Sanpete County high school football opens 2026 with championship aspirations

3A – Manti Templars/North Sanpete Hawks

MANTI—In the world of 3A high school football in Sanpete County, one program is trying to take the next step. The other is determined to stay at the top.

That was the message as North Sanpete and Manti took the stage during the annual 3A Football Media Day, hosted by Robert Lovell and sponsored by Mid-Utah Radio and CentraCom’s TeamHive Live, as the 3A rivals looked ahead to the 2026 season.

For North Sanpete coach Dave Peck, entering his second season at the helm, the biggest difference isn’t found in the playbook.

Rather, it’s in the culture.

After guiding the Hawks to a 7-5 record and a quarterfinal appearance last season, Peck said the program has made significant strides through accountability and leadership.

“We’re really big into culture,” Peck said. “We believe that culture is everything.”

Peck said the team’s offseason has been built around doing the little things correctly, from weight room participation to keeping the locker room clean. He credits his senior class for embracing those expectations and helping move the program forward faster than anticipated.

“I feel like we’re definitely way further ahead at this point than we were a year ago,” Peck said.

That confidence has filtered down to the players.

Quarterback Luke Lee, who steps into the full-time starting role after filling in at several positions last season, said the Hawks are ready to put months of work on display when they open the season.

“I think the offense is doing pretty good right now,” Lee said. “Just go out and play your hardest every single down.”

Offensive lineman JT Holt believes the team’s younger players have bought into Peck’s message, giving North Sanpete increased depth in the trenches.

“They’ve been putting in the work,” Holt said. “They’ve been listening. They’ve been hitting the weights. I’m excited to go battle with these younger guys.”

Defensively, outside linebacker Milo Hendry said the Hawks’ emphasis has been simple.

“Everybody’s flying around,” he said. “We’re getting 11 people to the ball.”

The optimism extends beyond simply qualifying for the postseason.

Defensive back Chaetton Osborne said the Hawks believe they can contend with anyone in Class 3A.

“I feel like we can make it to the Final Four and even to the state championship this year,” Osborne said.

Just down the road, Manti enters the season with different expectations.

The Templars are coming off a 9-4 campaign that ended with a runner-up finish in the 3A state championship game, but coach Fred Taukeiaho said his team’s approach hasn’t changed.

“I think it’s just the same approach that we’ve taken,” Taukeiaho said. “Get a strong schedule and put it out there and let us do our best to see where we land.”

Quarterback Kingston Wright inherits the offense after last year’s graduation losses and said his goal is to continue the standard established before him while developing into his own player.

Coach Taukeiaho offered simple advice.

“The biggest thing that I expect from him is to be himself,” he said. “Be ‘King.’”

The Templars also expect their physical identity to remain intact.

“We like to get after it,” linebacker Tevon Vakautakakala said. “We really emphasize being the dark side.”

Defensive back Isaiah Wright said the secondary has embraced that mentality as well.

“We’ve got a bunch of ball hawks at DB,” he said. “They fly around. They hit hard.”

Taukeiaho expects another rugged season in the always-competitive 3A South Region, where programs continue to reload each year rather than rebuild.

While North Sanpete is focused on building a championship culture and Manti is working to return to the state title game, both programs share one common goal: being at their best when region play begins.

And when the rivals meet Oct. 2 in Manti, the annual Sanpete County showdown could once again carry major postseason implications.

1A – Gunnison Valley Bulldogs

Experience is no longer something Gunnison Valley is waiting to develop.

Now, the Bulldogs are expecting it to produce results.

That was the message from coach Austin Jackson and his players during the annual 1A Football Media Day, hosted by Robert Lovell and sponsored by Mid-Utah Radio and CentraCom’s TeamHive Live, as Gunnison Valley looked ahead to the 2026 season.

After finishing 4-7 a year ago and advancing to the 1A quarterfinals before falling to eventual state champion Kanab, the Bulldogs return one of their most experienced groups since Jackson took over the program.

“Our expectations are really high,” Jackson said. “A lot of these guys have been starting since they were sophomores.”

Jackson said that experience began paying dividends last season as the Bulldogs took a step forward, but he believes this year’s team has gone even further by fully embracing the program’s culture and expectations.

“This group has actually bought in a lot,” he said. “Basically, total buy-in.”

That confidence starts with quarterback Kyle Keith, who steps into a larger leadership role after earning the position during the offseason.

Keith said the Bulldogs return a talented group around him, giving the offense an opportunity to become more explosive than in recent years.

“We have a really good receiving core and a solid line,” Keith said. “We have a lot of returners, so I think if I do my job well, we’ll have a good offense. We should hopefully score a lot more touchdowns than we have in the past.”

Jackson said Keith’s growth has been just as noticeable away from the stat sheet.

“One of the biggest things that I’ve seen from Kyle … is just leadership,” Jackson said. “He wanted to earn the position, and he’s done just that.”

The Bulldogs also return an experienced offensive line, a group Wrigley Crouch believes will provide a foundation for success despite replacing standout lineman Tyrus Roberts.

“I would say it’s functioning pretty good,” Crouch said. “It’s looking really solid.”

Running back and defensive lineman Max Mower echoed that confidence on the defensive side, saying every position group has shown improvement throughout camp.

“It looks completely solid,” Mower said. “Linebackers, D-line and corners.”

While talent and experience have the Bulldogs optimistic, Jackson believes the biggest difference between this year’s team and previous squads has been accountability.

Rather than relying on coaches to set the standard, he said the players have begun policing themselves.

“In my experience, that’s when teams kind of take the next step,” Jackson said. “The accountability is player-driven instead of the coaches always coming down on the kids.”

Senior Heston Winters agreed that the Bulldogs are still growing together but believes the foundation is in place.

“I think we need to come together a little bit more as a team, as brothers,” Winters said. “But other than that, I think we’re going to be solid.”

The players already have several games circled on the schedule, particularly a homecoming matchup with North Sevier, while Winters admitted he’d also like another opportunity against defending state champion Kanab after last year’s playoff loss.