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DRAPER — The high school football season is right around the corner and teams are set to kickoff their first games Friday, Aug 13.
All the pressure seems to be on one team this year as they return as favorites to win the 6A classification title once again. The lone question is: Will any team be able to stop the Corner Canyon Chargers?
The Chargers are coming into the season riding a 40-game win streak and have won 51 of their last 52 games. This stretch comes with three perfect, undefeated seasons and three state championships. Their last loss was in the 2017 5A semifinal game when Skyridge narrowly defeated the Chargers with a last-minute touchdown, losing 34-33.
Current New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson was starting for the Chargers that season.
The Chargers will be missing key contributors in Jaxon Dart and Noah Kjar from last season due to graduation, but players on their roster are ready to step up and take on new or increased roles this season.
Dart was the Chargers' starting quarterback in the 2020 season and received the Deseret News Mr. Football Award after his dominant season. He took almost 100% of the team's snaps and completed over 69% of his throws. He threw for 4,682 yards and created a new state record with 67 passing touchdowns, and also led the team with 12 rushing touchdowns.
Competing to take Dart's place and fill the role this season will be Devin Brown and Isaac Wilson — yes, another Wilson. Brown will be a senior this year and moved to Utah from Arizona after leading Queen Creek High to a 6-3 record during his junior season. Last year, Brown completed over 65% of his passes and threw for 1,761 yards and 18 touchdowns. He is currently ranked as the No. 10 quarterback recruit by 247Sports and is committed to USC.
Isaac will be a sophomore and is the youngest brother of Zach, Josh, and Micah, who is a senior for the Chargers this year. Wilson saw minimal action on the field last season and only came in for Dart in blowout victories. Before his sophomore campaign even begun and before he has seen any real action on the field, Wilson comes into the season having received offers from BYU, San Jose State, the University of Oregon and Weber State.
The Chargers have not yet named who their starting quarterback will be this season. Both Brown and Wilson will be people to watch for the Chargers this season as they attempt to continue what Dart did last season.
The 6A MVP from the 2020 season was given to wide receiver Noah Kjar. Last season, Kjar led the state in receiving yards and recorded 97 catches for 1,916 yards and 22 total touchdowns. His spot will be filled by senior Cody Hagen, who in his junior season tallied 55 receptions and 18 touchdowns, trailing only behind Kjar. He averaged over 21 yards per reception and will be Wilson's primary receiver this season.
Hagen recently announced on his Instagram his top four colleges and will be making a decision later this year: BYU, Utah, Stanford, and USC.
Defensively, the Chargers will be led by senior linebackers Harrison Taggart and Micah Wilson. In 2020, Taggart led 6A in tackles with 140, averaging 10 per game. Following right behind him was Wilson with a total of 133 tackles, 9.5 per game.
Haggart, like his fellow teammates, has already compiled a set of offers with high interest in several Pac-12 schools. He was also recently listed to MaxPreps' preseason second All-American Team. Wilson, like his older brothers, will continue playing at BYU after high school.
Corner Canyon was placed on MaxPreps' national preseason rankings at No. 24. No other Utah team is ranked above them. With a loaded roster and with key players already having plenty of varsity experience, all eyes will be locked in on the Chargers as they look to complete yet another perfect season and capture their fourth consecutive state title.
The Chargers will begin their season in an away nonregion showoff against Farmington next Friday. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
