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Deseret News
High school football: Davis voted to return as Region 1 champs in preseason poll
By Carson Hilton,
1 day ago
Weber High School’s Ian Elmore tackles Davis High School’s Tradon Bessinger during the second round of the Class 6A state tournament for high school football at Davis High School in Kaysville on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Last season, the Davis Darts broke an eight-year drought after seizing an outright Region 1 title with a 5-0 region record. Davis appears ready to reclaim its crown, as Region 1 coaches have voted the Darts as the preseason favorites.
Scott Peery enters his third season as head coach for Davis and faces the challenge of rebuilding his offensive line. Despite this, the Darts will bring back five key offensive starters: quarterback Tradon Bessinger, running back Owen Talbot, and wide receivers Bode Sparrow, Tyson Baggett and Easton Frasure.
While Sparrow and Bessinger, both 6A all-state honorable mentions, return to the roster, the offensive line will be entirely new. Still, Peery remains confident in this year’s unit.
“We’re replacing a whole brand-new offensive line, but we got three very good key pieces,” Peery said. “Jackson Kuma, Siona Faemania and Tomasi Hasson are going to be filling in there and we feel really good about them.”
Peery has even more questions to answer on the defensive side as the Darts return only three starters from last year. Davis held opponents to 18.83 points per game last year, which ranked fourth in 6A.
Peery is confident in his young players to step up and remain a defensive threat.
“They’re young, but they’re talented,” said Peery. “They did get some experience last year so it’s just putting the pieces together and we feel like they’re starting to come together now.”
As Davis gears up for the season, quarterback Bessinger stands as a stabilizing force and arguably the Darts’ most potent weapon. In his sophomore year, Bessinger delivered a 0.667 completion rate, amassing 2,922 passing yards.
“Returning Tradon Bessinger is huge,” Peery said. “He’s the best quarterback I’ve ever coached. Last year, he was a sophomore, but then he ended up having a great year. So, to have him come back with an entire offseason to build off of that, I think you’ll see even better results with him.”
The Region 1 coaches’ poll was tight, but Weber ultimately finished second in the preseason poll.
Weber will have continuity on its side with seven returning offensive starters and six returning defensive starters. However, the Warriors will welcome Mo Cannon as Weber’s new head coach, following his three-year tenure as an assistant coach at Roy.
“Oh man, I’m excited,” Cannon said. “First and foremost, I’m super thankful for the opportunity to be put in this position at a young age but also to be in a position where I’ve proven that I’m ready to do this.”
Cannon will start his head coaching career with a difficult obstacle: finding a temporary replacement for returning senior quarterback Crew Cacciacarne. Cacciacarne tore his ACL in a noncontact injury this past spring and Cannon said he doesn’t expect Cacciacarne to return until at least Week 4.
“We’ve got two really good names in the quarterback race right now,” Cannon said. “We’ve got Carter Payne, who’s a freshman, and that kid’s going to be a monster. He’s really good, he’s very confident, he understands the system, and he’s got a great arm on him for being a young dude.
“Then we’ve got Dave Wolfinger. He moved up into the area from Granger. He’s about 6′4″ 185 pounds. He’s a gunslinger as well and we’re trying to get him acclimated into the system. So, we’ve got competition at that spot right now, and we just got to continuously work these guys through and see who’s going to be the best.”
Despite its injury woes, Weber will still be able to look forward to linebacker Tyler Payne’s return to the Warriors’ defense. Payne was selected to the 2023-24 6A all-state first team as a junior after recording 126 tackles, eight sacks and two interceptions last season.
Farmington came in fourth in this year’s preseason poll after finishing fourth last year with a 2-3 region record. Head coach Daniel Coats will be working with an almost entirely new lineup, as only three starters return from last season.
Running backs Travis Hoopes and Lucas Petersen will join offensive lineman Blake Rawson as the only three returning starters for Farmington. The Phoenix’s defensive coordinator, Eric Johnsen, will have to help Coats create a completely new lineup from last season.
Fremont finished fourth in the preseason poll and it will welcome a new coaching staff with Nate Tuatagaloa as its new head coach. Tuatagaloa previously spent time as an assistant coach at Ben Lomond.
The Silverwolves are attempting to recover from a poor performance last year where they finished with a 2-9 season record and suffered a first-round exit in the state tournament.
The new Fremont coaching staff will have five returning offensive starters and seven returning defensive starters to work with. Tuatagaloa is confident that his team will be competitive this year.
“We feel good about our program,” Tuatagaloa said. “With a new staff, the kids have adjusted fast and bought into what we are doing. We feel we will be competitive this year.
