High school football: Corner Canyon lands as favorite in arduous Region 3

No region really has an argument against Region 3 being the toughest region in the state. With realignment, Region 3 lost its two lowest placing members from a year ago in Pleasant Grove and Westlake.

Their replacement? Corner Canyon.

In this year’s overall 6A coaches ranking, four of the top five ranked schools are Region 3 members. Davis was the only non-Region 3 member to earn a spot.

Even American Fork, which was the lone Region 3 member left off the top five, still received multiple coaches votes. All five Region 3 schools have a good chance at making a deep playoff run.

Despite the monstrous region, it should come as no surprise that Corner Canyon landed as the Region 3 favorite as the Chargers have been the most dominant force in Utah high school football for the better part of a decade.

“We were pretty excited about it,” said Corner Canyon head coach Eric Kjar of realignment. “I think the competition just helps prepare you for the postseason. You can prove so much of the team when you face tough teams and when you get tough tests consistently.”

This season will be a campaign for the Chargers’ ninth consecutive region title and third consecutive state championship.

Corner Canyon received national attention a year ago after defeating Florida’s IMG Academy 35-34 in late August, though the Chargers caught the injury bug the week after against Lone Peak with 5-star wide receiver Jerome Myles (now a freshman at Texas A&M) being sidelined for the rest of the season. A few weeks later, Texas A&M 2026 commit and 4-star quarterback Helaman Casuga also had a season-ending leg injury.

The Chargers still pulled out the 6A championship with backup QB Bronson Evans at the helm, and now this season Corner Canyon will be spoiled for choice as both Casuga and Evans will return.

As a sophomore, Casuga was named 5A Player of the Year as he led Timpview to a 5A state championship. Barring any injuries, Casuga will likely be among the favorites for this year’s Mr. Football.

While Casuga will return to his starting position, Kjar said he’s looking for spots to keep Evans involved in the offense as well.

“(Evans) just got elected as a captain,” Kjar said. “It’s kind of rare to have that in both your quarterbacks, but they both do such a good job leadership wise.

“We’re going to just try to find spots and niches where we can utilize him and utilize his skills because he’s got a good skill set too, especially when it comes to running some things we did last year later in the season.”

Corner Canyon’s offense will look as lethal as usual. Senior Kai Meza recently committed to Minnesota after scoring 12 touchdowns on 46 receptions and 944 receiving yards last year.

The Chargers also retain both of their top two running backs from a year ago in Weston Briggs and Cooper Kingston. Briggs tallied 13 touchdowns with 1,328 yards on 117 carries while Kingston scored six touchdowns with 720 yards on 87 carries.

4-star USC-commit offensive tackle Esun Tafa also returns to the star-studded Corner Canyon offense.

Corner Canyon looks to be a threat defensively as well as its leading tackler from 2024 returns in Mason Wood, who led the Chargers’ championship defense with 82 tackles and two interceptions.

Outside linebackers Dustin Otuafi and Tate Patterson both return to shore up the defense. Otuafi had 56 tackles and one sack last season while Patterson tallied 54 tackles and two sacks.

Safety Diesel Dart will come back after recording 44 tackles and one interception a year ago. Dart also scored a touchdown and tallied 351 yards on 23 receptions offensively last year.

While Corner Canyon had a monster season last year, it had one blemish on the season. Its one and only loss came at the hands of Lone Peak, and the Knights finished second in the Region 3 coaches poll this year.

The Knights nearly pulled out the 6A championship win, but narrowly missed out with a 30-27 loss. Lone Peak led by as much as 21-7, but became just one of six teams in state history to lose after a 14-point lead in the championship game.

Among the returners for Lone Peak, quarterback Kepa Niumeitolu is among the most eager. Niumeitolu threw for 20 touchdowns and 2069 yards on a .487 completion percentage. He also scored 11 rushing touchdowns last year.

In last year’s championship game, Niumeitolu scored with just under eight minutes left to bring the score within 30-27, but was ejected after the play due to language. Last year’s loss will surely fuel this year’s hopeful run for Lone Peak.

