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Cottonwood Heights Journal

Olympus football looking to get back to the playoffs after tough exit last year

Aug 29, 2017 09:03AM ● By Jana Klopsch

The Olympus football team has been working tirelessly this summer to have another shot in the playoffs this year. (Aaron Whitehead/courtesy)

By Jesse Sindelar | [email protected]

For the Olympus football team, last year’s frustrating playoff exit is still fresh on the mind. The team had a close loss to Box Elder in overtime in the first round of last year’s playoffs.

“We needed to do a better job prepping the team for playoffs. We weren’t really ready to go, we missed assignments, we had opportunities,” said head coach Aaron Whitehead.

But for the head coach in his seventh year, after having served the team for two years as the offensive coordinator, the playoffs are the farthest thing from his mind. “Right now, we aren’t focused on the playoffs — we are focused on Cottonwood, our first preseason game,” Whitehead said.

The team has been working hard to fix the problems that pushed them out of last year’s playoffs. 

“These kids have really bought into the off-season program. They look sharp and they are hungry to play,” Whitehead said.

However, this season will be a little harder than last. After going undefeated in region play last season, the region has changed up a little and now Lehi and Highland, two of the top contenders in the state, will be in the same region as the Olympus team. “It will be a tougher road, no doubt, but at the same time, it’s a tremendous opportunity. To be the best, you need to play the best, and we can learn from our successes and failures,” Whitehead said.

The Olympus team has a tough preseason ahead, thanks to Whitehead. The team will play Cottonwood, Brighton and Kearns. “We tried to put a challenging preseason together, so we are firing on all cylinders once we hit region play,” Whitehead said.

The team has an impressive resume of players committed to D1 programs, like BYU and Alabama. “We have a talented group, with a couple players committed to some impressive D1 programs. We have a really good kicker in Tony Fulger, probably the top kicker in the state. We also have players stepping up too, chomping at the bit to play in our season opener against Cottonwood,” Whitehead said.

With a competitive team pushing themselves to perform better, Whitehead is excited for the season and another opportunity to work with these players. “We are so lucky to work with these kids. They never cease to amaze me, and I am really excited to see them play,” Whitehead said.

After a frustrating exit to last year’s playoffs, the Olympus football team is looking to get another shot at a playoff run this year. While the road might be harder than last year, the team seems excited and dedicated to use their previous playoff experience to make a genuine run this season.