BOUNTIFUL — Explaining Viewmont High’s 2022 football season is quite easy.

In 10 games last year, the Vikings led at halftime eight times — five times by double digits — yet finished with a 4-6 record.

They blew halftime leads in four of their six losses. They outscored teams 212-109 in the first half, but opposing teams conversely outscored Viewmont by a startling 96-27 margin in the third quarter.

Second-year Vikings head coach Dru Jones says everything’s there for the team to be in the Region 5 mix: talent, size, physicality, familiarity with schemes.

Before they can challenge for a trophy this season, the Vikes must figure out how to play football in the third quarter, specifically.

“That’s the $1 million question for us as a staff,” Jones said. “We don’t know if a) is it fatigue? Because a lot of our kids had to go both ways last year, so we’re trying to one-way our kids as much as possible right now. … Is it, did they think they had the game in the bag because we had the lead, so can they just coast?”

Senior quarterback/safety Daren Tovey felt it was a mental problem more so than a physical one.

“We thought that since we already had a lead we could just roll over and kind of just not really step on the pedal anymore,” Tovey said. “One thing we can work on this year is just finishing games and taking them out of the game before they even have a chance to kind of come back in.”

Junior receiver/defensive back Kingston Mickens said he felt that last year’s team leadership gave up in games when things got uncomfortable, and he pointed to a solution for this season.

“Just have a better friendship with the team. Like last year I feel like we weren’t really close as we were this year. This year, we’re really close, everyone’s friends on the team,” Mickens said.

If Viewmont can get past the third-quarter wall, the Vikings might contend for a region championship this fall after four straight losing seasons.

Jones said the program has around 125-130 players, which is up from last year. He feels good about the offensive line, which returns three starters and will let Viewmont get into an offense that includes a hurry-up tempo.

“Our O-line’s really good, we can be run-heavy. But at the same time, we can throw the ball all over you. We have a good overall team,” Mickens said.

The defensive line is talented, physical and its four prospective starters stand at 6 feet, 6-4, 6-5 and 6-8, according to Jones. Elsewhere, there’s not much experience. Tovey started at safety last year and likely won’t start at safety, as he’s now the starting QB.

Mickens had four interceptions last year at cornerback and is Viewmont’s most visible player, with scholarship offers from San Diego State and UNLV.

Overall, the Vikes are young with a few returners on both sides of the ball, some transfers who started elsewhere and new starters who have a little playing time.

“Once they figure this out, they’ll be just fine. They’re athletic and ready to go. We feel comfortable with them,” Jones said.

QUOTABLE

Viewmont thinks it can win the region this year. Mickens feels like last year’s team was close, too.

“Good old Viewmont football out here. Gonna prove everyone wrong this year and win the region title. We just gotta finish the games. I feel like last year we could’ve won the region, but we just didn’t finish games,” Mickens said.

FACTS and FIGURES

2022 season: 4-6, 1-4 Region 5. Viewmont’s four wins came against teams with a combined 11-33 record and the six losses were against teams with a combined 42-24 record. VHS lost 52-34 in the first round of the playoffs against Cedar Valley.

2023 strength of schedule: 48-58 (.453)

Returning starters: 4 offense, 3 defense

Strength/Weakness: Offensive line and defensive line./Youth and inexperience.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Kingston Mickens, JR., WR/DB: Probably Viewmont’s most recognizable player, he has scholarship offers from San Diego State and UNLV so far. He had three receiving touchdowns and one interception return TD, but made a big impact on kickoffs with 408 return yards and one TD. He’s fast — he ran 11.21 seconds in the 100 meters — and hard to tackle.

Daren Tovey, SR., QB/S: The prospective starting quarterback is also last year’s leading tackler from the safety spot. Tovey will start at quarterback and play a lot of safety. He was a team captain his junior year, a four-sport athlete and is more of a passing QB than last year’s starter, Luke Jacobs.

Dax Nielsen, SR., RB: Nielsen was about to start at running back in 2022 before a broken hip sidelined him most of the year.

Trey Price, SR., OL: Price will be a two-year starter for VHS at left tackle and anchors the O-line at 6-foot-3, 300 pounds.

Ezekiel Cook, JR., DL: A 6-foot-5, 240-pound defensive end who could be a matchup nightmare. He had three tackles for loss last year, which ranks second among returners.

Brock Thrall, SR., DL: A transfer and three-year starter from Tooele who has 16 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks the past two years.

DID YOU KNOW?

Viewmont hasn’t played Skyline since 2003, Taylorsville since 2012 and Clearfield since 2014. This is the first time since 1971 that Viewmont has opened region play against Bountiful.

Clearfield is VHS’ fourth-most played rivalry at 45 games, behind Bountiful (58), Davis (53) and Layton (48).

Viewmont’s all-time records against this year’s opponents are: 5-21 against Skyline, 4-3 against Granger, 4-0 against Taylorsville, 23-35 against Bountiful, 8-17 against Northridge, 18-18 against Woods Cross, 3-6 against Box Elder, 4-6 against Roy, 2-14 against Bonneville and 24-21 against Clearfield.

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN

Skyline graduated most of its best playmakers and lost a couple of others to transfer, but the Eagles return 6-foot-5, 250-pound defensive end Karson Kaufusi, who has offers from schools including Oregon State and Utah and will be VHS’ main game plan.

Granger added De La Salle (California) transfer quarterback and BYU commit Carson Su’esu’e and drastically reshaped its outlook. Taylorsville (Week 3) is a winnable game on paper for Viewmont.

Region 5 sends Viewmont to rival Bountiful, the two-time defending region champion, in Week 4. The most difficult stretch sees the Vikings play at Roy in Week 8 and at Bonneville in Week 9.

SCHEDULE

All games 7 p.m.

Aug. 11: at Skyline

Aug. 18: Granger

Aug. 25: at Taylorsville

Sept. 1: at Bountiful*

Sept. 8: at Northridge*

Sept. 15: Woods Cross*

Sept: 22: Box Elder*

Sept: 29: at Roy*

Thur., Oct. 5: at Bonneville*

Oct. 13: Clearfield*

* — Denotes Region 5 game

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

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