Sean Tahi was one of Lone Peak’s top ball runners as a sophomore last seaon. Tahi scored 11 touchdowns while rushing for 870 yards on 122 carries.

2024 All-state second team offensive lineman Sione Moeaki is also among Lone Peak’s returning starters. Returning to the offensive line with Moeaki is four-star BYU commitBott Mulitalo.

Defensively, Lone Peak has much more holes to fill with only three starters returning from last year. Defensiveback Toa Tanuvasa returns after a 51 tackle and three interception year. The other two returning defensive starters are linebackers Tevita Mounga and Cooper Stosich. Stosich tallied 77 tackles and three sacks last year.

“We’ve got a few more holes to fill on defense than we do offense,” Brockbank said. “But, I feel pretty comfortable and we got a lot of talent this year. We’re deeper than we’ve been in several years. Returning starting quarterbacks is a big deal.”

Voted to finish third in Region 3 is Lehi, who had a narrow 35-34 semifinal loss against Corner Canyon last season.

Lehi continues the trend of fielding DI-quality talent in the tough region. Four-star wide reciever Legend Glasker returns for Lehi, and announced his commitment to BYU in late April. Last year Glasker scored 10 touchdowns on just 37 receptions while tallying 781 recieving yards.

One of the states top running backs, Devaughn Eka, will again be an offensive weapon for Lehi. Eka currently has DI offers from San Diego State, BYU, San Jose State and Montana State. Eka also rushed for 13 touchdowns while averaging 6.8 yards a carry.

Lehi looks to have a strong offensive line with Matekitonga Havea and Crew Fabrizio returning. Havea has DI offers from Arizona, Nevada and San Diego State. Joining the offensive line is Skyridge transfer and Minnesota commit Mataalii Benjamin.

While Lehi will only return four defensive starters, Three-star defensive end and BYU commit Penisimani Takitaki is among them. Takitaki tallied 59 tackles, nine sacks, one interception and one defensive touchdown last season.

Defensive tackle Isaac Sweat and defensiveback Murph Madsen return to the Pioneer’s defense. Sweat recorded 38 tackles and three sacks last year while Madsen added 45 tackles and one interception.

Previous Lehi head coach Ed Larson retired after 19 seasons as head coach at Lehi, Timpanogos, Ogden and Provo. Stepping into the head coaching role for the Pioneers this year is Andy Hadfield. Hadfield was an assistant coach with Larson for 10 years.

“We are very excited for this season with key returning starters and some new faces ready to show what they can do,” Hadfield said. “6A is going to be very competitive this year and any number of teams can win it all. We are preparing for a battle each and every week. Our athletes have been pushing each other to get better this offseason. We are excited to get the season started.”

Skyridge finished fourth in this years’ Region 3 coaches poll. The Falcons are coming off a semifinal finish which it lost 28-21 to Lone Peak.

Skyridge continues the trend of returning expereinced quarterbacks with three-star QB Kaneal Sweetwyne returning. Sweetwyne was commited to BYU but announced his decommitment on Monday. In his junior year, Sweetwyne threw for 2633 yards on a 61.54 completion percentage while scoring 19 touchdowns. Sweetwyne lead Skyridge to the fifth-best offense in 6A last year.

Two of Sweetwyne’s top targets from last year also return in Davis Fyans and Hunter Sheffield. Fyans recorded 439 receiving yards on 32 receptions and Sheffield had 419 receiving yards on 28 receptions.

Though Skyrdige only returns four offensive starters, it returns six defensive.

The Falcons have two strong standouts on its defensive line in three-star Arizona commit Harvie Moeai and 2024 All-state first teamer Mason Oeser. Oeser has DI offers from New Mexico and UNLV.

Skyridge’s top tackler Griffin Kunz also returns after a strong season in which Kunz tallied 77 tackles and four sacks.

