Miners head into season excited for new challenge

Perhaps Park City High School’s football team was hoping that any smoke in town this week would come from the Miners’ offense being on fire, not from wildfires on the West Coast.

Still, the Miners are aiming to light up the scoreboard in 2021, even if this year’s schedule creates more challenges compared to Park City’s time in Class 4A.

After a 4-7 record in their first season in Class 4A in 2017, coach Josh Montzingo’s squad then won 31 of its last 39 games before a promotion to Class 5A this season. The Miners have been placed in Region 6 alongside Brighton, East, Highland, Murray, Olympus and Skyline.

The plus side to these changes is that Park City won’t have to travel far for its region games. The downside is that the Miners will be challenged every week in region play, something they haven’t had to worry about in recent years. Park City hasn’t lost a region game since 2018.

“I think it will make us better once we get to the playoffs if we’re playing better opponents each week because that’s only going to make us better,” senior Carson Tabaracci said.

Park City scored over 40 points per game last season, and it returns several key players, like Tabaracci, quarterback Chase Beyer and dual-threat running back Max Alford. The Miners, who kick off the season Friday, enter the year ranked 13th in the state — regardless of classification — according to MaxPreps’ preseason rankings.

“(The offense is) definitely coming along,” Beyer said. “Picking up from last year, I think we’re at a good spot and we’re just building off that and we’re looking good.”

Park City’s run-focused offense will likely be led by the two-headed duo of Alford and Tabaracci. The two combined for over 1,700 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground last season, and they’re hoping for a repeat performance. Alford is committed to Utah State, while Tabaracci has fielded offers from schools like Ohio State, UCLA, USC and Utah. Blocking for the two of them will be an experienced offensive line led by returners Luke McCurdy, Ian Morris and Jesse Helton.

On the defensive side of the ball, Park City has seen its depth depleted after last year’s senior class graduated. Eight of the players in the top 10 in tackles from last season were seniors. But last season’s leading tackler, Stone Combs, is still here, and Montzingo has high praises for his senior linebacker, calling him “one of the best linebackers in the state.”

“He’s just phenomenal, and he’ll help us out there, he’ll give us a lot of leadership and everything we need,” Montzingo said. “He’s also going to play with his hair on fire out there. He’s just a great player, has good instincts.”

There’s a sense that the Miners are just ready to finally get the season going, especially since Wasatch, their hated rival, is the first team on the docket. With Park City’s players returning to the football field before the classrooms, there’s not much else to think about.

“They’re either already hyped, they’re ready to play a game night tonight on Monday, and it’s not until Friday,” Montzingo said. “So we have to remember we have a lot of work to do, we have more steps to take before we get to Friday night.”