Region 9 football preview: Dixie looks to hold their own in Region 9, just as they have in the past

ST. GEORGE — The Flyers seem to be in a similar position going into the 2020 season as many other Region 9 teams. They lost a talented senior class filled with some of the best players from the region last season, but there will be some adjustments needed as players step into bigger roles.

The Dixie high school Flyers prepare for their second game of the season against Roy in St. George, Utah, Aug. 19, 2020 | Photo by Ryne Williams, St. George News

“They’re going to have to adjust quick,” Dixie head coach Blaine Monkres said. “I thought they did a pretty good job last week – a lot of them for the first time playing a varsity game. It’s just totally different. It’s a big jump from JV to varsity football. They’ll get better every week, and they should get better this week.”

The Flyers lost a tight one last week, 25-22, against Springville to start off the season.

While new players step into unfamiliar roles, the Flyers do have some returning players this season on both defense and offense from their nine-win state semifinalists team last year.

Alex Maycock and Hunter Knighton are back, with both playing a big role on offense.

The Dixie high school Flyers prepare for their second game of the season against Roy in St. George, Utah, Aug. 19, 2020 | Photo by Ryne Williams, St. George News

Bring those two names back on the defensive side of the ball as well and the Flyers are not dealing with a rebuild at all.

“That’s huge,” Monkres said about their experience. “We’ve got a lot of guys back on defense. I think we have eight starters back from last year. Defense is where the experience and leadership is right now, so they’re going to have to play a little bit better than they did last week. I’m sure they will. They might have been resting on last year’s accomplishments.”

The Flyers have not been short on success over the last couple of seasons. In a three-year stretch for the Flyers, they have won 30 games. Averaging 10 wins a season is stellar, but this senior class has seen that success throughout the program for all four of their years at Dixie.

The Dixie high school Flyers prepare for their second game of the season against Roy in St. George, Utah, Aug. 19, 2020 | Photo by Ryne Williams, St. George News

Monkres said that success breeds more success, but that doesn’t mean that success is evident.

“At the same time, we tell them that doesn’t mean because we’ve had it in the past we’re going to have it in the future,” he said. “You’ve got to work hard everyday, don’t rest on what you did last year and this is their team this year.”

As for their Region 9 schedule, the Flyer will be playing Pine View, Desert Hills and Cedar all at home this season. Monkres said that it will be huge for them to have those home games this season, and he hopes it will give them some sort of edge.

The goal for the Flyers this season is the same as it has been: win a region title and see what their team can do in the state tournament.

“Obviously first thing is, we want to try and win a region championship and make the state tournament and then get to Rice-Eccles,” Monkres said. “Ultimately that’s the goal every year here. We want to go out and compete for a region title. We want to make the playoffs and see what happens.”

The Flyers follow up their tough home loss with a road game against Roy on Friday night.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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