Climbing the ladder: Five Utah high school football teams enjoying breakout seasons

Video: Ta'au Lesa's highlights vs. Payson

Seeing football teams rise from cellar dwellers to contenders always makes for an exciting story. It reinvigorates fans and inspires both coaches and players to push for milestones that once seemed out of reach.

Several Utah high school teams have flipped the script in 2015. These teams are not only off to hot starts, but they appear capable of keeping their momentum going into a magical season.

Provo
Seeing crosstown rival Timpview win one state championship after another has been painful for Provo over the past few seasons. The Bulldogs have not finished with a winning record since 2009 and have averaged just 2.2 wins per season over the past five campaigns.

Things have changed dramatically for Provo this fall.

An explosive offense and stout defense has the Bulldogs off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 1988. Provo averages 36.5 points per game – second-most among Class 4A schools. Senior quarterback Viliami Iongi is killing opponents through the air, as he has thrown for 817 yards and 13 touchdowns on 60-for-90 passing through four games. Teams are also struggling to move the chains against Provo, with Dallan Olsen leading all classifications with 8.5 sacks and Ta'au Lesa tied for second in the state with three interceptions.

Lehi
After enduring 10 straight losing seasons – including four winless campaigns – the Pioneers finally seem to have turned a corner. Lehi is off to a 3-1 start and has won more than two games in a season for just the second time since 2004 – the school's last season in Class 3A.

If the Pioneers finally break through and finish with a winning season, they will have earned every bit of it because they compete in one of Class 5A's toughest regions. Strong quarterback play has helped, as Cammon Cooper has thrown for 908 yards and nine touchdowns on 66 of 95 passing through his first four games.

Kearns
Things have been tough for Kearns on the football field over the past couple of decades. Since winning their most recent state title in 1989, the Cougars have had just three winning seasons. That's one reason why 2015 is shaping to be a special one for the program.

Kearns is off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 1993. The Cougars are getting it done by lighting up the scoreboard. They average 41.8 points per game to lead Class 4A in scoring. Sione Finau is one of the most dangerous weapons in the offense. Finau has tallied 381 yards and eight touchdowns on 31 carries and he has 109 yards and two more scores on just four catches. Graden Luckart is a playmaker on both sides of the ball. He leads the team in receiving with 184 yards and three touchdowns on 17 catches. Defensively, Luckart has tallied a team-best 34 tackles and three interceptions.

Canyon View (Cedar City)
Soaring to new heights has been a problem for the Falcons in past seasons. Canyon View last posted a winning record in 2000. The Falcons have endured three winless seasons and five one-win seasons in the years since that time. This fall, however, Canyon View is seeing much different results.

At 3-1, Canyon View is off to its best start since winning five straight to open the 1998 season. The Falcons laid the groundwork a year ago by snapping a 13-year playoff drought. Offense has been the biggest reason behind the team's upward climb. Canyon View averages 45.3 points per game, leading the entire state in scoring. Michael Musto has been an efficient quarterback, throwing for 615 yards and eight touchdowns on 31 of 42 passing. Canyon View also has a loaded backfield. Jackson Vasi headlines the group with 422 yards and seven touchdowns on 71 carries.

Ben Lomond (Ogden)
Something is brewing with the long-dormant Ben Lomond program. The Scots won just four games in the previous six years coming into the 2015 season and endured a 25-game losing streak from 2011 to 2014.

Everything has changed for the better this fall.

The Scots are 3-1, matching their best start since 1997, when they reached the Class 3A championship game, and are on track to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2000. Kenyon Harris has been highly effective at moving the ball for the Scots. Harris has thrown for 770 yards and nine touchdowns on 39-for-58 passing in four games so far.

John Coon covers Utah high school sports for MaxPreps. He can be reached at john_coon@hotmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter at @johncoonsports