“We are excited to kickoff the 2025 season,” said Skyridge head coach Justin Hemm. “We have a good mix of returners and new faces. The boys have had a tremendous off-season in the weight room and through spring/summer. Our schedule will be a great test each week to prepare us for the playoffs.”

Finishing last in this year’s Region 3 poll is American Fork, but don’t let that fool you, the Cavemen could definitely make some noise this season.

The Cavemen have the most returning starters in the entire region with six returning on offense and nine on defense.

Cash Taiese returns to American Fork for his sophomore year. As a freshman, Taiese had 30 receptions for 311 yards and three touchdowns. Taiese has offers from Utah and Colorado State.

American Fork’s top running back Prince Afu comes back after putting up 512 yards on 117 carries. Madden Jensen also returns after averaging 3.71 yards per carry. Tide end Dyson Richards returns after averaging 11 yards a reception last year.

American Fork had a middling defense, but with nine returning starters it had a good chance on improving. Of its top five tacklers last year, the Cavemen return four.

Luke Broadbent is among those four after tallying 73 tackles and five sacks last season. Noah Behm added 73 tackles with two sacks. Corbin Bauerle had 60 tackles and Mitt Palmer had 58 tackles with five sacks.

“We are excited about this group of kids,” said American Fork head coach Aaron Behm. Behm is heading into his 16th season as head coach. “We gained a lot of valuable experience last year and had some great leaders to learn from. We graduated some amazing seniors, but feel like we have a really solid group returning this fall. Our non-region schedule is a little different from years past, so it will be exciting to match up against some new teams before heading into an extremely different Region 3 schedule.”

Region 3 projections

(Preseason rankings are based on coaches’ votes)

1. Corner Canyon Chargers

2025 Schedule

Head coach: Eric Kjar

In terms of winning percentage, he’s established himself as one of the best in state history with a 169-37 combined record in 16 years at Jordan and Corner Canyon. He’s entering his ninth year with the Chargers, where his teams are 100-8 with state titles in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023 and 2024. He was Jordan’s head coach from 2009 to 2016, posting a, 69-29 record and winning a state title in 2012. He’s a graduate of Kemmerer High School in Wyoming and Wayne State in Nebraska.

Coach Eric Kjar’s general outlook

We have some experience coming back this season. We also have a lot of work to do in order to reach our goals. The players have worked very hard this off-season and have high expectations. We will have a new group of leaders that need to make sure they are leading this group which will be critical for us to reach our goals.

Offensive coordinator: Eric Kjar

Offensive coordinator: 41.71 ppg (No. 1 in 6A)

• Six returning starters
• Spread offense

Returning offensive starters

• Esun Tafa Sr., OT
• Weston Briggs Sr., RB
• Will Chandler Sr., OT
• Bronson Evans Sr., QB
• Helaman Casuga Sr., QB
• Kai Meza Sr., WR
• Kingston Cooper Sr., RB

Key offensive newcomers

• Scott Pepper Sr., WR
• Jasean Mayberry Sr., WR
• Chase Peterson Jr., OL
• Isaiah Morris Sr., WR
• Lucas Jackson Sr., WR
• Carter Kjar Jr., WR
• Robby Whelan Sr., OL

Defensive coordinator: Cody Gardner

2024 defense: 22.21 ppg (No. 7 in 6A)

• Five returning starters
• 3-4 defense

Returning defensive starters:

• Diesel Dart Jr., FS
• Jayden Pearce Sr., DE
• Tate Patterson Jr., OLB
• Mason Wood Sr., MLB
• Dustin Otuafi Sr., OLB

Key defensive newcomers

• Manase Brown Jr., DL
• Jase Kozlowski Sr., DL
• Mason Hamilton Sr., FS
• Josh Harris Jr., CB
• Jaoquin Rodriquez Jr., DB

2. Lone Peak Knights

2025 Schedule

Head coach: Bart Brockbank

Entering his ninth season as head coach at Lone Peak, where he’s compiled a, 68-35 record during that stretch and state titles in 2018 and 2021. He’s a graduate of Lehi High School and BYU.

