This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
With only 18 seniors on the roster, a young Kearns High School football team has embarked — with mixed success — on a journey coaches and players hope will lead it back to the playoffs.
It won't be easy. Along the way the Cougars must deal with the likes of Riverton, Herriman and West Jordan. Then there's national powerhouse Bingham, which is 3-0 and has shown few, if any, weaknesses.
The Cougars jumped head-first into Region 3 play last week against Riverton, which steamrolled Kearns in a 40-18 rout.
Even with the loss, in which Kearns' senior quarterback J.R. Finai said the Cougars could have played better on both sides of the ball, the attitude surrounding the Kearns football team is optimism.
"It comes down to just being able to play one game at a time," Finai said two days after the loss to Riverton. "We're just excited for the remainder of our season. We'll just take it one game at a time and we'll take it from there."
On a team stacked with talented youngsters who will be the bedrock of the program for years to come, it's easy to look to the future and see success.
So far, Kearns coach Bill Cosper said his team is making rapid progress, one practice and one game at a time.
"They're just getting better and better each game," he said. "It's still a young team. I think we're as talented as anybody, it's just a matter of … being able to handle adversity, and I think a lot of that comes with maturity."
Kearns' relative youth might well have played a large role in the Cougars' two losses.
Against Riverton, a wobbly Kearns defense allowed the Silverwolves to rack up 513 yards of offense — much of which materialized on big running plays.
Among other scores, Riverton reached the end zone on runs of 57, 52 and 97 yards.
Two Finai interceptions didn't help matters. Offensively, though, the quarterback was Kearns' greatest weapon. He scored two rushing touchdowns, one from 37 yards out, and threw for 138 yards.
In Kearns' other loss, which came in the season opener against Hunter, the Cougars turned the ball over three times inside their own 30-yard line, giving Hunter all it needed to notch a 24-7 win.
"That ended up costing us, turning the ball over," Cosper said. "That cost us basically all three touchdowns."
But when Kearns can take care of the ball and stifle the defense, it can be an offensive meat grinder. The Cougars rebounded from the opening loss against Hunter with a 35-6 win over Cyprus, followed a week later with a 45-0 rout of Granger.
"I think we probably could have scored more last week," Cosper said of the game against Granger, in which the Cougars went up 38-0 at the half.
As much as Finai was looking forward to the game against Riverton, he seemed to have swept the loss behind him, chalking it up to experience.
Peter Malaga, a junior linebacker who leads the Kearns defense, is also looking forward to Friday, when the Cougars face winless Taylorsville. "We have a few things to work on here and there," Malaga said, noting, "We'll be ready for Taylorsville."
But beyond Taylorsville, Cosper said the goal is to put up a fight against the region's toughest teams, including Bingham.
"We expect good things this year," he said. "I think if we do what we're supposed to we'll be fine. We have a bunch of hard-working young men that are getting better and better every day. It's just a great group of kids to coach."
Finai echoed this sentiment, saying the young Cougars are rising to the challenge and will continue to adapt as the season progresses. "I feel comfortable with the group of guys that we have," he said. "I feel very confident with what we can do." —
Kearns football
The inexperienced Kearns Cougars have embarked on a quest to reach the playoffs with only 18 seniors on their roster.
When Kearns fails to take care of the ball, it loses. During a season-opening loss to Hunter, the Cougars were their own worst enemy, turning the ball over three times within their own 30-yard line. Against Riverton, Kearns suffered two interceptions and gave up massive running plays, losing 40-18.
When Kearns takes care of the ball, it wins. The Cougars beat Cyprus 35-6 with no turnovers.