After steamrolling its way to a fifth straight 2A state championship in 2025, expectation is high for San Juan to see the same success in 2026 as it’s the heavy favorites to finish atop the 2A South region once again.
San Juan will certainly have its fair share of challenges. It will have a number of new faces for the upcoming season, welcoming 11 newcomers on offense and 13 newcomers on the defensive side of the ball.
While it make lack the veteran leadership that was a catalyst in the team’s championship run a year ago, head coach Barkley Christensen has been very pleased with what he’s seen from the new group of players during their offseason workouts.
“We know we have a lot of work ahead of us after graduating such a great senior class and replacing many key contributors from last season. We are coming into the season with a team that lacks some varsity experience, but what they lack in experience they are making up for by the hard work this summer,” said Christensen.
In order to reach the peak again this year, San Juan will once again need a first-team all-state year from returning standout quarterback Beau Yoemans.
“It always starts upfront with the big guys on the O-Line. They have led by example all off season and have been the hardest working unit on the team. We will lean on them big time. Another player is returning QB and first team all stater Beau Yeomans. It is nice to have him back as a Junior this season and he is just another coach on the field,” added Christensen.
The thing that excites Christensen the most about the team he will have this year is their work-ethic that they always show both on and off the field.
“They are hungry to get better and willing to put in the work necessary to compete at a high level. Our expectation remains the same, compete for championships, represent our community, and continue building on the culture that has made San Juan football one of the state’s most consistent and successful programs.”
The team projected to finish just behind San Juan is Emery. Led by longtime head coach Jon Faimalo, Emery returns five offensive starters and five defensive starters as it hopes to see a better ending tin 2026 than a year ago when it got knocked out of the playoffs in blowout fashion at the hands of Summit Academy.
Just like San Juan, the Spartans have also lost some key players in the offseason, but they feel like some players already have gotten some vital experience that will pay huge dividends as the season goes along.
“We lost some veteran leadership last year but have some key players that got a lot of varsity reps last year and there are a lot of young guys looking forward to proving themselves this year,” said Faimalo.
With just four teams in their region this year, Emery has just as good a chance as anyone to make some noise this year, but it knows it has a beast of a team to get through in San Juan first.
“San Juan is the perennial favorite to top our region. South Sevier had a great season last year and should be strong again and Delta had a few injuries last year that held them back a little but they are always competitive,” added Faimalo.
Another team who could make some noise during the season is the Delta Rabbits, who are projected to finish third in the preseason rankings. Going into the playoffs as the No. 7 seed a year ago, the Rabbits nearly pulled off the major upset in the quarterfinals against No. 2 South Sevier, but they came up a point short in a high-scoring thriller.
This year, Delta is hoping to take a couple of steps forward and challenge for the top spot in the region. With plenty of returning experience and a veteran core on both sides of the ball, the Rabbits believe they have the talent and depth needed to compete with the top teams in their region and make that a reality.
On offense, Delta will be looking to returning starters at quarterback Bodie Shurtz, running back Bronx Hunt and receivers Korver Pace and Jacen Johnson.
Delta returns a total of 13 starters, with six on offense and seven on defense. That continuity should provide a strong foundation as the Rabbits look to build momentum early, improve on last season’s finish, and position themselves for a deeper postseason run.
Projected to finish at the bottom of the region is South Sevier. While it may have a rough season ahead, South Sevier will be motivated and looking to surprise people in 2A.
Read more Opinion: Don’t dismiss ‘Trump Accounts’ just because of the name
“We have a lot of excitement building around the upcoming season and are looking forward to building on last season. We also have a lot of experience and senior leadership coming back from last season,” said South Sevier head coach Bryce Twitchell.
One of the returning starters that will be looked to is wide receiver Rayce Freeman. Freeman had 477 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 2025 and he’ll be looking to improve on those numbers this year.
South Sevier has added some tough competition to its schedule this season and Twitchell is excited to see where his team matches up against stiffer competition.
“Our schedule has changed quite a bit from last season as well. We have added some tough competition to our list of opponents. We’ll have to compete at our best each week. Looking forward to a fun season.”
Twitchell knows that while they may only have to compete with three other teams in their region, each presents numerous challenges for the Rams and they will need to be at their best game in and game out.
