Head Coach: Arnold Ale (first season)

2021 record: 5-6 overall, 2-5 Region 7

Playoffs: No. 19 seed, lost to No. 14 Olympus 49-21 in 5A first round

Players to Watch: Cooper Swasey 6-1 175 Jr. WR/DB, Zay Cook 6-2 260 Jr. OL/DL, Trey Worthen 6-0 215 Jr. OL/DL, Dylan Wall 5-11 160 Jr. WR/DB, Kade Edwards 5-9 130 Jr. QB

Outlook: When a high school football team has struggled to get things going in the right direction like Payson has (only one .500 season or above in the last 20 years), it can be hard to believe.

But the Lions took a big step forward in 2021, going 5-6. Now new head coach Arnold Ale hopes to the momentum building.

“I expect our Team to play hard and compete to win every week,” Ale said.

He has a group of juniors that he said he is going to look to to set the tone for Payson. While there may be some growing pains, that could set the Lions up to be even better in 2023.

To get his squad ready, Ale said the most important things will be attitude and taking care of the basics.

“We are going to emphasize fundamentals and technique, and give the players confidence while we help them maximize their performance,” Ale said. “Team and staff buy-in will be key. Success will ultimately come down to our preparation and execution on gameday.”

Team Captains: “Our captains were selected by their Peers/Teammates,” Ale said. “They are expected to be role models/leaders on and off the field.”

2022 Schedule

Friday, Aug 12 at North Sanpete

Friday, Aug 19 at Mountain Crest

Friday, Aug 26 Richfield

Friday, Sept 2 at Cedar Valley

Friday, Sept 9 at Timpanogos

Friday, Sept 16 at American Fork

Friday, Sept 23 Uintah

Friday, Sept 30 at Hillcrest

Thursday, Oct 6 Stansbury

Wednesday, Oct 12 at Mountain View

Newsletter