With new recruits weekly, football a new experience for many at Ben Lomond High
New coach Smith enjoying bringing the game of football to first-time players
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- Ben Lomond football head coach Ty Smith, center left, huddles with players during a stoppage of play against South Summit on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in Ogden.
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- Ben Lomond’s Kale Ha’o (62) and Jaylen Milton (11) bring down a South Summit ball carrier on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in Ogden.
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- Ben Lomond’s Traeton Villasenor (16) begins a kickoff return with Kalani Serata (2) ahead to block in a game against South Summit on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in Ogden.
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- Ben Lomond quarterback Tristan Jessop (3) flips a ball over a South Summit defender intended for teammate Gavin Rivera (1) on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in Ogden.
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- Ben Lomond High’s offense readies for a snap against South Summit on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in Ogden.
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- Ben Lomond football head coach Ty Smith, right, coaches during a game Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in Ogden.
OGDEN — Waiting his turn, a blonde teenager stood on the sideline to introduce himself to Ty Smith, head football coach at Ben Lomond High School, after the Scots’ 48-0 loss to South Summit on Friday night.
A former wrestler, he said, and a junior at Ogden School District’s alternative Washington High who wants to play football for the first time.
Register online, get a physical and show up Monday after school, Smith told him.
Add another to the Ben Lomond roster.
After his postgame talk with the current Scots, Smith roamed around packs of students still mingling after the game. “Why aren’t you playing football?” and “Let’s get you out here,” said Smith — phrases he’s likely uttered dozens of times over the past six weeks.
“This is my first time in 20 years knocking on classroom doors and out in hallways trying to get kids to join,” said Smith, who came to Ogden from Mississippi.
Smith said the Scots suited up 28 players in the season opener Aug. 15 at Kearns. By Week 4 against South Summit, Ben Lomond had 40 players and dressed 38.
Smith called it unfortunate to take a 48-0 loss against a team like South Summit — experienced, good at every position, disciplined. But a large portion of Ben Lomond’s players are playing padded football for the first time.
“We go to Evanston and we’ve got seven kids starting on our defense who had never played varsity football and probably half of those had never played period,” Smith said. “One-third of our football team has never played football until this year.
“You know, it’s a task, but I’ve probably enjoyed coaching football more this year, in these few weeks, than I enjoyed the previous 20 because they are so green. … You want to win on Friday nights but our goal, honestly, is we’ve got to win each day to learn more about the game and improve the little things.”
Smith praised seniors like receiver/defensive back Gavin Rivera, quarterback Tristan Jessop, and lineman Gabriel Garcia for leading the locker room and trying to help spread the lessons of work ethic and grit.
“Some of these players, they work their tail off just to be able to play football, whether it was grades or attendance, or whatever the case may be. I couldn’t appreciate them more,” Smith said. “Tristan, he’d never played Friday night football before. I don’t think he got many reps in JV and he’s our starting quarterback. He’s just embraced it, and … his mindset is like he’s been playing for years.”
Rivera is an experienced player, having played for eight years, so he sees it as his job to lead.
“We have a heavy freshman class so I try to focus on trying to help out (underclassmen) and show an example of how to play football,” Rivera said.
He said he’s there because he has pride in representing Ben Lomond and saw how his older brother put in the work even when game results didn’t go his way. And it’s that work ethic he hopes his teammates are building.
“We just try to get better, not worry about the scoreboard and try to be the best we can be,” Rivera said. “When I was younger and watching older guys, they always pushed themselves to the brink of exhaustion. So I can keep pushing without giving up … and set that example.”
Smith wants that kind of determination to take his players places.
“If somebody’s trying to employ you — I will hire someone that is willing to fight and get better and never quit,” Smith said. “It’s the little things, the work ethic. That’s what we’re trying to instill in them. And they’re great kids.”
So far, Ben Lomond has lost three games by an average score of 50-4. But they’re not going to stop trying to improve, and opportunity knocks for the Scots as they host a similar Judge Memorial team this week. (Judge is 0-4 with an average score of 48-3 against 3A-sized schools.)
And that’s what Smith feels he has at Ben Lomond for players who want to learn the game and get on the field: opportunity. He pointed to lineman Ethan Zapata, who had never played football but now starts at left tackle.
“I’m hoping we can find a few more like that out in these middle schools and start getting kids here. It’s a great opportunity. It’s a perfect place for these middle school kids — Utah has these crazy eligibility rules where you can shop and go wherever — so if you’re a ninth grader who’s just been in the pack and fighting tooth and nail to get into games, be here. You’ve got a chance to play right away,” Smith said.
“You saw our guys, some of them look like they’re 13 years old trying to tackle these guys. But they give you everything they’ve got and as a coach, that’s all you can ask for.”
Smith says football is different for him this year.
“They’re teaching me so much about what it truly is to be a high school football coach,” he said. “Not put ourselves up on a pedestal and have this ego-driven thing of who we are, but truly giving back to kids and teaching the game of football.”
