Olympus football: 2011 season recap

On Feb. 24, I interviewed Olympus (Utah) football coach Aaron Whitehead. I'm currently in the process of putting together the Titans' yearbook, commemorating their 2011 season. Here's the article that will appear on Pages 4-5 on the publication.

There’s no defense against team unity

Titans pull a shocker
and win region crown
against all odds

By Bruce Smith
Matchup

The Olympus Titans didn’t win the 2011 4A state football championship. But that may have been the only thing they didn’t accomplish. Years from now, the players and coaches from the team will likely only smile when they recall the season.

“It was great,” said coach Aaron Whitehead. “The kids worked hard. The group was an absolute delight. They jelled nicely.

“We weren’t sure what kind of season it would be, but I knew after we beat Northridge that we were for real.”

Olympus finished with season with a 9-2 record and won its first region title in seven years. With their football facility and new school building under construction all year, the Titans were “road warriors.” Until the season finale, they played all of their home games at either Cottonwood or Skyline high schools, and won all of them, including a 42-35 victory over the Eagles that decided the Region 7 crown.

“That was really sweet,” Whitehead recalled. “Skyline was a big win and we had to overcome a lot of adversity. It was a masterful performance to do it there.”

Outside of Olympus, few people thought this kind of season was possible. Sure, the Titans had a productive summer playing in 7-on-7 tournaments in Utah and California and, even though Whitehead had success as a head coach previously at East, this would still be his first year.

In addition, Oly was placed in a difficult new region that featured Herriman, Skyline, Hillcrest and Murray - all whom had dropped from 5A.

There was also that “homeless” factor. At the start of the year, nobody knew when – or if - the Titans’ field would be available. Huge piles of dirt were stacked in open areas on campus, forcing the Titans to ride a bus every day to nearby Evergreen Junior High for practice.

“There was a lot of adversity, but it just made us come together more,” said Whitehead. “It was fun that we were able to play our last home game here against Hillcrest. The kids appreciated it more.”

It showed. Oly rode the talents of senior quarterback Scott Porter, who threw for almost 2,600 yards and 23 touchdowns. Porter was named the team’s MVP at the post-season banquet. He was also crowned Region 7’s top player and joined Nate Watchman on the all-state team.

“As a coach, my experience had always been to run, run and run the ball,” said Whitehead. “With Scott, we changed all that. He had a nice release on the ball and would just pick teams apart. As Scott went, so did our team.”

Porter’s abilities were especially noticeable in the summer 7-on-7 tournaments, and again in region play. He didn’t make mistakes and knew his receivers well. With the exception of a 41-10 win at Murray, all of the Titans’ region games weren’t decided until the final quarter – even their 34-7 win over Hillcrest on “Senior Night.”

Porter had a lot of help, though. Fifteen different Oly receivers caught passes during the season, and the passing game also helped open holes for Brandon McBride, who came on near the end of the year and rushed for 763 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Porter and McBride joined Watchman, Calvin Escobedo, Nate Sorenson, Cole Benson, Chandler Thornton and Jack Thomas on the all-region squad.

There might have been several others had the Titans been injury-free. Those problems started on the season’s first play from scrimmage, a 27-7 victory at Snow Canyon, when running back Connor Johnson was lost for the season. It forced the Oly coaching staff to continuously juggle the lineup – and the Titans still had success.

“Our team unity probably helped out a lot,” said Whitehead. “We had every reason to make excuses and we didn’t.”

When the season finally ended on a warm, windy night at home against Bountiful, the players didn’t want to leave the field. For a long time afterward, Oly fans watched as their players stood on the new artificial surface and relished all that was accomplished.

“Oly has always had the reputation of having hard-working kids,” said Whitehead. “That’s what makes them stand apart.”