High school football: Skyridge seeking to stay among 6A elite
Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald
The Skyridge football team takes the field for a 6A state football quarterfinal game against Pleasant Grove on Friday, Nov. 3, 2023.SKYRIDGE FALCONS
Head coach: Justin Hemm (2nd Season)
2023 record: 11-3 overall, 3-2 in 6A Region 3
Playoffs: No. 4 seed, lost to No. 2 Corner Canyon, 41-27, in 6A title game
Players to Watch: Ben Howard (Sr. OL), Deshawn Toilolo (Sr. DL), Noah Bird, (Sr. LB), Sam Pollmann (Sr. LB), Tavian Edwards (Sr. DB), Kaneal Sweetwyne (Jr. QB).
Outlook: How elevated are the expectations for Skyridge football these days?
Since 2020, the Falcons have won a 6A championship (2022), lost in the title game (2023) and reached the semifinals twice (2020 and 2021).
Clearly Skyridge has established itself as one of the premier programs in 6A and now it’s up to the 2024 squad to maintain that level of excellence.
Falcon head coach Justin Hemm believes his guys are up for that challenge as they get set to start the season.
“I think we’ve got a good nucleus of boys coming back, specifically on the offensive and defensive lines, with some other returners mixed in,” Hemm said. “There will be some new faces but these are guys who have paid their dues and worked their tails off, so now it is their opportunity to perform.”
Skyridge faces a rigorous schedule that includes games against elite opponents like Timpview, Bingham and Corner Canyon as well as a pair of out-of-state matchups and the always-tough Region 3 slate.
“Every single week for us is going to be a grind,” Hemm said. “Our goal is that all these things help us be the best team we can be come playoff time.”
He said the key for the Falcons will be having high levels of effort and consistency. He wants his team to be efficient on offense and make things really tough on opponents on defense.
Building Culture: “It starts with the coaches, as far as setting the standards and expectations on a day-in, day-out basis, things like being on time, how we work, how we prepare. But once we lay that framework, we really push that culture aspect onto the boys. It’s on them to make it what they want it to be. I think we have a great group of boys who thrive in that and want that sort of leadership to create the culture that they want as a team.” — Justin Hemm