Murray Spartans
On Aug. 13, the Deseret News published its preview of the Murray High School football team. Here is what was
written by reporter John Coon.
By any definition, last season played out in dismal fashion for the Murray football program.
The Spartans were rife with inexperience at several key positions and were breaking in a new head coach.
That's all it took to send Murray spiraling to one win and a last-place Region 6 finish.
No such problems exist this time around. With 19 returning starters, including 17 seniors, the Spartans might
be the region's most experienced team. And the seniors feel a sense of urgency to translate such advantages
into bigger and better things.
"They kind of have a little chip on their shoulder," second-year coach Dan Aragon said. "They didn't appreciate
last season either. This senior class has always been successful."
One reason why the seniors feel bent out of shape is that, in a lot of ways, last year was such an anomaly for
them. Moving through the ranks - from little league to sophomore football - they had become accustomed to
enjoying winning seasons.
Enduring a forgettable fall was an eye-opening experience on many levels.
"I didn't like losing every week," senior running back Brandt Anderson said. "The team's attitude was not very
good from the beginning."
Murray's quest to be more of a factor in Region 6 will start with improving the offense. The Spartans were shut
out by three consecutive opponents - Cottonwood, East and Cyprus - to open region play in 2007 and never
quite recovered.
By the end of the season, Murray averaged 7.9 points per game and allowed 32.2 - the worst point differential
in 4A.
"You would look at our scores and you would think that defensively we were horrible," Aragon said. "But it was
actually just the opposite. We could never get off the field, because our offense was constantly going
three-and-out."
So little offensive production forced the defense to work with a distinct disadvantage on field position. Things
should be more positive now that Murray has plenty of horses to power its run-oriented offense.
Anderson, Erik White and Tyler Prestwich are all expected to fill important roles in the backfield. With depth
at running back, Aragon expects the Spartans to have a much easier time holding onto the ball longer and
keeping scores more manageable.
Depth should also be a bonus at linebacker with many backs also slated to contribute there. Murray hopes to
use their speed and athleticism to its advantage by putting more pressure on the ball and forcing more
turnovers.
The Spartans are gambling on speed becoming a tool they can use to throw off opposing offenses.
"(Last year) instead of making the offense try to guess what we were doing, we had to try to guess what the
offense was doing," White said. "(Now) instead of us playing to them, they have to play us this year."
Murray got an early confidence boost after stringing together solid performances against Alta and American
Fork in 7-on-7 competitions at Snow College. Potential for building on it exists with a favorable early schedule.
The Spartans' toughest opponent - defending 3A champion Logan - will travel to their stadium in the season
opener.
On Aug. 13, the Deseret News published its preview of the Murray High School football team. Here is what was
written by reporter John Coon.
By any definition, last season played out in dismal fashion for the Murray football program.
The Spartans were rife with inexperience at several key positions and were breaking in a new head coach.
That's all it took to send Murray spiraling to one win and a last-place Region 6 finish.
No such problems exist this time around. With 19 returning starters, including 17 seniors, the Spartans might
be the region's most experienced team. And the seniors feel a sense of urgency to translate such advantages
into bigger and better things.
"They kind of have a little chip on their shoulder," second-year coach Dan Aragon said. "They didn't appreciate
last season either. This senior class has always been successful."
One reason why the seniors feel bent out of shape is that, in a lot of ways, last year was such an anomaly for
them. Moving through the ranks - from little league to sophomore football - they had become accustomed to
enjoying winning seasons.
Enduring a forgettable fall was an eye-opening experience on many levels.
"I didn't like losing every week," senior running back Brandt Anderson said. "The team's attitude was not very
good from the beginning."
Murray's quest to be more of a factor in Region 6 will start with improving the offense. The Spartans were shut
out by three consecutive opponents - Cottonwood, East and Cyprus - to open region play in 2007 and never
quite recovered.
By the end of the season, Murray averaged 7.9 points per game and allowed 32.2 - the worst point differential
in 4A.
"You would look at our scores and you would think that defensively we were horrible," Aragon said. "But it was
actually just the opposite. We could never get off the field, because our offense was constantly going
three-and-out."
So little offensive production forced the defense to work with a distinct disadvantage on field position. Things
should be more positive now that Murray has plenty of horses to power its run-oriented offense.
Anderson, Erik White and Tyler Prestwich are all expected to fill important roles in the backfield. With depth
at running back, Aragon expects the Spartans to have a much easier time holding onto the ball longer and
keeping scores more manageable.
Depth should also be a bonus at linebacker with many backs also slated to contribute there. Murray hopes to
use their speed and athleticism to its advantage by putting more pressure on the ball and forcing more
turnovers.
The Spartans are gambling on speed becoming a tool they can use to throw off opposing offenses.
"(Last year) instead of making the offense try to guess what we were doing, we had to try to guess what the
offense was doing," White said. "(Now) instead of us playing to them, they have to play us this year."
Murray got an early confidence boost after stringing together solid performances against Alta and American
Fork in 7-on-7 competitions at Snow College. Potential for building on it exists with a favorable early schedule.
The Spartans' toughest opponent - defending 3A champion Logan - will travel to their stadium in the season
opener.
MatchupUT.com Phone: (801) 520-4330 Email: Bruce@matchupUT.com
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