High School Football: Woods Cross Wildcats 2009 preview

WOODS CROSS — Trying to shake off a reputation can be a tough thing to do. For Woods Cross, one of the largest frustrations in recent seasons has centered on attempting to make a leap from region doormat to competitive football team.

A return to Region 6 would seem to offer the Wildcats a fresh chance to turn the page and draw up a new playbook. Woods Cross doesn't want to be the type of opponent everyone likes to schedule for a homecoming game. The Wildcats want to be a team other teams dread facing on Friday nights.

"It would mean everything to bring this program out of the obscurity it has been in for the past while," junior quarterback Tyler Parson said.

Such a wish might come true more easily this season than in times past, simply because Woods Cross has the right tools and the right mentality to move up a level in its new region.

The Wildcats return several starters on their offensive line and among their linebackers. They also offer potential at other positions ranging from the backfield to the secondary. It is enough for both players and coaches to feel confident the program's long-awaited breakthrough moment is finally on the horizon.

"For the first two years, I thought we made progress, but it wasn't quite as accelerated as I wanted it," Woods Cross head coach Fred Fernandes said. "But it was progress and all the efforts will show this year. I'm really excited going into this year and I think we'll have a real successful football season."

What excites the veteran coach the most is the attitude he has seen from the group as a whole. Over the offseason, the lights switched on in the minds of many players, he said. Instead of just going through the motions, they began to exert greater effort to improve their strength and conditioning.

Because of their day-to-day commitment, Fernandes is convinced this team is better positioned for success than the ones that preceded them.

"There's a clear difference in my third year here between this team and any other team I've been involved with here," Fernandes said. "There's a much higher focus, there's a much higher commitment and a much a higher work ethic. They've made the deposit all summer long and all offseason."

Things are set up for good things to happen on both sides of the ball.