Utah Valley High School Football Rewind: Springville community a huge asset to Red Devil football
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- Springville offensive coordinator Doug Bills calls a play during the Region 7 game against Cedar Valley in Springville on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024.
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- Springville special teams coordinator Willy Child talks to his team during the Region 7 game against Cedar Valley in Springville on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024.
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- Springville head athletic trainer Lisa Walker cuts off a bandage for Red Devil offensive lineman Brigham Penrod during the Region 7 game against Cedar Valley in Springville on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024.
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- Springville’s Max Harris tries to break a tackle during a high school football game against Bonneville on Friday, August 23, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork senior running back Kaden Vest runs the ball up the field during the Region 8 game against Salem Hills in Spanish Fork on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024.
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- Provo’s Malik Filimoeatu (middle) scores a touchdown as Timpanogos defenders stand him up during a high school football game on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024.
It is truly uncommon to see a head coach stay on way past their tenure or gently pass the torch on to the next head coach, but in Springville football’s case, you exactly have that with Doug Bills and Willy Child.
Both Bills and Child were head coaches and they currently serve as the offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator respectively for current Red Devil head coach Dave Valeti.
And both actually coached Valeti. Bills was the head coach when Valeti played and Child coached him in freshman football. And it should be said that Bills also coached Child.
All three are Springville grads with deep ties to the community with Bills graduating in 1975 and Child in 1989.
Bills is now in his 42nd year of coaching at the high school, most notably in the football and baseball programs. When he retired, he had to sit out a year, and he was hired at Union and led the Cougars to one of their best seasons in school history before coming back home to his roots.
As for Child, he served as both the head football and baseball coach, and is perhaps better known for the latter as his tenure as a head coach on the diamond was much longer, even leading Springville to a state championship. But Child does have a preference in sports.
“It’s all about Friday nights,” said Child, noting that the atmosphere of game day in football is a charge that for him can’t be replicated.
Bills, who agreed, basically said he was never a head coach in baseball so the gridiron is much closer to his heart.
Bills has seen a lot of things over his four decades plus at the school, but he says some fundamental things don’t change like the feeling of community in Springville.
“I haven’t always liked all the things with the transfer rules but doing it with homegrown kids is really gratifying,” said the veteran coach.
Bills, like many coaches, has done it all in the football program. When he was an assistant coach under Ray Newbury, he called the defense. But as an assistant with both Child and Valeti, he’s called the offense.
One common thread goes back to when Newbury was the head coach. Springville will always be a physical defensive minded football team that prefers to use the run to set up the pass.
Both Bills and Child seem to relish in their new roles and both concurred that the worst thing about being a head coach was all the paperwork which they gladly have handed off to Valeti. And both are also very high on the current head coach.
“Dave is doing a great job,” Child said, while Bills noted that, “he’s one of the hardest working coaches I know, just like he was as a player.”
Legends never die: While Bills has spent a long time coaching at Springville, Alan Curtis patrolled the sidelines even longer. Curtis was a longtime employee for the Nebo School District and Springville recreation department and a youth football coach for 55 years. Curtis passed away in 2023 at age 77 but left a big impression on those he served including Bills and Child.
“He’s a Springville guy through and through,” said Bills “He was always for the kids. Every kid in this community knows him. He stuck up for every kid. What he was about was doing what was best for kids. He was just awesome.”
“When I was little, I assumed he was the mayor and the Springville rec guy because he organized everything,” Child added. “I played for him in sophomore football.”
It was definitely deserving that the recreation complex in Springville in May of this year was renamed the Alan Curtis Recreation Complex at Memorial Park.
Adding her care and wisdom: Springville is truly blessed to have both veteran coaches giving back as well as its longtime athletic trainer Lisa Walker.
Walker has taught and served as the school’s athletic trainer for 31 years and has long served as the head athletic trainer for the state wrestling tournaments and other competitions over the years.
Walker has also seen the highs and lows of athletics working with athletes, especially those that are fighting through injuries.
Walker said she had a lot of great moments as an athletic trainer for the school as teams have won state championships.
One particular memory was a state baseball game in the mid-1990s where Springville had gone through a gamut of pitchers that freshman Jesse Huff ended up starting and winning the game while pitching to his brother Jake Huff, the starting catcher.
