BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

FARMINGTON — Every year, the Farmington High football team goes on a steep hike to a jagged outcrop on the foothills called Flag Rock, where one gets expansive views of the city, valley and Great Salt Lake below.

Head coach Daniel Coats uses the hike as a team bonding exercise, as well as an unofficial marker for the start of the football season. And every year, he points south to Salt Lake City to symbolize Rice-Eccles Stadium and the team’s annual goal.

One can’t actually see the stadium from Flag Rock because it’s obscured by the mountains separating Davis County and Salt Lake County.

But the program doesn’t need to rely on imagination to envision a lofty goal of playing in Rice-Eccles Stadium anymore; the Phoenix lived it last November when its playoff run resulted in a state semifinal against Corner Canyon.

“It was amazing, funnest football I’ve ever played,” FHS senior quarterback Easton Wight said of last season’s playoff run.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

Farmington put the Chargers on the ropes in the third quarter, turning a 24-14 deficit into a 28-24 lead before Corner buried the Phoenix the rest of the way and won 45-28.

The semifinal run made up for Farmington finishing third in Region 1 and a year later, the deep playoff run has had an effect on the program.

“It just makes us work harder, sets the standards way higher,” senior Dante Coats said. “Our standards are, not just get it there it’s just, like, to win the championship.”

High standards coincide with a high amount of inexperience this year. Just three starters return on offense and zero — yes, zero — return on defense.

Through a combination of transfers and its young, upcoming players, Farmington feels like it should be in the mix for Region 1.

“I’ll bet on my guys any day of the week, so the expectation is we win it, but it’s not gonna be blowouts by any means. But when our back’s against the wall, I expect my guys to come through and make the play,” head coach Daniel Coats said.

On offense, Farmington will lean on the three-plus-year starter Wight to guide an inexperienced group. He started a handful of games as a freshman on a young and disjointed team that went 2-9. Since then, Wight is 18-7 in two complete seasons as a starter.

Wight threw for 3,146 yards, 36 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and completed 62.5% of his passes in 13 games as a junior.

As one of the elder statesmen of the team, Wight has turned from the quiet player in the huddle who deferred to other leaders, to a leader himself.

“I used to not be that vocal. Like, if something bad happened or good, now I’ve been trying to just talk to somebody after every play at least, even if it’s a perfect rep,” Wight said.

He said inexperience is the biggest hurdle the offense faces, but he’s not worried about the team doing well once it picks up the playbook.

Wight, running back Travis Hoopes and receiver Dominic Coats are the only three returning offensive starters. Dante Coats regularly played at tight end and had a frank view of the offense’s outlook in early July.

“I think our skill’s there but we need to work on our conditioning and get in shape,” Dante said.

Daniel Coats gave high praise to Wight and says he has the freedom to change plays on the field depending on what he sees from the opposing defense.

“He’s gonna put us in the right place, he’s gonna put the ball in the right spot and in worst-case scenarios, he’s gonna protect the ball instead of doing something stupid,” Daniel Coats said.

Things are much less certain on defense. Farmington was already expecting to return only two defensive starters this year from last year’s team that allowed 16.8 points per game

Then, safety Dayton Runyan reclassified and graduated a year early, and defensive end Marshall Moldre went to IMG Academy in Florida.

The team brought in Syracuse transfer Jake Metcalfe and Northridge transfer lineman Jacob Speredon, who have experience playing on defense.

Daniel Coats is also high on linebacker Carter Tingey, safety/defensive back Afu Fiefia and linebacker Lucas Peterson. He feels great about the talent and thinks his players will do fine in one-on-one situations.

“It’s the 11-on-11 aspect and it’s, when things aren’t going our way, are you going to bounce back and trust your teammate to do their job so you can do yours?” he said.

Farmington’s defense takes some time for players to get used to, given the size of the playbook. Over the years, the Phoenix has built itself as a solid defensive team.

“We’re not gonna devastate anybody by, ‘This dude’s a killer,’ but you’re gonna be shocked by how many dudes are standing over you as you get up from the pile,” Daniel Coats said.

