Tuatagaloa, 17-7 in his first two seasons as head coach, led the Silverwolves to 9-3 this fall for the program’s first outright region title since 2016, and its first pair of back-to-back titles since 2011.

A tragic fourth-quarter collapse against then-No. 7 Brighton, clipping the No. 2 Silverwolves 27-14 in the 5A state quarterfinals, doesn’t detract from the fact that Fremont was sliding before Tuatagaloa’s arrival.

At Ben Lomond, Tuatagaloa helped former coach Lyndon Johnson produce the Scots’ first winning season in 23 years, as well as the team’s first home playoff game since 1983. The two-way playcaller was ready for his own challenge when the Fremont job emerged vacant in 2023.

“Once coach Nate got here, I realized you could laugh in football,” senior offensive lineman Cooper Allen said. “You can have times that’re light-hearted and still train hard. I think that’s something that changed my game so much, just being able to laugh.”

ISAAC FISHER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

An evolution in culture brought about Fremont’s best season in recent memory in 2024, followed by a largely familiar 2026 class that included five-star athlete Salesi Moa, quarterback Manase Tuatagaloa, receiver-safety Slade Parker, and leading rusher Cade Hadley.

Fremont opened its latest season 2-0 with wins over two of their tallest rivals: Weber and Davis.

Hadley’s 115 rushing yards for three touchdowns sunk Weber on the road, and a double-overtime thriller at Davis the next week kept the headlines rolling.

Cam Graves kicked his first PAT of the night for Fremont’s heroic 35-34 road win over Davis, which had seemingly staved off their opponent, trailing by two scores with 3:42 left in regulation.

“It’s down 14 with three minutes left, and their student section’s shouting ‘start the tractors,'” Parker said. “We scored in 20 seconds, onside kick, and got it back and scored again. They started storming the field, but we won.”

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

Fremont marched onward to finish the regular season 8-2 as the outright Region 5 champion (6-0), just one win above neighboring 9-3 Box Elder.

Ultimately, just two of the above group — Moa and Parker — were healthy enough to play in the state quarterfinals against Brighton. Manase Tuatagaloa suffered a late-game hand injury and didn’t return; Hadley, averaging nearly 100 rushing yards a night, went down with an injury in Week 8.

Despite taking a narrow 7-6 lead at the half, Fremont’s miscues snowballed through the remaining 24 minutes, and the loss of Manase Tuatagaloa, replaced by Calvin Cooper, proved the perfect tsunami.

“That (game), for me at least, was a reminder to take advantage of every opportunity you have,” Manase Tuatagaloa said. “You never know when it’s going to end like that.”

Unable to grip the football, Fremont turned to the backup Cooper, who provided a spark on his very first pass attempt — a 70-yard touchdown connection with Parker — followed by two interceptions.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

“When I say it’s our worst game, it’s our worst game,” Nate Tuatagaloa said. “It’s one of those going into next season that I have to make sure that it doesn’t happen again. These kids worked hard, and these guys told you to sum it up in one: it was a funeral. That’s what it felt like, because it was the end of an era.”

The loss sinks deep, considering the inroads made between Fremont’s 2025 captains during their senior season. Manase Tuatagaloa, Allen, Hadley, and Moa each spoke of an especially tight five months together, then hardly any contact at all following Fremont’s season-ending loss on Nov. 7.

The team’s postseason banquet, held earlier this week at the high school, was the first time the team gathered as a unit since that night.

“We’re all just all just bonded together for real,” Moa said. “Joking together, that’s how we become friends and like brothers. It’s a good environment.”

Moa, who flipped his commitment to Utah from Tennessee earlier this month, tallied 1,272 receiving yards for 17 touchdowns, as well as 57 total tackles at safety this season. He finished his prep career hauling in 44 receptions for 3,757 yards and 44 touchdowns at Fremont and Weber.

Moa’s brothers, Sione Moa and Aisea Moa, both linebackers, each made stops at BYU during their college careers. Their father, Ben Moa, played tight end at Utah, and later played for the Miami Dolphins.

Fremont’s Moa was named the Region MVP and received an invite to the 2026 Poynesian Bowl on Jan. 16, 2026, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

It’ll be the first time Moa, or any Silverwolf for that matter, touches the football field again since bringing their high school careers to an end. Some will play again in college, and others will leave their story in Plain City.

For guys like Parker, responsible for more than 4,142 career yards through the air both as a receiver and a passer, stepping away from high school ball isn’t an overnight process. There is no quick remedy.

“It was a habit for three months to stay after school and head to football or head to film,” Parker said. “It took a while to get used to, and we weren’t in football class anymore, so we weren’t lifting together every day either. It took me, personally, like a month to finally adapt (and) let football go.”

It has an effect on coaches, too.

Should Nate Tuatagaloa return to Fremont in 2026, he’ll be guiding his third son, linebacker Aisa Tuatagaloa, currently a sophomore. Aisa’s older siblings, Manase and Aunese, each played for their father at Ben Lomond (Aunese graduated in 2024; Manase transferred to Fremont as a junior).

“It does put mileage on me,” Nate Tuatagaloa said.

“I swear, I should be looking like I’m (30), but because of coaching, I look like I’m 42. The thing about it is, if it wasn’t for the coaching, I wouldn’t see my kids. These guys are very close with their dads, but I see them more than their dads during the season. For me, it’s a lot of mileage, but at the same time, I know these are moments I can’t get back.”

Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.