Ben Lomond football preview: New and old faces piecing together Scots’ new-look offense
Johnson said Scots will hang their hat on seasoned O-line
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- Ben Lomond junior Duepree Steward scores a touchdown during a 7s scrimmage with Ben Lomond, Clearfield and West Field on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, at Ogden High School.
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- Ben Lomond head football coach Lyndon Johnson walks his group through a drill during a summer practice on Thursday, June 14, 2024, at Ben Lomond High School in Ogden.
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- Ben Lomond seniors Kayden Lopez (left) and Jett Adams (right) celebrate a touchdown during a 7s scrimmage with Ben Lomond, Clearfield and West Field on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, at Ogden High School.
OGDEN — Lyndon Johnson undoubtedly fielded the best team of his career at Ben Lomond last fall, but this offseason brought a new bag of tricks.
The Scots, preparing for a sixth season under Johnson following a 6-5 (3-2 3A North) finish a year ago, lost a valuable coaching asset in December when Nate Tuatagaloa signed on for the Fremont head coaching job after three seasons in Ogden.
As a result, the unavoidable gap in the Scots’ offense this season will be the loss of junior quarterback Manase Tuatagaloa. Following his father to Fremont, Tuatagloa was a force in 3A last season completing 212 passes for 2,869 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2023.
Leading rusher Charlie Thornblad and receiver Hunter Christensen are also out the door — as is lineman Jake East, the 2023 Standard-Examiner All-Area Player of the Year, to graduation — which makes Johnson’s task of replacing nearly 3,000 yards of offense that much harder.
The most positive news for Ben Lomond is the depth found in the trenches, specifically the offensive line with senior Kaden Lopez (LT), junior Kaden Nolasco (RT) and Nick Ramirez (RG) back on the front lines.
“With our O-line as our strength, we feel like we have a chance,” Johnson said.
“What’s been the biggest challenge with all the new skill guys is every guy’s new. Quarterback, running back, receiver, tight end — everybody. We’re running an entirely different offensive scheme, so that’s new. We’re trying to implement all that stuff, so there’s a lot of work to be done before we get to camp on July 29.”
Another obstacle: summer jobs and commitments. Those forced Johnson to move practices into the evening this offseason. It’s still tough, Johnson said, with as many as 10 students per practice missing due to their work schedules.
Johnson still feels the Scots have the pieces to improve this fall with Weber High transfer Jett Adams (RB/MLB) and Alexander Guiterrez (SS/RB) joining the leadership circle.
Ben Lomond’s coach is mightily optimistic about junior quarterback Jaxon Espinoza, who won the job after mostly playing receiver and free safety last season. The Scots’ new starter recorded just one completion for 12 yards as a sophomore.
“We try to do as many 7-on-7s as we can,” Johnson said. “We try to watch as much film as we can and make sure (Espinoza) understands exactly what we’re doing and not trying to do too many things to limit what we’re doing.”
On defense, the Scots have a fraction of the experience from a squad that held opponents to an average of 9.0 points during the last five weeks of the 2023 campaign. The team’s five leading tacklers have all graduated and left large shoes to fill in the process.
Lopez, recording 23 tackles as a junior last season, has been watching the linebacker’s room take shape this summer. The senior veteran has been most impressed by returning junior Duepree Steward and hopes to see more names emerge by August.
“(Steward)’s going to have to step up a lot more,” Lopez said. “He’s been stepping up a lot more that I’ve seen. He’s there doing the reps and trying to get better. … One of the biggest challenges is just adjusting with the new players and coaches and everything.”
Regrouping from a coaching staff shakeup is never easy, and Johnson acknowledged the upcoming season will test them on all levels. The Scots aren’t shying away, either.
“They’re really coachable, they want to succeed and they want to get better,” Johnson said. “It’s been a really fun group to coach because of those things.”
Padded camp begins Monday.
BEN LOMOND NOTES
Last season: 6-5 (3-2 3A North)
Head coach: Lyndon Johnson (Sixth at Ben Lomond)
Players to watch:
• Jett Adams, RB/MLB, Senior; 12 carries, 44 yards (Weber)
• Kaden Lopez, T/MLB, Senior; 23 tackles, 15 solo tackles
• Jaxon Espinoza, QB/WR/FS, Junior; 1 completion, 12 yards
• Duepree Steward, MLB/RB, Junior; 1 tackle, 1 solo tackle
• Nick Ramirez, DT/G, Senior
• Alexander Gutierrez, SS/RB, Senior
2024 SCHEDULE
Aug. 16 – @ Kanab
Aug. 23 – @ Mountain View
Aug. 30 – Evanston (Wyoming)
Sept. 6 – Canyon View
Sept. 13 – @ American Leadership
Sept. 20 – Grantsville*
Sept. 27 – Morgan*
Oct. 4 – @ Union*
Oct. 11 – Juan Diego Catholic*
Oct. 17 – @ Ogden*
*Denotes 3A North game.
Connect with preps reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.
