ST. GEORGE — In the first three weeks of the high school football season, Desert Hills will have two challenging road trips to Las Vegas, Nevada, sandwiched around a home game in Week 2 against Lehi, one of the top 6A programs in Utah.
And that’s before the gauntlet of Region 9 play even begins.
But the Thunder is approaching the season one game at a time.
“We just got to focus on what we do and take it week by week,” Desert Hills offensive coordinator Sam Stevens told St. George News after practice Wednesday night at Thunder Field.
“Right now we’re focusing on Faith Lutheran, the following week we’ll focus on Lehi, and then we focus on the other big team in Vegas that we play, Centennial,” he added. “And then we’ll get into region. It’s a rival week every single week in this region so we got to be prepared for whoever we go against.”
Last year the Thunder showed glimpses of its power-running game and dominant defense that won the 4A state title in 2022.
Desert Hills finished 7-5 overall and shared a three-way tie in second place in Region 9 at 4-2.
The Thunder was dispatched from the 4A state playoffs in a 34-16 quarterfinal loss to backyard rival Crimson Cliffs, the eventual state champ.
This year Stevens said the Thunder are much improved in their second season under the direction of head coach Solomona Tapasa.
“Last year was the first year, so there’s a lot of adjustment that needed done on how things run,” Stevens said. “But overall this year I think the adjustments are done. We’re familiar with what we want to do, we’re familiar with what he expects us to do. The boys are familiar with that.”
Desert Hills expects its strength on offense to be a strong running game that is driven by a large, physical line.
Keying that effort will be senior running back Tytan Mason, who looks to improve upon last year’s numbers of over 2,000 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns.
Also returning is senior quarterback Gerritt Grondel, who played his first season at Desert Hills last year after moving in from Hurricane.
“Consistency is everything, right?” Stevens said. “Having guys come back that are a little bit more experienced, they understand the offense a little bit more, they understand the defense a little bit more.
“It definitely gives you an advantage, as far as going into the season prepared for other teams,” he added. “Granted, we still have to work hard, we still have to execute. But just having that experience helps a lot.”
Defensively Desert Hills will be led by two senior returning starters, University of Utah-recruit Cyrus Polu and Cooper Clark. Juniors Anyzja Cummings and Beau Meredith also expect big years on that side of the ball.
Listed on the roster as Thunder captains are Mason, Grondel, Polu and senior wide receiver Topper Pattison.
Friday night’s opponent, Faith Lutheran, finished 9-4 last year and advanced to the third round of the 5A playoffs in Nevada.
“It’s going to be hot down there, but it’s not much different from the heat we experience here,” Stevens said. “I think the boys are ready. They’re just jumping at the chance to play somebody other than ourselves.”
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