High school football: Viewmont Vikings 2009 preview

BOUNTIFUL — Brad Lloyd waited more than two decades to be a head coach after working as an assistant football coach at West High and Bountiful High.

Lloyd finally got his shot to run a program when Viewmont hired him as head coach during the winter, and he couldn't have asked for a better situation.

The Vikings are loaded, and expected to be Region 1 title contenders this season. Viewmont returns five starters on each side of the ball and is blessed with great overall team speed.

Lloyd also has four other head coaches at the school - Jeff Emery (basketball), Roger Farnsworth (baseball), Brandon Ripplinger (wrestling) and Thal Wright (track and field) on his staff.

"It's going good," Lloyd said. "Our attitude's been awesome, our effort has been great. We're in the honeymoon period."

Lloyd knows he'll have to earn more wins than losses to stay in good graces with the Viewmont community.

Fortunately, the Vikings look poised to have a big season and have the ability to make some noise in the playoffs for the first time in a long time. Leading the way for Viewmont is a solid group of linemen who bring some size and speed to their positions.

Both the Vikings' offensive and defensive lines will be anchored by Cole Jones, who stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 250 pounds, and J.R. Nemelka, who is 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds. They are respected by their teammates, who follow their lead in how hard they work.

With a new head coach, most of the starting positions at Viewmont are open. Two seniors — Brennon Flannery and Jeremy Lieber — are competing to be the starting quarterback.

"We have some kids that had good varsity experience," Lloyd said. "It's all wide open with the new guy here. Everybody is just vying for a spot. They all have to earn a spot."

That includes Flannery and Lieber. Flannery has quite the edge in size, as he's about 6 inches taller than Lieber. But the two have been battling it out and were about even in the competition before two-a-days began.

"They've both been working hard and doing great," Lloyd said.

Whoever wins the starting job will have some great playmakers around him. Austin Cheney, a move-in from Idaho, will play running back and defensive back and is a hard hitter. Fullback Garrett Bushman will also be a big asset in the running game.