RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesFremont plays Corner Canyon in a football game at Fremont High School in Plain City on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025.
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Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
No schools in Region 5 have won a state title since 2002, but this year Box Elder hopes to throw its hat into the ring.
The Bees had a good 2025 season, finishing second in Region 5 with a 5-1 record. But what stung for the Bees was their 28-21 loss to Springville in the quarterfinals.
It was the third quarterfinal loss for Box Elder in four years. It also hasn’t reached the semifinal round since 2006. Reaching that round and playing at Rice-Eccles is a goal for this year’s group.
“That’s always the goal, and we’re right there,” said head coach Carson Mund. “We’ve just got to knock the door down at some point, and I’m hoping this year is that year we can knock it down and give us a chance to go up to the U.”
A lot is going for Box Elder this year. The Bees retained 18 starters, nine offensive and nine defensive. They already had a top five offense in all of 5A last year, and a top seven defense. With the returning experience, Box Elder has a chance to have a special year.
Most of all, the Bees return running back Judd Howells . Howells earned 5A all-state second team honors on a campaign of 1,593 rushing yards on 236 carries while scoring 25 touchdowns. His 25 touchdowns were the fourth most rushing touchdowns in the state.
“It’s great to have him back,” Mund said. “With him and everyone else, we return about 90% of our scoring from last year. Having 32 seniors makes a huge difference. Judd’s just one aspect of that... We have some other guys that can step up, and so we don’t have to be so reliant on him this year.”
Box Elder will also be experienced defensively, especially on its defensive line. Mund says it goes beyond just the starters, and they have the depth to have a great defensive line.
Box Elder Bees Judd Howells (0) makes it past Bear River Bears Riley Bingham (6) during a football game at Box Elder High School in Brigham City on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025.
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Tess Crowley, Deseret News
“Some of those guys are 3-year starters or got meaningful playing time as sophomores at the end,” Mund said. “Defensive tackle-wise, we’ve got 4 or 5 guys we feel like can rotate in there and give us meaningful minutes. One of those guys is a junior, Kai Crozier, who is a really strong kid. We’re expecting a lot from him to help anchor us down in that 3-technique spot at the D-line.
“We’re looking for them to anchor us in the run game, and hopefully we can get a better pass rush this year as well with those guys coming back and put some more pressure on the quarterback.”
Defending Region 5 champion Fremont slots in at second in this year’s coaches poll. Unlike Box Elder, the Silverwolves will see quite a few new faces, especially offensively.
Fremont returns only two offensive starters, both of whom are offensive linemen in Cooper Tumanuvao and Ryan Connell.
New starting quarterback Calvin Cooper played in nine games for the Silverwolves last season. He threw for 302 yards with a 64% completion percentage, but had an even 4:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Defensively, Fremont retains a little more experience with four starters returning. While Fremont graduated most of its production from a year ago, head coach Nate Tuatagaloa is confident in his developing players.
“Our coaches do a good job at developing, so we are excited to showcase some new faces and names and some that people are already familiar with,” Tuatagaloa said. “Although we lost so many players (60 from the last 2 graduating classes), we feel confident that Fremont will be in good hands with the kids we got.
“We have some young kids looking to contribute to our success. Regardless of who is wearing the Fremont jersey, they understand the responsibility and expectations that come with it. We will play fast, violent, disciplined, and progress in our execution.”
West Field enters its third season of football, and it was voted to finish third in the region. The Longhorns finished third last season.
West Field will return six starters offensively, and among them is the lethal duo of quarterback Easton Eilertson and receiver Gavin Ortegon .
Eilertson threw for 3,127 yards and 39 touchdowns last year, and Ortegon was named to the 5A all-state first team after pulling in 1,266 yards on 80 receptions and scoring 18 touchdowns.
The Longhorns will also return wide receivers Kolt Abbott and Phoenix Sandoval , who pulled in a combined 10 touchdowns.
Fourth in the voting is Northridge. The Knights had a middling year, finishing with a 5-6 record and a 3-3 region record.
However, Northridge is looking to improve as it returns 10 starters, which includes quarterback Liam Fresques .
“This is a great group of student-athletes who are committed to working hard and continuously improving,” said head coach Andrew Fresques. “With significant varsity experience returning from the 2025 season, we are excited about the leadership, competitiveness, and depth within our program. We look forward to building on last year’s success and having a strong 2026 season.”
Clearfield finished fifth in the poll and returns only a handful of starters from a team that struggled a year ago.
The Falcons finished sixth in the region with a 1-5 record, and fought to a 3-8 overall record.
Junior quarterback Brik Barlow will be back at the helm for the Clearfield offense after starting as a sophomore.
“We had a great off-season in the weight room, and the program is starting to run smoothly,” said head coach Cody Caputo. “We have buy-in from the boys, and they will be prepared to compete.”
Finishing sixth in the coaches’ poll is Roy, and while it graduated some production and lost others to transfers, it still returns 11 starters.
After spending most of the season at running back, Gunner Pearson will lead the Royals at quarterback.
“Ready to compete and get back to winning ways,” said head coach Chris S...
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