ST. GEORGE — The Pine View Panthers learned from their mistakes, and moved on.
After a winless football season last year, coaches and players looked in the mirror during the offseason and admitted that they have work to do.
“After the season I took a week off and I did a lot of self reflection,” second-year Panthers head coach K.J. Boyer told St. George News after a scrimmage Friday night.
“I looked at a lot of things, and called the going-to-be seniors into my classroom for a meeting that was very open about what was wrong from last year and how we fix it and do different things,” he added.
Boyer went on to say that the Panthers realized they have to work harder, at every level, if they want to get back to the success on the gridiron that Pine View players and fans are accustomed to.
“Weightroom wise, practice, how we look, how we act as a team and just bringing back that team unity and that competition,” Boyer said. “We can’t just walk out every Friday and expect to be competitive. It’s all the off-season stuff.”
The strict self-evaluation, Boyer said, led to a very productive spring in the weight room and an improved work ethic among the players.
“I think that’s where we learned a lot of bad things and how to fix those,” he added. “This scrimmage and these last two weeks showed that we’ve fixed things and we’re back where we need to be.”
Several of Pine View’s weapons were on display in Friday night’s scrimmage. Starting quarterback Adam Moore and backup Levi Shaw both showed solid command of the offense.
Bruising running back Mo Tonga tossed tacklers aside on a couple of runs. Receiver and kick returner Quincy Jones flashed his blazing speed on the outside.
The Panthers are very big across the offensive line, as they are consistently every year, anchored by 6-foot-3, 285-pound senior Camden Smith.
And the highlight of the scrimmage, as he will be all season, was 6-foot-6, 225-pound sophomore Brock Harris, who is listed at tight end but split out as a receiver on several passing plays.
With his size, speed, good hands and a skill set that fits multiple formations, Harris is already getting interest from top-flight Division I college football programs.
“He’s a big focal point of our offense, because he is that good,” Boyer said. “Brock’s a great kid and he understands that not every play is about him. He’s a part of the team and Brock’s done an amazing job of that.”
While college scouts — and opposing defenses — might have their eyes fixed on Harris, several of the other Panthers will get noticed too.
“I think I’ll definitely drag attention, but that only opens up my other teammates, so I’m not too worried about that,” Harris said. “They know it’s not all about me, and I think they’ll do great as well.”
More important than the X’s and O’s for Pine View is the Panthers’ attitude and team chemistry, which they call “Circle Black.”
“It’s all about family. That’s what ‘Circle Black’ really boils down to, is just family,” Boyer said, noting that it’s an attitude formed through the years under longtime coach Ray Hosner. Boyer played at Pine View for Hosner before a stellar career at Dixie State (now Utah Tech).
“It’s all about that legacy and tradition here,” Boyer said. “It really does mean something here. When these kids grasp it, you see how much they start caring and it’s a big thing for us.”
“We make sure we cover that everyday,” Harris said. “We say ‘Circle Black’ every time we break the huddle. Big part of our program, for sure.”
Pine View hosts Logan at 7 p.m. on Aug. 11 in the Panthers’ season-opening contest.
St. George News will have ongoing preseason football coverage with daily team previews before next week’s kickoffs.
Photo Gallery
A Pine View ball carrier works for yards in a scrimmage, St. George, Utah, Aug. 4, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
A Pine View quarterback takes a shot downfield in a scrimmage, St. George, Utah, Aug. 4, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
The view along the line of scrimmage as the Pine View Panthers run a play, St. George, Utah, Aug. 4, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
A Pine View ball carrier works for yards in a scrimmage, St. George, Utah, Aug. 4, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
A Pine View quarterback takes a shot downfield in a scrimmage, St. George, Utah, Aug. 4, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
A Pine View ball carrier works for yards in a scrimmage, St. George, Utah, Aug. 4, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
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