“Our region seems to get smaller every couple of years. With only three region games, it only takes up a third of our schedule. With that being said, the 2A South is a very competitive region. San Juan is obviously still the team to beat, but Emery and Delta are also good programs that have always given us competitive games. We will have to perform at our best each week,” said Twitchell.
2A South projections
(Preseason rankings are based on coaches’ votes)
1. San Juan Broncos
2026 Schedule
Head coach: Barkley Christensen
Entering his 10th season as head coach at his alma mater, where his teams have posted an, 85-23 record over the past nine seasons, including State titles in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. He’s a graduate of Dixie State.
Coach Barkley Christensen’s general outlook
We know we have a lot of work ahead of us after graduating such a great senior class and replacing many key contributors from last season. We are coming into the season with a team that lacks some varsity experience, but what they lack in experience they are making up for by the hardwork this summer. We have been very pleased with this groups summer attendance and these guys have attacked the weight room and offseason program with a level of commitment that has got us coaches very excited. They have embraced the challenge of carrying on the standard that has been built here over the past several years.
Offensively, we are fortunate to return players at some of the most important positions on the field. We bring back four offensive linemen who played meaningful snaps, along with returning quarterback Beau Yeomans. We also have a couple talented receivers who gained valuable experience last season and are ready for bigger roles. At running back, we will be breaking in some new faces, but we have a couple guys we are very confident in. Our offense may look a little different this season, as replacing players like back to back MVP Jagger Nieves and Utah State commit Tripp Palmer is not easy, but we believe this group has the talent and toughness to find success in its own way.
Defensively, we also have some holes to fill, but we return experienced contributors at key positions, including outside linebacker, cornerback, and safety. We have multiple players competing for opportunities, and their development throughout the summer will help us determine where everyone will fit. The ceiling for this team is high, and while there will be growing pains, we believe this group has the potential to continue the success our program has enjoyed over the past five years.
What excites me most is this team’s work ethic in the weight room and there attitude. They are hungry to get better and willing to put in the work necessary to compete at a high level. I believe our success will depend on how we handle adversity, and how much we grow this summer and fall camp. Our expectation remains the same, compete for championships, represent our community, and continue building on the culture that has made San Juan football one of the state’s most consistent and successful programs.
San Juan overview
2025 Record: 11-2 (first in 2A South with a 4-0 record)
Offensive coordinator: Barkley Christensen
2025 offense: 54.38 ppg (No. 1 in 2A)
- Six returning starters
- Spread offense
Returning offensive starters
- Beau Yeomans, QB, Jr.
- Miken Keith, WR, Sr.
- Brigg Palmer, WR, Jr.
- Gaige Palmer, OL, Jr.
- Trai Bass, OL, Sr.
- Trey Bradford, OL, Sr.
Key offensive newcomers
- Thomas Hardin, RB, Sr.
- Jayce Raisor, RB, Sr.
- Randall Black, WR, Sr.
- Keilan Hutchins, OL, Sr.
- Andrew Nielson, WR, Sr.
- Kooper Laws, WR, Sr.
- Max Stearns, TE, Jr.
- Easton Knight, OL, Sr.
- Pierce Holliday, OL, Jr.
- Quincy Singer, WR, Jr.
- Jace Walker, WR, Sr.
Defensive coordinator: Bobby Bowring
2025 defense: 19 ppg (No. 1 in 2A)
- Five returning starters
- 3-4 defense
Returning defensive starters
- Max Stearns, OLB, Jr.
- Keilan Hutchins, DL, Sr.
- Brigg Palmer, OLB, Jr.
- Andrew Nielson, FS, Sr.
- Quincy Singer, CB, Jr.
Key defensive newcomers
- Gaige Palmer, DL, Jr.
- Peirce Holliday, DL, Jr.
- Easton Knight, DL, Sr.
- Thomas Hardin, LB, Sr.
- Jayce Raisor, LB, Sr.
- Kooper Laws, DB, Sr.
- Trey Bradford, DL, Sr.
- Staley Dandy, DB, Sr.
- Jace Walker, DB, Sr.
- Miken Keith, DB, Sr.
- Danny Price, LB, Sr.
- Cam Adair, DL, Jr.
- Beau Yeomans, DB, Jr.
2. Emery Spartans
2026 Schedule
Head coach: Jon Faimalo
Entering his 11th season as head coach at Emery, with a career record of 43-63 the past 10 seasons. He’s a graduate of Emery High School and Snow College.
