High school football: Region 12 preview - New lineup brings an interesting blast from past

There is a good reason Region 12 has such a familiar feel to it. The realignment process, which created the region, in effect brought the past into the present.

If it were possible to turn back the clock by a couple of decades, you would discover that Manti, Juab, Emery, Delta, North Sanpete and Richfield once shared a region when all were still 2A schools. For coaches in the region, it feels like a time capsule was unearthed and the rediscovered contents are being presented to them.

"I love our region," Delta coach Russ Henrie said. "What they've done makes good sense. It's fun to have Juab, Richfield and Manti in our region. That's how it used to be for a lot of years, and we had great rivalries with these small-town schools. I look forward to getting these rivalries going again."

Enthusiasm about the new region in Delta will not diminish if the Rabbits live up to preseason expectations. Inexperience is an issue for Delta, with a total of four starters back from last year's squad that reached the 3A quarterfinals. Still, it shouldn't make a major impact on the Rabbits' fortunes. A 34-year streak of reaching the state playoffs serves as ample evidence that Delta has more than enough talent to draw on to fill holes on the roster.

Manti is expected to be the team most likely to challenge the Rabbits for region supremacy. The Templars came tantalizingly close to claiming the 2A crown a year ago and return several key players from that team — including leading tackler Zach Brown and their No. 2 rusher, Russell Hugentobler.

Moving up to 3A is looked upon as the perfect avenue for Manti to undertake a fresh start and eradicate the memories of last season's painful finish. Templars coach Cole Meachem expects a smooth transition from 2A, given the familiarity his team already has with many of their region opponents.

"It will be fun to get back in our county rivalry with North Sanpete," Meachem said. "We're glad that Juab is still in our region. Now rather than playing a preseason game with Richfield, we'll be playing a region game with them each year."

Juab, another first-year 3A school, also could make a push for the top spot. The Wasps put together a perfect regular season last fall, only to come up short against eventual 2A champ North Summit in the semifinals. Juab could endure a tougher transition to 3A than Manti, though, since every experienced running back from last year's team graduated in the spring. The return of junior quarterback Brock Orme and starting linemen Jake Bradford and Tyler Whitlock should keep the offense from being a total rebuilding project.