ST. GEORGE — The lines are painted. The two-a-days are over. And the stadium spotlights are about to be turned on. It’s time for Region 9 football.
And the Crimson Cliffs Mustangs will open defense of their 4A state football championship on Friday at Morgan, while the rest of the Region 9 schedule looks like this:
- Stansbury at Snow Canyon
- Mountain Crest at Hurricane
- Springville at Dixie
- Desert Hills at FaithLutheran, Nevada
- Cedar at Richfield
- Pine View at Manti
Follow St. George News Sports and The Fan Sports Network for complete coverage of Region 9 action throughout the season.
Three Region 9 teams open the season at home while four others are on the road Friday night. Each of the three local games will be broadcast and streamed at The Fan Sports Network. All games start at 7 p.m. MDT.
The Fan Sports Network Game of the Week
Springville has won six straight against the Flyers. Last year Springville ran it right at Dixie for a 34-7 win and Tevita Valeti had 180 rushing yards and five touchdowns. The 5A Red Devils went 9-3 on the season.
Springville did lose some talented seniors like Valeti, who graduated and went to play for Bronco Mendenhall at New Mexico. Springville was picked second in their region and is ranked No. 14 in a Deseret News Preseason Top 25 poll.
Meanwhile, Dixie finished 5-7 on the year, but the Flyers have moved Ran Sawyer to running back and he can expect to get more than 20 touches. Senior QB Wyatt Truman has some experience under his belt from last season when he threw for 1,700 yards and 16 TDs but also had 18 interceptions.
Another big boost for Dixie? Rick Berry is back with coach Blaine Monkres as the defensive coordinator. Berry won a state title previously with the Flyers and then won another as head coach for the Desert Hills Thunder in 2022.
Other players to keep an eye on for Dixie are Tano Anzolne and Aisa Lopati, who will get a lot of reps on both sides of the ball. Also keep an eye on Kolo Lynn. One player you won’t see is DB/WR Junior Coughlin, who moved this summer and is now playing for Skyridge.
This is the Boulevard Home Game of the Week. Devin Dixon and Connor Collins will be in the booth. The stream and radio broadcast begin at 7 p.m.
Stansbury at Snow Canyon
Last year the Warriors lost to Stansbury 32-19 on the road in Week 1, and the Stallions went on to a 7-5 season. The Warriors finished last season 7-4.
Snow Canyon does have some talented starters back for coach Mike Esplin, who enters his eighth season at the helm and is 45-29 in his coaching career.
Watch for the likes of Max Reynolds, JT Westbrook and Kael Johnson. New QB Joseph Smith has only thrown three career varsity passes after backing up Tank Kelly last year.
Also keep an eye on Archie Threlfall for the Warriors, who should be making big plays on both sides of the ball. This game will be on the radio and streamed with Kaden Foremaster and Keith Curtis calling the action, starting at 7 p.m.
Devin’s Quick Hits
Mountain Crest at Hurricane
New Tigers head coach Jerry Cowans will make his debut after being a part of seven state championships at 1A Duschesne. He has moved a lot of kids to different positions and is looking for a cultural and roster rebuild. Junior quarterback Dylan Gabriel is back with a year as a starter under his belt. Paul Ratliff and Kody Wilstead be on the call for the live stream, starting at 7 p.m.
Pine View at Manti
Nolan Parry’s Power Guide has the Panthers as underdogs, but four-star junior tight end Brock Harris is the real deal. Coach KJ Boyer will be starting Levi Shaw at quarterback for Pine View this season.
Crimson Cliffs at Morgan
The 4A defending state champions open on the road against a perennial 3A power that is always well coached.
With the graduation of 43 seniors, Crimson has some big shoes to fill, but coach Wayne Alofipo does have McCord Christiansen, McKay Wright and Malachi Alofipo returning, along with 38 other seniors who will restock the Mustangs roster.
Desert Hills at Faith Lutheran
Year 2 under coach Solomona Tapasa, known as “Coach Taps,” should be exciting for Thunder Fans. With a big O-line and D-line and 2,000-yard rusher Tytan Mason back, the Thunder will go against a team that touts a 3-star running back and quarterback in the season opener in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Cyrus Polu does it all for Desert Hills and the future Utah Ute is worth the price of admission. Big loss of linemen Stu Tafua and Ocean Tafua, who transferred in the offseason to national powerhouse Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Cedar at Richfield
Tough opener for Cedar and first-year head coach Tye Hiatt, a former SUU assistant coach. Richfield beat Manti last year for the 3A state championship.
Everett Kelling is back at QB for Cedar and Krew Giles and company are hoping that this season will be better then last years team that went 4-7 overall.
–compiled by Devin Dixon
Our teams cover your teams
From preps to pros, the Canyon Media sports team has you covered.
The Fan Sports Network will have multiple teams out broadcasting and streaming the games this year. Devin Dixon and Conner Collins, Kaden Foremaster and Keith Curtis, and Paul Ratliff and Cody Wilstead will provide live coverage from local fields around Region 9.
Once the games are in the books, be sure to visit the St. George News website for full coverage of Southern Utah teams. Sports writers Eric Goold and Jeff Richards, along with videographer Aaron Crane, combine to bring you the most complete reports in the region. Crane’s Region 9 recap video will keep you fully informed on who won, who lost and who shined under the lights.
And if you’re looking for more than football, see the related stories links below.
See more on Dixon’s X feed (formerly known as Twitter) and on Facebook at The Devin Dixon Show as well as the From the Bleachers podcast.
For the latest on all things Region 9 and beyond, stay connected to Southern Utah sports at the following links:
- The Fan Sports Network homepage
- The Fan Sports Network on the X platform
- Utah high school football schedule, all classes
- St. George News Sports on Facebook
- St. George News Sports on X platform
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