Fremont football preview: Can Nate Tuatagaloa flip the Silverwolves overnight?
Transfers, returning seniors fuel high expectations in 2024
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- Fremont’s Slade Parker (2) runs the ball as Bonneville’s Kaleb Cook pursues on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, in Washington Terrace.
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- Weber receiver Salesi Moa (8) runs with the football during a Region 1 football game against Layton on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022, in Layton. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Ben Lomond quarterback Manase Tuatagaloa (5) looks downfield against Kanab on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023, in Ogden.
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- Roy’s Rhett Slater (37) tries to hang on as Fremont’s Jace Hadley (19) moves upfield during a football game Friday, Aug. 19, 2022, at Roy High School. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
PLAIN CITY — After four consecutive losing seasons, Fremont took a bold step last December in seeking out Nate Tuatagaloa to revive a program that hardly resembles the four-time Region 1 champion Silverwolves of the 2010s.
Tuatagaloa, aiding Lyndon Johnson’s quest to restore football at Ben Lomond during the past three seasons, saw an opportunity to break ground on a program of his own, so to speak, when Clay Bayard sent in his resignation after going 6-17 in two seasons with the Silverwolves.
The former Ben Lomond staffer will assume offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach titles, with Ben Moa, father of highly touted Weber transfer Salesi Moa, brought in as defensive coordinator.
Asked about his staff, Tuatagaloa threw out high praise for his assistants and position coaches.
“When I came in here in January, I felt like I’d already been here for years already,” Tuatagloa said.
“The kids here are very disciplined and the way we practice everybody develops so it’s been really good to see. … We have a lot of good coaches who develop constantly here. I know everybody says it, but from a moral standpoint of coaching, I would say we have some of the best coaches in the state.”
Fremont (2-9, 1-4 Region 1 in 2023) saw two key roster shifts immediately following Tuatagaloa’s move. Tuatagaloa’s son, Manase, became the prime candidate for starting quarterback bringing nearly 3,000 passing yards and 30 touchdowns over from his sophomore season at Ben Lomond.
Next, the Silverwolves welcomed Weber transfer Salesi Moa, a 247 Sports four-star route runner holding several D-I offers in hand, to a receiver group already featuring returning starters Jace Hadley and Slade Parker.
There’s no doubt Fremont’s offense will look substantially different. Parker, throwing for more than 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns as the Silverwolves’ starter last fall, now shifts to receiver to allow one of his best friends, Manase, to place his own spin on the offense.
“I didn’t really love quarterback,” Parker said. “Then Manase came in and we’ve been best friends our whole life so it was good to have a good friend come in, and we’ve both played similar positions so it’s been great learning from him.”
Behind Manase, the Fremont’s rushing attack consists of junior Cade Hadley (25 carries, 117 yards) and senior Owen Simkins (9 carries, 6 yards) sharing the load. Both are expected to switch into defensive roles, coach Tuatagaloa said.
Tuatagaloa expected several gaps when inheriting Fremont’s defense, but slowly watched many of his questions answer themselves during 7-on-7 tournaments. Last season, the Silverwolves allowed opponents an average of 32.1 points per game.
Senior Brant Koford is set to return at middle linebacker after missing the majority of his junior year due to a collarbone injury sustained during Week 1. Seniors Nash Bailey (OLB), Krew Hassel (MLB/OLB), Ridge Lindley (DT), and Toplese Lelenoa (DT) gradually stood out throughout the summer.
One surprise for Tuatagaloa is senior tight end Zach Masters (TE/OLB), who’s mixing his abilities in at tackle and provides another set of eyes in specific packages. The linebacker Bailey said any support at the front gets a thumbs up from him.
“We want to support our D-line and make sure they get a push,” Bailey said. “The D-line’s going to stop the guards from getting to the linebackers. … I think a big part of it will be communicating our needs now.”
Elsewhere, Nate Tuatagaloa feels his secondary “hasn’t been challenged” enough heading into padded camp. Senior Parks Benson is arguably the most proven corner returning to a group of inexperienced defensive backs.
Tuatagaloa is still waiting to see how the Silverwolves problem-solve and handle conflict when official practices begin.
“During our scrimmage, we were fortunate to where we executed really well,” Tuatagaloa said. “It was pretty clear that we were headed in the right direction, meaning that we didn’t really reach adversity yet. I’m interested to see what it’s going to look like when they get hit in the face and it doesn’t come, because right now we’re riding this high.”
FREMONT NOTES
Last season: 2-9 (1-4 Region 1)
Head coach: Nate Tuatagaloa (First season at Fremont)
Players to watch:
- Salesi Moa, WR/SS, Junior; 56 receptions, 820 yards, 11 TDs (Weber High)
- Manase Tuatagaloa, Junior; 212 completions, 2,869 yards, 30 TDs (Ben Lomond)
- Slade Parker, S/QB/WR, Junior; 172 completions, 1,588 yards, 13 TDs
- Brant Koford, MLB/FB, Senior; 103 tackles, 47 solo tackles (2022)
- Cade Hadley, RB, Junior; 25 carries, 117 yards
- Krew Hassel, MLB/OLB, Senior; 88 tackles, 38 solo tackles
- Ridge Lindley, DT, Senior; 86 tackles, 40 solo tackles
- Jace Hadley, WR, Senior; 37 receptions, 337 yards, 6 TDs
- Nash Bailey, OLB, Senior; 58 tackles, 21 solo tackles
- Parks Benson, CB, Senior; 40 tackles, 24 solo tackles
2024 SCHEDULE
Aug. 16 – Mountain Ridge
Aug. 23 – @ Roy
Aug. 30 – Bonneville
Sept. 6 – Hunter
Sept. 13 – @ Cyprus
Sept. 20 – @ Layton*
Sept. 27 – Davis*
Oct. 4 – Syracuse*
Oct. 10 – Weber*
Oct. 16 – @ Farmington*
*Denotes Region 1 game.
Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly labeled Slade Parker as a senior instead of a junior. The Standard-Examiner regrets the error.