Coach Jon Faimalo’s general outlook
We lost some veteran leadership last year but have some key players that got a lot of varsity reps last year and they’re are a lot of young guys looking forward to prove themselves this year.
Emery overview
2025 Record: 3-7 (third in 2A South with a 2-2 record)
Offensive coordinator: Chris Justice
2025 offense: 21.2 ppg (No. 6 in 2A)
- Five returning starters
- Spread offense
Returning offensive starters
- Ajay Thomas, QB, Sr.
- Tyson Tennant, OL, Sr.
- Myles Mortensen, OL, Sr.
- Garret Conover, WR, Sr.
- Krae LeRoy, WR, Sr.
Key offensive newcomers
- Jess Larsen, WR, Jr.
- Elias Hascall, OL, Jr.
Defensive coordinator: Jon Faimalo
2025 defense: 32.7 ppg (No. 6 in 2A)
- Five returning starters
- 3-4 defense
Returning defensive starters
- Chaz Sorensen, DL, Sr.
- Jess Larsen, LB, Jr.
- Payton Johnson, DL, Sr.
- Krae Leroy, S, Sr.
- Corbyn Ward, DB, Sr.
Key defensive newcomers
- Elias Hascall, DL, Jr.
- Colton North, LB, So.
- Grady Oveson, S, Jr.
- Travis Hurst, DL, Sr.
3. Delta Rabbits
2026 Schedule
Head coach: Denton Peterson
Entering his third season as head coach at his alma mater after leading the program to a 7-15 record the past two years. He’s a graduate at the University of Utah.
Delta overview
2025 Record: 2-8 (fourth in 2A South with a 1-3 record)
Offensive coordinator: Denton Peterson
2025 offense: 19.1 ppg (No. 7 in 2A)
- Six returning starters
- inverted Wishbone offense
Returning offensive starters
- Korver Pace, WR, Sr.
- Jacen Johnson, WR, Sr.
- Kohl Bailey, C, Sr.
- Bronx Hunt, RB, Sr.
- Bodey Shurtz, QB, Sr.
- Korban Curtis, OL, Sr.
Key offensive newcomers
Defensive coordinator: Jon Winters
2025 defense: 31.1 ppg (No. 5 in 2A)
- Seven returning starters
- 4-3-2 defense
Returning defensive starters
- Korver Pace, DE, Sr.
4. South Sevier Rams
2026 Schedule
Head coach: Bryce Twitchell
Heads into his fourth season as head coach at his alma mater after a 16-17 record the past two years. He’s a graduate of Southern Utah University.
Coach Bryce Twitchell’s general outlook
We have a lot of excitement building around the upcoming season and are looking forward to building on last season. We also have a lot of experience and senior leadership coming back from last season, which we will rely on heavily. Our schedule has changed quite a bit from last season as well. We have added some tough competition to our list of opponents. We’ll have to compete at our best each week. Looking forward to a fun season.
Read more The Tour de France just ended. How did Americans do?
South Sevier overview
2025 Record: 10-2 (second in 2A South with a 3-1 record)
Offensive coordinator: Bryce Twitchell
2025 offense: 41.67 ppg (No. 2 in 2A)
- Six returning starters
- Wing-T offense
Returning offensive starters
- Rayce Freeman, QB/WR, Sr.
- Cooper Castle, WR, Sr.
- Ty Nielson, TE, Sr.
- Masen Healey, RB, Sr.
- Kayson Dimmick, OL, Sr.
- Kesi Manning, OL, Jr.
Key offensive newcomers
- Daxton Lovell, QB/WR, Sr.
- Krew Redd, WR, Sr.
- Kyson Jenson, RB, Sr.
- Trapper Farnsworth, RB, Sr.
- Jake Eyre, OL, Sr.
- Cash Carter, OL, Sr.
Defensive coordinator: Bryan Castle
2025 defense: 19 ppg (No. 1 in 2A)
- Five returning starters
- 3-4 defense
Returning defensive starters
- Cooper Castle, DB, Sr.
- Rayce Freeman, OLB, Sr.
- Masen Healey, LB, Sr.
- Kyson Jensen, LB, Sr.
- Krew Redd, DB, Sr.
Key defensive newcomers
- Daxton Lovell, DB, Sr.
- Ty Nielsen, DB, Sr.
- Trapper Farnsworth, LB, Sr.