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Roy • It took awhile, but Roy's second most-famous football player finally made it back home.
And it's been a case of hometown boy makes good, as Fred Fernandes, Class of 1979, coached the Royals to their first undefeated regular season since 1975 and made a ticket to Roy football one of the hottest in town.
By beating Orem 55-14 Friday, the Royals did something that 1975 team couldn't do — win a state tournament game. It was the Royals' first such win since 1983.
Fernandes certainly isn't as well-known as former BYU and NFL quarterback Jim McMahon, who graduated from Roy in 1976, had his No. 9 jersey retired and still comes back often to help raise money for his alma mater.
But, as a top running back for Utah State in the early '80s and as a coach with stops at Morgan, Fremont, Northridge, Weber State and Woods Cross, Fernandes is a well-known Beehive State football fixture.
After a stint traveling the country, selling a football training blocking device called the Decleater, and one year as Ron McBride's running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at Weber State, Fernandes spent four years at Woods Cross. That program, also one of the top 4A teams in the state this season, was just starting to build toward success when Roy athletic director Mike Puzey and principal Gina Buttars approached him to return to his alma mater as head coach.
"I thought that's where I wanted to stay," said Fernandes about Woods Cross. "We were coming off our second winning season in a row after not having a winning season for 20 years. But Gina and Mike let me know what they saw at Roy and how I could help to make what they saw come to be. I was really happy [at Woods Cross] and didn't think I wanted to leave. Roy was down. But something clicked, so I decided to interview for the job."
What Fernandes found in 2011 was a Roy team that had little strength. Only one lineman could bench-press his weight, and he had a couple who could not bench-press 100 pounds.
What he also found was a community that supported its high school team even when it was losing games. Now that the Royals are winning, Puzey said finding a seat to a game can be challenging. The demand was so great for the region championship game against Sky View that Puzey brought in extra bleachers to place in the end zone. He estimated that there were as many as 7,500 people at the game. Lawn signs all over town supported the Royals.
Roy fans like to come in early the day before a night game and reserve bleacher seats by placing blankets on them. That was getting out of control, so Puzey told fans for the Sky View game that the stadium would open at 6 a.m. They would be allowed to save seats in two sections. The line at 6 a.m. stretched several blocks, and all the seats were reserved by 7:15 a.m.
When Roy staged an improbable fourth-quarter rally by utilizing a successful onside kick and scoring twice in less than a minute, fans stormed the field as fireworks exploded overhead.
Fernandes was so caught up in the moment, he didn't even notice the fireworks.
Leading the way was Roy quarterback Tyler Skidmore, a four-year starter who might not get the notice that Jordan's Austin Kafentzis, Timpview's Britain Covey, Bingham's Kyle Gearig or Pine View's Kody Wilstead do, but he may be every bit as good.
"Skid came in with a down team," recalled Fernandes. "I have watched these kids build with him. Skid walked into the building at 5-foot-11, 150 pounds. He is now 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds. He has put on 60 pounds of muscle. I've watched linemen do the exact same thing as he did. He doesn't make mistakes. He's thrown only three interceptions this year, and two bounced off receivers' helmets. He's only had one bad throw. He is leading the state in quarterback rating."
Nate Jones, who plays both offense and defense, also started for Fernandes as a freshman. Cody Hobbs, another strong offensive threat for the Royals, is a three-year starter.
"I put together a good coaching staff, guys who believe in the weight room and really organized practice schedules," said Fernandes of his team's improvement. "Eric Jones, our defensive coordinator, is brilliant. He is a level-four math teacher who amazes us. The football kids are all passing math."
Puzey has nothing but praise for Fernandes.
"Before Fred took over, people said Roy football can't be turned," said the athletic director. "He's turned it. He is an advocate for kids in practice situations and in the classroom. You ought to see how he is in the hallway. He is a natural builder and recruiter of kids, who challenges them and gets everything possible out of them."
Fernandes seems pleased with his team's progress.
"It's been a special season," he said. "We've ramped everything up a little. The community has been starving for a successful team and has supported the school through rain or shine. It's nice to have a product to bring them out."
Twitter: @tribtomwharton —
Prep football playoffs
Class 5A
Saturday's game
• American Fork 42, Hillcrest 13
Quarterfinals, Nov. 7-8
• Riverton at Fremont
• Herriman at Bingham
• Brighton at Hunter
• Jordan at American Fork
Class 4A
Saturday's game
• Woods Cross 37, Maple Mountain 7
Quarterfinals, Nov. 7-8
• Springville at Corner Canyon
• Salem Hills at Roy
• Sky View at Timpview
• Skyline at Woods Cross
Class 3AA
Quarterfinals, Nov. 7-8
• Dixie at Stansbury
• Cedar City at Pine View
• Bear River at Desert Hills
• Hurricane at Juan Diego
Class 3A
Saturday's game
• Union 19, North Sanpete 15
Semifinals
At Weber State
Nov. 7
• Manti vs. Judge, 4 p.m.
Nov. 8
• Juab vs. Union, 4 p.m.
Class 2A
Saturday's game
• South Sevier 14, North Summit 6
Semifinals
At Weber State
Nov. 7
• South Summit vs. South Sevier, 11 a.m.
Nov. 8
• San Juan vs. Summit Academy, 1:30 p.m.
Class 1A
• Kanab 27, Duchesne 21
Semifinals, Nov. 8
At Weber State
• Rich vs. Monticello, 11 a.m.
• Diamond Ranch vs. Kanab, 1:30 p.m.