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High school football: Hurricane is unanimous favorite to take Region 9
Green Canyon and Crimson Cliffs play in 4a semifinal football action in Rice Eccles stadium at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025.
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Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
It was unanimous amongst Region 9 coaches; Hurricane is the favorite to take the region title this season.
It’s easy to see why, as three of Region 9’s six teams return only two or fewer total starters from the 2025 season. Hurricane returns 13 total starters from a team that finished tied for second in the region a year ago.
The Tigers have also been on an upward trajectory since hiring head coach Jerry Cowan ahead of the 2024 season.
“I think when I started it was kind of down in the dumps,” Cowan said. “Our first year we did a lot of good things, won five games, and then last year our senior class got us back on the map as a program and made it so teams were at least respecting us and knowing that they can’t just look past us like they maybe did in the last several years.”
The biggest thing going for Hurricane is its defense. Last year, it ranked top-3 in 4A and held opponents to an average of 17.73 points. The Tigers return eight starters from that stout defense.
Starring on the defense is defensive end Tanner Matua . Matua was a 4A all-state first-team member last year after tallying 64 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, five sacks and 15 QB hurries. He’ll have his hands full as he’ll also start on the offensive line.
Hurricane’s offense will be a bit greener compared to the defense, but it’ll still return three offensive linemen and two receivers.
However, Cowan has a decision to make at quarterback between junior Kannon Cowan and senior Gunner Higgins.
“Kannon’s been our freshman and JV quarterback the last 2 years. He’s been very successful and hasn’t lost a game at those levels. Gunner’s a move-in that has a lot of good qualities about him. He’s more of a gunslinger, and Cannon’s more of an athlete.
“It’s kind of like having two different skill sets and trying to decide how we’re going to go about that. Bottom line is both of them give us a chance to win games. We feel real good about having that type of depth.”
Despite winning four straight region titles and back-to-back 4A titles in 2023 and 2024, Crimson Cliffs finished second in this year’s coaches poll.
The Mustangs are in a transitional era. They lost 21 starters from last year, meaning they’ll only return just one starter.
“As we look ahead to the 2026 season, there are plenty of questions that need to be answered,” said head coach Wayne Alofipo. “We must replace 21 starters from last year’s team, along with many key backups, making this one of the biggest transitions our program has faced in recent years.”
However, if you return only one starter, you’d probably like it to be your quarterback. That’s exactly who Crimson Cliffs will have in Tanoai Andresen .
As a junior, Andresen threw for 2,042 yards on a 65% completion percentage. He also had a 29:8 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
While all the personnel around him will be new, Andresen will at least bring a year of varsity experience with him.
Hurricane and Crimson Cliffs were the clear top-two in the voting, but after that it’s much closer as Desert Hills, Pine View and Snow Canyon all finished tied for third.
One thing is clear for Desert Hills: it has a lot of work to do this season.
The Thunder are coming off a 2-8 season and will be under the direction of a brand-new head coach in Tanner Baldaree.
Desert Hills does have a few things going for it. It’ll return six starters on defense, and while the offense will mostly be new, the Thunder’s top rusher from last year will be back.
Isaac Andresen ran for 978 yards on 206 carries for six touchdowns last year. He also pitched in 226 receiving yards and one touchdown through the air.
After a four-year hiatus, Ray Hosner is back as head coach for Pine View. Hosner previously coached 21 years for the Panthers.
Similarly to Crimson Cliffs, Pine View will be starting from square one. The Panthers will return zero offensive starters and two defensive starters.
“We will be young and starting five freshmen this year,” Hosner said. “We look forward to getting better every week.”
Snow Canyon also finished tied for third, but it returns the most experience of anyone in the region with 15 starters coming back.
The Warriors had a modest season last year. They finished with a 6-4 record and were tied for second in the region.
They’ll also have a new head coach this year with Zack Tauteoli taking over. Snow Canyon’s expectations are high with the amount of returners it’ll have.
“Expectations are high, and I have full confidence in this group,” Tauteoli said. “They’ve done a tremendous job building on the foundation left by last year’s seniors. Our community has done an incredible job of giving them the resources they need to grow, get better and have joy in the process.
“Rice-Eccles is always the goal, but we are fully focused on week one. Right now, it’s about preaching physicality and relentless hard work, so we hit our stride at the exact right moment.”
Finishing last in this year’s Region 9 coaches poll was Dixie.
The Flyers finished last in the region and did so without getting a single region win. They’ll also return only one total starter from last year’s group.
Will Liebert enters his second year as head coach for Dixie, and despite the record and low returners, he remains optimistic.
“Super young team with loads of talent,” Liebert said. “We will have sophomore stars on both sides of the ball.”
Region 9 projections
(Preseason rankings are based on coaches’ votes)
1. Hurricane Tigers
2026 Schedule
Head coach: Jerry Cowan
Now entering his third season as head coach at Hurricane after leading the program to a 12-11 record this previous two years. Prior to that, Cowan spent 17 seasons as head coach at Duchesne over two different stints with a combined 155-44 record, including State titles in 2006, 2012, 2013, ...
HighHurricaneRegionGreen CanyonCrimson CliffsRice EcclesUniversityUtahSalt Lake CityNovIt’sThe Tigers
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