Coach Bart Brockbank’s general outlook

We have some key returning starters on both offense and defense that will give leadership to the newcomers.

Offensive coordinator: Gary Trowbridge

Offensive coordinator: 32.07 ppg (No. 6 in 6A)

• Six returning starters
• Spread offense

Returning offensive starters

• Kepa Niumeitolu, Sr., QB
• Cache Higby, Sr.
• Bott Mulitalo, Sr.
• Sione Moeaki, Jr.
• Patrick O’Banion, Sr.
• Sean Tahi, Jr.

Key offensive newcomers

• Jaron Pula, Sr., WR
• Kennan Pula, Sr., WR
• Isaac Fonua, Sr., RB
• Seth Wooley, Jr., WR

Defensive coordinator: Ryan Denney

2024 defense: 19.79 ppg (No. 5 in 6A)

• Three returning starters
• 4-3 defense

Returning defensive starters:

• Vita Mounga, Sr., LB
• Toa Tanavasa, Sr., S
• Copper Stosich, Sr., LB

Key defensive newcomers

• Gabe Harmon Jr., DB
• Tele Afu Sr., DB
• Anthony Grimmer Sr., DB

3. Lehi Pioneers

2025 Schedule

Head coach: Andy Hadfield

Is taking over as head coach for long-time Lehi coach Ed Larson, who he was an assistant coach with for 10 years. He’s a graduate of Lehi High School and SUU.

Coach Andy Hadfield’s general outlook

We are very excited for this season with key returning starters and some new faces ready to show what they can do. 6A is going to be very competitive this year and any number of teams can win it all. We are preparing for a battle each and every week. Our athletes have been pushing each other to get better this offseason. We are excited to get the season started.

Offensive coordinator: Andy Hadfield

Offensive coordinator: 33.67 ppg (No. 3 in 6A)

1. Five returning starters
2. Spread offense with a little air-raid

Returning offensive starters

• Legend Glasker, Sr., WR
• Matekitonga Havea, Sr., OL
• Crew Fabrizio, Sr., OL
• Bryton Niu, Sr., TE
• Devaughn Eka, Sr., RB

Key offensive newcomers

• Maatali’i Benjamin, Sr., OL
• Brock Godfrey, Sr., OL
• Kacyn Page, Jr., OL
• Jaxton Laddimore, Sr., WR
• Cam, Wren, Jr., WR
• Carter Cutler, Sr., WR
• Vai Kiao, Sr., WR

Defensive coordinator: Jared Harward

2024 defense: 13.33 ppg (No. 1 in 6A)

• Four returning starters
• 4-3 defense

Returning defensive starters:

• Panisimani Takitaki, Sr., DE
• Briggs Love, Sr., DT
• Murph Madsen, Sr., DB
• Issac Sweat, Sr., DT

Key defensive newcomers

• Vince Evans, Sr., LB
• Tautai Merideth, Jr., DL
• Traysen Fabrizio, Sr., DB
• Gavin Smith, Sr., DB

4. Skyridge Falcons

2025 Schedule

Head coach: Justin Hemm

Heads into his third season after leading Skyridge to a 21-6 record the past two years and a 6A runner-up finish in 2023. He previously coached Brighton for three years as his teams posted a 26-7 record. He’s a graduate of Piqua High School in Ohio and Adrian College in Michigan.

Coach Justin Hemm’s general outlook

We are excited to kickoff the 2025 season. We have a good mix of returners and new faces. The boys have had a tremendous off-season in the weight room and through spring/summer. Our schedule will be a great test each week to prepare us for the playoffs.