QUOTABLE

Dante and Dominic Coats, Daniel’s twin sons, haven’t been the team’s go-to players in their careers, but as two of the more experienced players around now, they step into the spotlight in 2023.

“It’s literally been the greatest reason to become a coach, to see it firsthand, to watch them grow,” Daniel said.

FACTS and FIGURES

2022 season: 10-3, 4-2 Region 1. Farmington lost out on the Region 1 title, but more than made up for it with a deep playoff run to the state semifinals, where the Phoenix put No. 1 Corner Canyon on the ropes before losing 45-28.

2023 strength of schedule: 66-42 (.611).

Returning starters: 3 offense, 0 defense.

Strength/Weakness: Talent and depth/Inexperience.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Easton Wight, SR., QB: Nicknamed “Easy E” for his composure and experience, Wight has been Farmington’s starter since his sophomore year and also started some games as a freshman. He has a career record of 18-10 as a starter.

Jake Metcalfe, SR., ATH: Metcalfe started three years at Syracuse before transferring to Farmington. Expect him to play multiple positions on both sides of the field.

Travis Hoopes, JR., RB: Hoopes heavily featured in the final seven games last year — he started six — and gained 582 yards with six TDs in those seven games. Coats says Hoopes has put on weight to try and solidify a role as an every-down back.

Dante Coats, SR., TE/DE: Dante had 20 catches for 319 yards and two touchdowns last season, and will have an increased role on the team.

Dominic Coats, SR., WR: Dominic caught 20 passes for 200 yards last season and will likely be one of Wight’s primary receivers.

Jacob Speredon, SR., DL: Speredon transferred from Northridge in June, and made 63 tackles with a team-high five sacks for the Knights last year.

Afu Fiefia, JR., CB/S: Fiefia is expected to play a big role in the secondary. He’s the son of Weber State tight ends coach David Fiefia.

Lucas Peterson, JR., RB/LB: Peterson was one of the first names Wight and Dante Coats mentioned in terms of a possible breakout player.

DID YOU KNOW?

With last year’s semifinal appearance, Farmington became the first Davis County public school to advance to the state semis and win 10 games in a season since Woods Cross in 2014.

Last year’s 10-3 record put Daniel Coats’ career head coaching record at 31-27.

For both of Farmington’s school-split rivalries against Davis and Viewmont, the Phoenix has actually played Bountiful every year since FHS opened.

All-time record against this year’s opponents: 1-0 against Pleasant Grove, 3-2 against Bountiful, 0-2 against Skyridge, 0-3 against Corner Canyon, 3-1 against Syracuse, 2-0 against Layton, 2-1 against Weber, 1-1 against Davis and 2-1 against Fremont.

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN

It’s frontloaded. Pleasant Grove and Bountiful are the “easier” battles of the four non-region games, which isn’t saying much because PG’s supposed to be vastly better than last year’s 6-6 team and Bountiful is supposed to be just as good, if not better, after a 7-3 season.

Then it gets nasty, with Skyridge (13-1, 6A state champion) and Corner Canyon (11-3, 6A runner-up) in back-to-back weeks. There’s a real chance Farmington goes anywhere between 2-2 and 0-4 in non-region play.

“If we want to be considered one of those top teams in the state, that everybody has to make a plan to deal with, we can’t hide from people,” Daniel Coats said.

After the Corner game, Farmington has a bye week before its region opener against Syracuse.

Farmington has seven home games out of nine total, including the Backyard Battle rivalry against Davis, where the teams play for a gold and teal chain. The home team has won both meetings (Farmington 31-10 in 2021, Davis 17-14 in 2022).

SCHEDULE

All games 7 p.m.

Aug. 11: Pleasant Grove

Aug. 18: Bountiful

Aug. 25: Skyridge

Sept. 1: Corner Canyon

Sept. 8: BYE

Sept. 15: Syracuse*

Sept: 22: at Layton*

Sept: 29: Weber*

Thurs., Oct. 5: Davis*

Wed., Oct. 11: at Fremont*

* — Denotes Region 1 game

Connect with reporter Patrick Carr via email at pcarr@standard.net, Twitter @patrickcarr_ and Instagram @standardexaminersports.

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