Stansbury High starts new football program

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2009, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Starting a new football program means a new stadium, fresh grass on the field, unworn jerseys, new cheerleaders and of course new players and coaches.

For Stansbury High School's team, students and parents, they got to experience all of these this past Friday night, but they also got the feeling of a community, as the home stands were packed, and the track around the field was full of new students, eager to watch the Stallions' first-ever varsity football game.

Granted the Stallions played an intra-squad scrimmage game the previous Friday, but this time it was the real thing, with an opponent who was also introducing its football team to Utah for the first time as well.

When Stansbury booted the opening kickoff to Maple Mountain, it was the first time since 1925 that two new football programs had met in an inaugural game, and only the eighth time in Utah history.

Said Stansbury head coach Clint Christiansen, "Oh man, did it feel good to get out there and bust heads against another team, instead of the daily practices against ourselves."

One of the people responsible for all the action and history taking place was Stansbury High Principal Randall Topham. For Topham, seeing the stands full of the team's blue and black colors was a source of pride and excitement.

"We expected a decent turnout, but it seems like all of Stansbury Park is here tonight. " Said Topham, "Hopefully it stays this way for a number of years to come."

You could see the eagerness in the new cheerleading squad as well, as it was their first time performing as a group in public. Said senior cheerleader Brittani Stewart, "To see this kind of turnout from our fans is really cool and to get a win tonight was just great."

Not to be lost in the newness of it all are the Stallion football players. For at least one night they looked like juggernauts, rolling to an easy 35-7 victory over Maple Mountain.

Their offensive line was dominant, opening one big hole after another, paving the way for the Stallion rushers to gain more than 240 yards on the ground. Hitting those holes for Stansbury was fullback EJ Jones, running back Payeton Reed, and QB Garreth Anderson.

For one night Stansbury was as good as Alta, Pleasant Grove and Bingham. Granted they have a whole season to play, and their depth is less than some of those aforementioned teams, but if their O-line continues to play as well as it did Friday, the Stallions should be a force to be reckoned with this season.