Region 5 Preview Part 1: Six Months Out

Region 5 was the only region to keep all of its original members after the latest UHSAA shakeup. However, the region will welcome two new members from the 6A classification who are moving into 5A. Those two programs are the Roy Royals and Clearfield Falcons. Their additions now give Region 5 an impressive eight teams, the most of any region in the state. We wanted to give each team their flowers, so we broke Region 5 into two parts. Part one includes four of the six Region 5 teams who will each have a chance at the Region 5 title in 2023.   Box Elder Bees    The Bees started the season an impressive 5-1 before suffering two tough losses to Bountiful and Woods Cross. Sitting at 5-3, Box Elder got red hot and carried that momentum into the postseason. The Bees swarmed their competition, winning four straight, including two playoff victories. The latter was a road win, avenging their first loss of the season to Provo. Advancing to the quarterfinals meant the Bees had to head to Lehi to take on the 2021 defending state champion Lehi Pioneers. Coach Robbie Gunter's Bees rose to the challenge and led most of the game. Lehi would come back to win the game late, but it was the closest they came to losing all year outside of games against Corner Canyon and Timpview. Coming off an incredible 2022 season, the Bees will look to carry that momentum into 2023. Running back [player_tooltip player_id='532693' first='Daxton' last='Sumko'] returns after leading Box Elder having over 1,950 yards from scrimmage last year. The Bees also return starting quarterback Ryan Griffin and leading receiver [player_tooltip player_id='532700' first='Mason' last='Jeppsen']. Jeppsen also led the team in tackles in 2022, and with defensive lineman Brock Bissegger back, the Bees will have an imposing front seven. Box Elder was 9-4 last season and will have the chance at not just the Region 5 title but another deep run.   Bountiful Redhawks    The Redhawks season looked to be in danger of falling off the rails after they sat at 2-2, coming off a close call vs. the Highland Rams. But Jason Freckleton and his team quickly righted the ship finishing 5-0 in Region 5 play. Their strong play in Region 5 earned them a second-round bye. Bountiful led at the break but would go on to fall to Orem in a hard-fought game. Looking ahead to 2023, the Redhawks should once again be in the thick of the Region 5 race. Linebacker and running back [player_tooltip player_id='532683' first='Brigham' last='Morrison'] returns to lead the charge for the Redhawks on both sides of the ball. Linebacker Jacob Brooks and defensive back Faletau Satuala also return after combing for six interceptions in 2022. Offensively the Redhawks are lucky that Satuala is returning as the team's leading receiver after he soared in 2022 with over 300 yards on the outside. Bountiful will have to replace a lot of production on offense going into 2023 but doubting the Redhawks is always a bad business.   Woods Cross Wildcats    The Wildcats were 2-3 halfway through the regular season and were coming off a tough loss to Bountiful. Their season could have gone south from here, but the Wildcats chose to lock in and went on a tear through Region 5. The Wildcats would win their final four region games and entered the final week of the regular season 6-3. Woods Cross would go on to lose that final game and in the first round of the playoffs, but those two losses came by a combined four points. Heading into 2023, the Wildcats are looking sharp. Head Coach Brody Benson returns his top five leading rushers, including quarterback Lock Smoot and running back Jacob Howes. Defensively linebackers [player_tooltip player_id='406998' first='Cash' last='Henderson'] and Charlie Coats lead a fierce front seven. Defensive back Carter Freeston returns after locking down the backend with four interceptions in 2022. Woods Cross is undoubtedly motivated to have another shot at the Region 5 crown after finishing 4-1 in region play and 6-3 overall.   Viewmont Vikings   The Vikings got off to a 3-0 start to begin the 2022 season. Their offense looked unstoppable early after they put up 73 against Hillcrest. Unfortunately for the Vikings, things came off the rails as they would drop six of their next seven games to finish the regular season 4-6 and 1-4 in Region 5. The Vikings record may not look outstanding, but they nearly finished the season much differently. Viewmount was in every game they played and led in four of their five games, going into half or into the third. Head Coach Andru Jones is undoubtedly excited to build on his first season with the Vikings program. Viewmount will have to replace most of their offensive production from the 2022 season, but receiver Kingston Micken should break out in 2023. Defensive back Daren Tovey returns after leading the defenses in tackles last year. Going into Coach Jones' second season, the Vikings will be a tough out for any Region 5 foe.

Region 5 was the only region to keep all of its original members after the latest UHSAA shakeup. However, the region will welcome two new members from the 6A classification who are moving into 5A. Those two programs are the Roy Royals and Clearfield Falcons. Their additions now give Region 5 an impressive eight teams, the most of any region in the state. We wanted to give each team their flowers, so we broke Region 5 into two parts. Part one includes four of the six Region 5 teams who will each have a chance at the Region 5 title in 2023.