Another great memory and honor was working with 4-time state wrestling champion Jason Chamberlain, considered by many the greatest prep wrestler in Utah history. Walker felt fortunate to attend his induction ceremony to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Oklahoma in 2012.
But Walker has had to deal with some tragic moments as well, the worst being when Brandon Curtis, after a summer football workout, had his vehicle roll over and kill him right in the parking lot of the high school in 2010.
“That was definitely the worst day in my career,” Walker said.
Scoring 59 points while still losing: Orem (5-1) put up a lot of points in Smithfield on Friday but still managed to lose to Sky View (4-2) 60-59 in a non-league contest. The 119 combined points was the most so far in 2024 and one of the highest scoring games in state history.
The Tigers led by 38-21 at halftime only to see themselves outscored by 18 points in the second half and 27-7 in the third quarter. Orem scored 14 points in the final stanza and clung to a 59-54 lead, but the Bobcats scored with 1:23 left and then held on to give the Tigers their first loss of the season.
Feleti Iongi scored five touchdowns including a kickoff return for the Tigers while quarterback Tayden Ka’awa threw for three touchdowns. Kaue Akana booted a field goal and eight extra points while also scoring a touchdown on a 38-yard connection with Ka’awa.
Lehi defense came up big in its win over American Fork: Abe Jagr had a 40-yard pick six while his Pioneer teammate Penisimani Takitaki had a fumble return of 44 yards for a score. Gavin Fenn keeps kicking the ball well, hitting two more field goals of 42 and 40 yards as Lehi (5-0) downed its region rival American Fork (2-4), 34-10.
Statistical Superlatives: Provo (3-2) running back Ollie MacKay crossed the goal line five times to lead Provo to a 48-35 win over Timpanogos (4-2). In the past two games MacKay has nine touchdowns. Gehrig Orchard tossed two touchdowns to bolster the Bulldog attack. Andrew Hillstead ran for two scores and threw for two others for Timpanogos in the loss.
Drake Peterson helped Springville (4-2) blowout Cedar Valley (2-4) with a touchdown reception and punt return for a touchdown. Lisiate Valeti added two scores on the ground while Jack Pickering electrified the Red Devil faithful on Homecoming with a 44-yard pick six.
Samuel Wright crossed the goal line three times including a 37-yard scamper as Lone Peak (5-1) shut out league rival Pleasant Grove (1-5), 37-0.
Kaden Vest had three touchdown runs of 49, 23 and two yards as Spanish Fork (5-1) routed rival Salem Hills (3-3), 30-2.
Big Game of the Week 1: Lehi High School represents the old town while Skyridge sits nestled in the newer neighborhoods of Silicon slopes, so naturally these Lehi community schools don’t like each other much. Skyridge will host this big 6A Region 3 showdown which will be a Thursday Night Lights game on KJZZ. Could this be a preview of the state title game? It’s certainly not beyond the realm of possibilities.
Big Game of the Week 2: It looked like this game might feature two 6-0 teams before Orem stumbled in the second half in its game against 4A Sky View. Maple Mountain is humming right along but the Tigers, playing at home, will give them a test they haven’t seen so far in 2024.
Big Game of the Week 3: While Lehi and Skyridge do battle, Lone Peak will hope to take care of business as it visits American Fork. This is a big rivalry game but American Fork needs to up its game, especially on offense, against one of the best defenses in the state.
Extra points: Utah Military Academy-Camp Williams had its first ever Homecoming football game played at Cedar Valley. The Marauders came up short losing to Altamont 65-22 but in a nice touch, each one of their players singled out a faculty member that has really helped them by giving them a jersey to wear during the game … Last week, Ben Lomond finally scored its first points of the year against ALA, losing 21-14. This week Providence Hall finally scored though the Patriots still got blown out by Judge Memorial, 56-6 … High school football is a funny thing. Sky View exploded for 60 points against Orem but four weeks ago couldn’t scratch a point losing 34-0 to 3A Morgan … And while Sky View and Orem were combining for 119 points, Millard and Enterprise scored just three as Millard won with a field goal… With most of the games being intra-county region affairs, Utah County programs had a rough week going 1-4 and now are 40-27 overall against competition outside the valley.