Offensive coordinator: Justin Hemm

Offensive coordinator: 32.77 ppg (No. 5 in 6A)

• Four returning starters
• Spread offense

Returning offensive starters

• Kaneal Sweetwyne, Sr., QB
• Davis Fyans, Sr., WR
• Hunter Sheffield, Sr., WR
• Braylon Sidwell, Sr., WR

Key offensive newcomers

• Lincoln Tahi, Sr., RB
• Connor Vea, Sr., RB
• Diesel Hunter, Sr., WR
• Adam Warren, Sr., WR
• Talmage Oswald, Sr., WR
• Dax Rehrer, Jr., WR
• Preston Kirk, Sr., WR
• Koa Wallwork, SO, WR
• Taylor Astorga, Sr., OL
• Maddox Oeser, Sr., OL
• Latu Moeai, Jr., OL
• Andy Anderson, Jr., OL
• Daynian Afalava, SO, OL
• Soren Christiansen, SO, OL

Defensive coordinator: Patrick Gleaves

2024 defense: 20.08 ppg (No. 6 in 6A)

• Six returning starters
• 3-4 defense

Returning defensive starters:

• Harvie Moeai, Sr., DL
• Mason Oeser, Sr., DL
• Jernaro Gilford, Jr., DB
• Luke Barrus, Sr., LB
• Griff Kunz, Sr., LB
• Briggs Parker, Sr., DB

Key defensive newcomers

• Latu Moeai, Jr., DL
• Carter Seu, Jr., DL
• Alema Croft, Sr., DL
• Daynian Afalava, SO, DL
• Suka Finau, Sr., LB
• Easton Simmons, Sr., LB
• Malosi Toilolo, Sr., LB
• Rex Caswell, Jr., LB
• Cooper Lundberg, Sr., LB
• Sua Ripley, Jr., LB
• Mehki Diarte, Sr., LB
• Jared Neagle, Sr., LB
• Kade Haraki, Sr., LB
• Cru Morrison, Sr., DB
• Daison Merrill, Jr., DB
• Grey Sharp, Sr., DB
• Ashton Correa, Sr., DB
• Braylon Sidwell, Sr., DB
• Beaux Sharp, Sr., DB
• Dylan Hyde, Sr., LB
• Crew Stevens, Jr., DB

5. American Fork Cavemen

2025 Schedule

Head coach: Aaron Behm

Entering his 16th season as American Fork’s head coach, where he’s guided the team to an 107-73 record. He led the Cavemen to runner-up appearances in 2014, 2018 and 2019. He’s a graduate of Grant Community High School and Trinity International University, both in Illinois.

Coach Aaron Behm’s general outlook

We are excited about this group of kids. We gained a lot of valuable experience last year and had some great leaders to learn from. We graduated some amazing seniors, but feel like we have a really solid group returning this fall. Our non-region schedule is a little different from years past, so it will be exciting to match up against some new teams before heading into an extremely different Region III schedule.

Offensive coordinator: Micah Hunsaker

Offensive coordinator: 25.42 ppg (No. 8 in 6A)

• Six returning starters
• Spread offense

Returning offensive starters

• Cash Taiese, So., WR
• Prince Afu, Sr., RB
• Madden Jensen, Sr., RB
• Dyson Richards, Sr., TE
• David Dean, Sr., WR
• Carson Thorne, Sr., OT
• Andrew Uluilakepa, Jr., OL
• Christian Hanshaw, Jr., TE

Key offensive newcomers

• Talon Roberts, Jr., OL
• McKay Christensen, Sr., OL
• Kaden Fairbanks, Sr., WR
• Tavi Luna, Sr., WR
• Damian Wilkinson, Jr., Slot
• Dayton Hansen, Jr., Slot

Defensive coordinator: Chris Buesing

2024 defense: 29 ppg (No. 15 in 6A)

• Nine returning starters
• 3-3-5 defense

Returning defensive starters:

• Dalin Afu, Jr., DE
• Jaybian Na’a, Sr., DL
• Mitt Palmer, Sr., LB
• Luke Broadbent, Sr., LB
• Gunner Michaelis, Sr., C
• Ocean Bishop, Sr., C
• Noah Behm, Jr., S
• Beckham Rees, Sr., S
• Lincoln Miller, Sr., S
• Corbin Bauerle, Sr., S

Key defensive newcomers

• Jackson Theobald, Sr., LB
• Manatua Fano, So DL
• Derrek Manning, Sr., C.