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Bear River High's offensive line sets up before a snap during a prep football game against Morgan on Aug. 12, 2022.

Patrick Carr, Standard-Examiner

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Bear River's Tyson Braegger (25) celebrates a big play during a prep football game against Morgan at Bear River High School on Friday, Aug. 12, 2022.

Patrick Carr, Standard-Examiner

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GARLAND — Most people in the Mountain time zone were asleep at midnight on Tuesday, but not the Bear River High football team.

At the start of the first “official” day of football practice, the lights were on and the Bears sprinted out onto the football field to officially kick off the final push in their preparations for the 2023 season.

“They love it. That’s their favorite practice,” second-year head coach Trampis Waite said.

Midnight practice is about the only thing that’s the same about the Bear River football program this summer.

For starters, the Bears actually know their head coach now, they have several returning starters, more players in the program overall, more familiarity with the schemes, a big senior class, they had a productive offseason and have more excitement around the program.

“We got started right into lifting really fast after the season, we had our first-hour class, we had already been in the playbook. We’re prepared,” senior linebacker/tight end Tyson Braegger said.

That all sounds normal for every team, but in the context of Bear River’s chaotic 2022 season, this summer is a marked step towards something resembling “normal.”

To summarize: Waite accepted the Bear River head coach job in December 2021 but had to finish his teaching contract in Oregon, so he couldn’t get to Garland until June and didn’t have time to fully implement his coaching system.

The prospective defensive coordinator, Dave Putnam, then left for Layton Christian in the spring. (Putnam is back this season coaching defense.)

The Bears then ditched their 3-3 defense for a 4-2-5 after five games of, in Waite’s words, getting “trashed,” then swapped Owen Olsen in for Ryker Jeppsen at quarterback in a move Waite said should’ve been made at the start of the year. Through all of that, they won three games and were reasonably competitive in three more after an 0-10 season in 2021.

That all serves as a learning experience, another piece among many that are in place for Bear River to possibly improve upon last year’s 3-8 record.

The Bears return four starters on offensive line, Jace Roberts and Talon Marble at receiver, Tydon “Cup” Jones at running back, Olsen at quarterback, and familiarity with the offense is the expectation, not an aberration.

“Last year was ground level just getting it in, just base concepts. This year, we’re going to be moving around a lot and … now we’re going to do some different things to get them into positions,” Waite said. “Our entire offense was in by May, and that’s pretty cool because now you can actually focus on the individual stuff in the summer.”

They return several starters on defense, which in theory should help them improve last year’s 31.9-points-per-game yield.

Ten-sack defensive end Aiden Wilson is one of three returning defensive linemen and Braegger, who started at inside linebacker, led the team in tackles.

Though Bear River’s confident in who it returns, the Bears walk a thin line. They’re not very deep, they have many two-way starters, they’re not the biggest team size-wise and they fell apart in the second half of some games last year.

“I think we need to build confidence in ourselves because, I don’t know, I think we just need to know that we can beat any team, and I feel like we’re getting there, but yeah, it just comes with practice and reps,” Olsen said.

And a tough schedule serves as an additional equalizer to the BR hype train, with three 5A teams and the defending 3A state champion on the docket, plus the typically difficult Region 11 schedule. Waite thinks Bear River is well-equipped to handle 2023.

“Everybody has talent, right? But the thing that I love about this team is the leadership and they, like, love playing with each other. And that’s something you gotta have, because we have 23 seniors, and last year compared to eight (seniors)? That’s a completely different team,” Waite said.

After practice one day in July, the team team gathered around Waite for a debrief and he read aloud some season goals set by the team’s leadership council.

One of those goals: Make other teams fear Bear River.

It might be a while before teams in Region 11 and beyond circle the BR game on their calendars. Maybe the Bears will get there again, maybe they won’t.

At first blush, though, they feel much better about the upcoming season than they did this time last year.

QUOTABLE

“In years past, we haven’t done a very good job of keeping our team upbeat. We get down on ourselves really bad, we let outside voices drag us down from the level that we can play at,” Braegger said. “And so I think that is our main goal that we’re trying to work on, is keeping our team confidence, staying humble. But we gotta know that we can compete with any of the teams out there.”

FACTS AND FIGURES

2022 season: 3-8, 1-4 Region 11. It was a building/transitional year with Waite in his first year in charge. The Bears struggled to find an identity, but the three wins were an improvement over 2021’s winless season.

2023 strength of schedule: 62-55 (.530)

Returning starters: 8 offense, 8 defense

Strength/Weakness: Experience and talent in the skill positions./Depth and size.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Owen Olsen, SR., QB: Olsen started at quarterback the final three games last season, one of which was a 34-31 win over Salem Hills where he threw four touchdowns. Waite said Olsen is extremely competitive and has a good arm.

Tyson Braegger, SR., LB/TE: Braegger is the team’s defensive leader at middle linebacker and last year as a junior was voted as a team captain. He made 78 tackles with seven tackles for loss, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.

Jace Roberts, SR., WR: The leading returning receiver and Olsen’s go-to target. Waite said the team is going to find ways to get Roberts the ball.

Talon Marble, SR., WR/S: Marble caught six touchdowns in six games last year, broke a bone in his hand, still played safety the rest of the year with a “club” cast on it and still managed an interception against Salem Hills.

Tydon “Cup” Jones, JR., RB/LB: Remember running back Kace “Bucket” Jones from a few years ago? They call Tydon “Cup” because he’s Kace’s little brother. But at about 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, “Barrel” might be the better nickname. Ask the Bear River players who’s poised for a breakout season this year, they point to Tydon Jones.

Nixon Weston, SR., OL: Weston was a move-in from Idaho last year and is one of Bear River’s top linemen. He’s moving from tackle to guard this year.

Aiden Wilson, SR., DL: Wilson made 10 sacks at defensive end last year despite, according to Waite, not learning the D-end position until the week of the Bears’ season-opener.

DID YOU KNOW?

Bear River will face Carbon (Sept. 1) for the first time in school history. BR started playing football in 1922, while Carbon started in 1912.

That those two schools have never played until this year might be surprising, but they’ve both been in different classifications for decades — Bear River has about 1,200 students while Carbon’s around 750 — and they’re a couple hundred miles apart.

The Bears will also face Eagle Mountain school Cedar Valley High (Aug. 11) for the first time in school history, which isn’t a huge surprise since CV only opened in 2019. During that game (and for the whole season), Cedar Valley’s players will wear helmet decals recognizing one of their seniors, Joe Lomu, who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in January.

Bear River was 3-1 in games last year when it scored 30-plus points and 0-7 when it scored 15 or less. Interestingly, the Bears didn’t score in the 20s at all last season.

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN

The only saving grace of the early non-region schedule is three of the first four games are at home, because otherwise, Bear River’s in for a tough opening.

The Bears face 5A Cedar Valley, which went 8-4 last year, before heading to defending 3A champion Morgan, hosting Box Elder and hosting Carbon.

The first three teams will likely be bigger and deeper than Bear River, with Carbon being the closest to a “winnable” game.

BR hits the road for four of its final five games, including against region favorites Sky View and Ridgeline. The Bears lost twice to Mountain Crest last year and draw the Mustangs at home.

SCHEDULE

All games 7 p.m.

Aug. 11: Cedar Valley

Aug. 18: at Morgan

Aug. 25: Box Elder

Sept. 1: Carbon

Sept. 8: Logan*

Sept. 15: at Sky View*

Sept: 22: at Green Canyon*

Sept: 29: Mountain Crest*

Oct. 6: at Ridgeline*

Oct. 13: at Salem Hills

* — Denotes Region 11 game

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