“We have a solid team on both sides of the ball. We are excited to make our community proud of ours and their program. We have many players on both sides of the ball that will be contributing to our team’s success. I think we have more depth on our roster than people think. Our coaches and staff are working hard as well as our boys.”
Layton is also a Region 1 team that struggled last season, and it came in fifth in this year’s Region 1 poll.
The Lancers finished last in Region 1 last year with a 0-5 record. Layton only found one win last year, a 24-20 first-round win over Copper Hills in the state tournament.
Trevor Thomas is entering his second season as head coach for Layton and is eager to improve on last season after a year of preparation.
“This year will look a lot different,” Thomas said. “Last year, getting hired in June made it tough to prepare for the season. This year, they have had a full offseason to get ready for the season.
“The kids have been working hard in the weight room and on the field. It has a different feel already this year. Our region is always tough, and it will be tough again. Our kids are ready for it and are very excited for the upcoming season.”
Alongside a year of experience, Thomas welcomes back 13 starters from last season, including senior quarterback Madden Sargeant. Layton will try to find success with a mix of experience and youth on both sides of the ball.
Despite finishing third in Region 1 last year, Syracuse fell to sixth in this year’s preseason poll.
The Titans held a 3-2 Region 1 record and a 7-4 overall record last season, but the lack of returning players and coaches made things shaky for Syracuse.
Syracuse will return only one offensive starter and three defensive starters. The Titans will also see a new head coach with past Syracuse assistant coach Mitch Tulane stepping up this season.
The story of Syracuse’s 2024 season will come down to how well its inexperienced players adjust.
“First-year head coach takes over a young team and inexperienced team,” said Tulane. “(We) return one starter on offense and three on defense.
“Syracuse is used to competing for region championships but will have to figure out a way to do so with such little experience and a new coach cutting his teeth.”
He’s tallied a 23-12 record in his three seasons as Darts head coach. He’s a graduate of Payson High School and Weber State.
Coach Scott Peery’s general outlook
“2024 presents a lot of unknowns for our team. We have many players ready to jump in and fill any spot. We’re a young team at many positions but these young players have experience and can play. It has been a great offseason for us in building leadership and brotherhood and I am excited to see what the boys will do with it in the fall.”
A Roy High assistant the past three years, Mo Cannon is taking over as head coach at Weber for the 2024 season. He’s a graduate of Davis High and Weber State.
Coach Mo Cannon’s general outlook
“Man, we are juiced. This is a great time to be a Warrior. The boys are excited to get out there and fight together toward their common goal. We have a saying this year, ‘It takes What It Takes’ and that is for it takes what it takes to be great. We are going to do everything in our power to be in position to compete at a high level with fanatical effort as a unit. We have faced some adversity throughout the summer but it has given guys key reps that will help us later on. Hoping to get some guys back off injury to be able to get them in the mix and help us as the season moves forward. Beyond excited for year one. Let’s go.”
Co-offensive coordinators : Matt Hammer, Mo Cannon
Has guided Farmington to a 33-35 record in its first six seasons since opening in 2018. He’s a graduate of Northridge High School and BYU. He spent four seasons in the NFL from 2007 to 2010, the bulk of it with the Bengals.
Coach Daniel Coats’ general outlook
“Excited for another season of football. Expecting big things.”
After previously serving as an assistant coach at Ben Lomond, he takes over as head coach at Fremont. He’s a graduate of Ogden High and Weber State.
Coach Nate Tuatagaloa’s general outlook
“We feel good about our program. With a new staff, the kids have adjusted fast and bought in to what we are doing. We feel we will be competitive this year. We have a solid team on both sides of the ball. We are excited to make our community proud of our and their program. We have many players on both sides of the ball that will be contributing to our team’s success. I think we have more depth on our roster than people think. Our coaches and staff are working hard as well as our boys.”
Is heading into his second season as head coach at Layton after his 1-10 debut season. He’s a graduate of Layton High and Weber State.
Coach Trevor Thomas’ general outlook
“This year will look a lot different. Last year, with getting hired in June made it tough to prepare for the season. This year, they have had a full offseason to get ready for the season. The kids have been working hard in the weight room and on the field. It has a different feel already this year. Our region is always tough and it will be tough again. Our kids are ready for it and are very excited for the upcoming season.”
After serving as an assistant coach at Syracuse for the past six years, he’s taking over as head coach at his alma mater for the 2024 season. He’s a graduate of Weber State.
Coach Mitch Tulane’s general outlook
“First year head coach takes over a young team and inexperienced team. Syracuse returns one starter on offense and three on defense. Syracuse is used to competing for region championships but will have to figure out a way to do so with such little experience and a new coach cutting his teeth.”
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