham
2012 finish: 9-5, defeated Mountain Crest 38-31 for the Class 4A title.
Team preview

Timpview was already blessed with a wealth of talent on defense. Then the T-Birds picked up two highly regarded out-of-state transfers in seniors Max Anae and Isaiah Nacua to add to that side of the ball. Anae, a linebacker, is the son of BYU offensive coordinator Robert Anae. Nacua is a top defensive end who came from Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas. Scoring on that defense just became tons harder than a year ago when Timpview allowed just 15.3 points per game.

"There's no question that adds to the strength of the defense," Whittingham said. "We expect that to probably be the strength of the team early on while the offense comes along."

See 10 Utah running backs to watch in 2013

4. Syracuse
Head Coach: Russ Jones
2012 finish: 12-1, lost to Jordan 58-2 in Class 5A championship game.
Team preview

Syracuse has created a reputation for fielding stout defenses season after season. It's one reason why the Titans reached the Class 5A title game in 2012 before a potent Jordan offense overwhelmed them. Syracuse will return seven defensive starters — led by star defensive back Kavika Fonua. There are holes to patch on the other side of the ball, but Fonua and senior WR/RB Trevor Olsen should be difference-makers on offense. As long as the defense plays to its usual standard, though, there's no reason to expect any major drop-off from last season.

"We have a pretty good nucleus coming back," Jones said. "We just have some holes we got to patch — get some kids ready for it that were on the JV and sophomore team last year."

See last season's Utah football playoff brackets

5. East (Salt Lake City)
Head Coach: Brandon Matich
2012 finish: 5-8, lost to Timpview 32-14 in the Class 4A semifinals.
Team preview

Few schools can rival the amount of Division I talent that is on East's roster. The Leopards have four returning players — Ula Tolutau, Joe Tukuafu, Korey Rush and Christian Folau — who committed to BCS schools over the summer. East may also have another budding star in Preston Curtis, who East coach Brandon Matich believes might be the top athlete to come through his program so far. East's triple option offense will get a boost from QB Isaac Valles, who enters his second season as a starter. Valles threw for 1,189 yards and rushed for 722 yards while accounting for 24 total touchdowns.

"You can't substitute experience, especially at the quarterback position," Matich said, concerning Valles. "The game will only slow down for him this year. Last year it took him a while to grow into a leadership role and now this year he knows he's the guy and he's stepped up to be a leader."

See last season's final Utah football rankings, presented by the Army National Guard



John Coon covers Utah high school sports for MaxPreps.com. He is a former prep sports reporter with the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News. You can contact him at john_coon@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @johncoonsports.