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FARMINGTON — The Phoenix always knew it was going to be an uphill battle.
But Friday night’s 36-0 loss in Farmington High School’s inaugural home football game wasn’t about being shutout by Northridge.
The night wasn’t about climbing up the standings or adding to their overall Utah High School Activities Association record, however new it was.
Friday night was about one thing: sure, a win would’ve been nice, but the purpose was to come together in a celebration of hard work finally paying off.
The Phoenix are here to stay.
Yes, Northridge’s Otto Tia scored two touchdowns, including a 70-yard blocked kick return in the second quarter. Of course, Knights quarterback Colby Browning threw for three scores.
And even though Farmington head coach Daniel Coats' alma mater came away with the win Friday night, the spirit of the Phoenix could hardly be damped.
And so they stayed.
Even after their brand-new high school football team suffered a tough shutout loss in the first-ever home game, the people of Farmington came to the 405,000-square foot lot at 548 W. Glovers Lane for the Phoenix on Friday night.
"I think you can look around this stadium, see how full it is and see the energy here, and that tells you just how much it means," Farmington principal Richard Swanson said. "Just to see the energy and the community here, the fans, parents — those who have kids that go here and those who don’t — it means an awful lot to this community to have this school and to see these kids playing."
Farmington — the community, that is — was first settled in 1847, one of the oldest towns in the state of Utah. But until recently, the community of just over 23,000 people could only look forward to a high school.
That all changed in 2015, when a bond paved the way for the $78 million campus that took roughly two years to build.
Finally, a community that once split its teenage children between nearby rivals Davis High and Viewmont High had a school to call its own.
But even with the roughly 1,5000 students who once called one another "rivals," there were no ex-Darts or former Vikings in the stands Friday night. There was only one Phoenix, a communal gathering of students came together for the first rendition of the student section's "The Order" to support their brand-new school — and the team that represented it on the gridiron.
"These are great kids," Swanson said. "They come from great families, great homes, and they are great kids. They bring that same attitude to school. It's been amazing to watch them interact and come together."
Long after the final whistle, the Phoenix stayed and lingered on the football field. Long after the missed kick that would’ve given Northridge a 39-0 win, the Knights’ first win of the season.
A handful of students even snuck away with an abandoned couch that had been nestled next to the home sideline.
Yeah, Farmington High School — with its multi-million dollar structures, unique learning environment and pseudo-controversy related to the improper plurality of 'Phoenix' — was here to stay.
The Phoenix fell to 0-2 Friday night, having scored just one touchdown through its first two games in school history.
But again, Friday night was hardly about the win.
“This community is amazing,” first-year head coach Daniel Coats said. “I knew that from the beginning, and it’s one thing that had me so excited to take this job. I know they expect big things, because they are a proud football-loving community. But we’ll get there, we’ll push for it, and it will happen.”
Coats is the perfect coach for the job, too. Swanson first met Coats as a student-teacher, when the future NFL talent weighed "maybe 80 pounds wet." Since then, Coats went on to star at BYU and became a freshman All-American before spending six years in the NFL and retiring in 2011.
But the 34-year-old former football star brings more than a winning resume to his first head coaching job, according to the man who hired him.
"You won't find a better person or role model for these young men," Swanson said. "They just love Dan Coats. He’s a great coach, a great role model and we're just happy to have him here. We couldn’t have a better coach for these young men."
And even though the Phoenix started the season 0-2, Coats won’t put any blame on the players. When asked about starting quarterback Wyatt Evertsen, who was pulled in the second half, he took the blame on himself.
Coats took full responsibility for quarterbacks’ mistakes, as well — the starting signal caller didn’t throw an interception, but Farmington’s offense seemed flummoxed by Northridge’s defense across the first three quarters.
"It was me. I didn’t have them prepared for it," Coats said. "It's just one of those things that I just didn’t give them enough. But we’ve still got a long season ahead of us. I’ve got guys who are going to fight, and we’re going to keep pushing and pushing. We’re going to get there."
There’s talent on Coats' young roster. When Evertsen was forced out of the game in the second half, backup quarterback/kicker/punter Ryan Marks impressed. The punting game was a rare highlight for the Phoenix, and when he came on in relief of Evertsen, Marks took the opportunity and ran with it.
"He's a true athlete. If you ask Ryan, he'd probably tell you he’s a kicker — but he can run it and he can throw it. He’s a true backup," Coats said. "Ryan is an athlete, and I just let him go out and be an athlete. That’s what he did: he made plays. I’ve got to find a way to use more of Ryan."
Now, the Phoenix will go back to preparing for Thursday night’s home game against Murray. Eventually, those same 1,500 students will see that talent in a victorious effort.
Coats knew things would be tough, a first-year school trying to compete with traditional regional powers in Northern Utah, like Davis, Roy and Syracuse.
But they'll keep fighting. They'll keep marching.
That's all they can do.
"It's a march, and it's a slow march," Coats said. "But it's getting there."
Meet Coach Coats
