C12
Sports CLIPPER • THURSDAY, AUG. 18, 2011
FEARLESS FORECAST
started on another year of high school football. Here goes.
Shain Gillet
Woods Cross: 16 Viewmont: 21 I’m basing this game on only one thing: history. The long-standing history between these two teams goes farther back than I thought, and while Woods Cross was used as a stepping stone from 19992004 (winning just one game), the schools were pretty evenly matched from 1978-94 (minus a few years when they didn’t play each other). So given a few calculations here and there I came up with Viewmont winning the first game in seven years. If you’re searching for another reason, OK, here’s one to consider. Brad Lloyd has three years under his belt at Viewmont,
T
he Fearless Forecast is back, and boy am I excited! Last season I finished off the regular season plus the playoffs with a 26-11 record (maybe I should live in Vegas, hmm...) calling games as I saw them. And even though some readers didn’t like what they saw here, others understood where I was coming from and took it with a grain of salt. And then pointed and laughed when I was wrong. Just kidding, but they probably did without me knowing it. Anyhow, three games are on the slate this week as we get
Game of the week: Viewmont at WX Continued from p. C11
“If we execute the things we’re supposed to execute every week, we’re going to be a good football team.” For the Wildcats, firstyear head coach Nick Longshore will be attempting to do better than his predecessor, Fred Fernandes, who guided the Wildcats to a playoff appearance during his tenure at the school. With a team that fell one game short of reaching the 4A playoffs last season, the Wildcats are sure to show their fans a few new things. “We’re probably not going to be as run-oriented as the rest of our teams in the region,” said Longshore, a former BYU player. “But we’ll have a few new things that some of the fans can look forward to seeing.” Among the returners from last year include now-starting quarterback Skyler Farnes, who was the backup to Tyler Parsons the last two seasons. His ability to see the field will be key according to Longshore, who also mentioned that he’s been one of the outspoken leaders during the team’s camps. “His ability to lead is what stands out the
most,” said Longshore. “He pushes the players to work harder and I think that’ll go a long way this year.” Others who will see the field include tailback Sean Barton and wide receiver Nick Sefakis, who will likely be favorite targets of Farnes in the multipleset new-look Wildcats Friday night. The Wildcats defense will also be looking to make a difference this season, as their 183 points allowed in 2010 were the second fewest given up in all of Region 6. Returning to the defense this year will be Nick Castillo, who was third on the team in tackles last year. The remainder of the defense will be somewhat new, possibly adding to the pressures of being ready in such a short amount of time. “We basically have a new team from last year,” said Longshore. “So it’ll be exciting for fans to come and watch us. “(The fans) are going to see something different than what they’re used to.” The Wildcats and Vikings kick off the football season at 7 p.m. and the Woods Cross football field Friday night. sgillet@davisclipper.com
Lady Braves blank Vikings, 3-0 Continued from p. C11
three-goal advantage. The Vikings tried to take a few other opportunities to score a goal, but were turned away in the closing minutes as the Braves picked up their first shut out of the year. “There are a lot of tough, scrappy athletes on both teams,” said Plank. “The girls on both teams should really be commended for their sportsmanship throughout the entire
match. “There were a couple of rough moments out there, but I thought both sides played a good game.” The Braves ran their record to 2-0 in the preseason, with Viewmont now sitting at 1-1 as of Monday. Bountiful’s next game will be Friday against the Davis Darts, while the Vikings will have a road game against Woods Cross Tuesday afternoon.
while Nick Longshore is in his first head coaching gig ever. I also know a secret that others may not: defensive guru Eric Grisby is no longer on the coaching staff for Woods Cross. Given that knowledge, I have no clue what the defense is going to look like heading into a new year. Bountiful: 17 Lone Peak: 10 In 2009 the Braves rolled all over the Knights. Last year, they lost by a field goal. So this year, marking the 10th year in a row that the two schools will be playing each other, I’m calling for the Braves to even up the series and take home the win. Offensively they now have quarterback Cam Zollinger back, and Larry Wall said he was “tickled” that he was going
to be back in the starting role this season. Defense has always remained the same with the Braves, posting some of the best numbers around in not only their region, but in all of 4A as well (they allowed the lowest point total of all 4A teams last year). I have to give the Braves the nod here. They have a good nucleus of players back with a history of well-played years, regardless of a first week win or loss. Davis: 28 Brighton: 7 The Darts and Bengals have been meeting each other for years on the grid-iron, with Davis winning four of the last five dating back to 2006. The secret to the Darts’ success the past few years, however, has been the running
game. Although they utilize it as much as any other team in the state, their usage of rushing the ball to open up the passing game is quite impressive, and coach Ryan Bishop has had his system working for Davis for some time. Brighton hasn’t really used the Davis game as a barometer for their season, finishing anywhere from 2-8 (2007) to 6-5 (last year) during the past five years. Davis should win this one hands down in my book. It’s almost a no-brainer. That’s it for the first week of the year. Hope you all follow along with me and see if you can get a better record than I can this year. Good luck to all the teams, and see you next week. Last season: 26-11