2024 Record: 11-3 overall, 4-1 Region 3

Playoffs: No. 3 seed, lost to No. 1 Corner Canyon in the 6A Championship 30-27

Players to Watch: Sr. CB Toa Tanuvasa, Sr. CB/WR Tevita Mounga, Sr. OLB Anthon Grimmer, Sr. DL Tag Zundel, Sr. QB Kepa Niumeitolu, Sr. OL/DL Bott Mulitalo, Sr. WR Jaron Pula, Sr. WR/DB Keenan Pula, Jr. MLB/RB Sean Tahi, Sr. RB Tate Barney, Sr. RB Isaac Fonua

Outlook: Expectations are always high at Lone Peak and this season is no different. On the heels of just losing out on a 6A state championship a season ago, the Knights feel poised to make another deep run while hoping to be the last team standing at the end of it all.

Led by a dominant defense last season, Lone Peak Coach Bart Brockbank believes it’s the offense that will perhaps lead the way this time around.

“We have some strong leadership coming back on offense,” Brockbank said. “So a lot of the leadership we have this year we expect to be on the offensive side of the ball, while last year it was on the defensive side.”

Returning quarterback Kepa Niumeitolu threw for 2,069 yards and 19 touchdowns a season ago and added 10 rushing scores. He’ll be fronted by Bott Mulitalo, who opted to switch over to offensive line for his senior season with the plan to play him during critical junctures on the defensive side.

“Overall I feel we have a lot of talent and a lot of depth,” Brockbank said. “The last couple of years we’ve been talented, but perhaps not quite as deep. Again, a lot of that talent and depth is on the offensive side of the ball, so we expect the offense to lead out this year and it was sort of the opposite last year.”

What’s the best way to motivate today’s high school athlete? “We try to help them understand that football is part of a bigger picture and the lessons you learn in football are life lessons,” Brockbank said. “You learn to push through adversity and that failure is not the end. You push through it in football and it’s the same way in life. So we try and help them learn that the lessons in football are the same in life in becoming better fathers and better husbands. That’s what seems to really resonate with our kids.”

– Brandon Gurney