The Miners football team fell in the playoff quarterfinals on Nov. 7 to eventual 4A state champ Ridgeline. It was the team’s second loss of the season to Ridgeline, capping off a 7-5 campaign.
Park City defeated rival Wasatch, 5A foe Olympus and won a playoff game this season. The team’s losses outside of the Ridgeline ones came in one possession games to tough opponents.
While the Miners were and still are searching for the first state title in program history, they’re not looking down on the season they had. The program is optimistic about next season and the future.
“They are an excellent team and don’t really have any weaknesses,” head coach Josh Montzingo said about Ridgeline, who won the state title over Green Canyon on Thursday 56-0. “We could see that during film study and feel that the first time we played them. I was kind of thinking maybe they were as good as they could get that first game, but they were even better that second time around.”
Ridgeline dominated the Miners with their skill, but mostly size. They leaned on their run game, and the contest was all but over by halftime, with Ridgeline opening up a 35-0 lead.
“They’ve worked all season long and have stayed together,” he added. “They’re just really well-coached, great, physical kids.”
Montzingo will look to get his returning players into the weight room with strength and conditioning coach Matt Herhal. Many will split time between the weight room and other winter and spring sports teams at the school.
“We’ve got some younger kids who just need to grow into themselves,” Montzingo said. “(You’ll) Probably see us pop back up again with a little bit bigger offensive and defensive lines.”
The head ball coach told his boys he was proud of their fight this season. The team’s motto all year was to “do hard things.”
The Miners will look to play a similarly difficult schedule next season. Wasatch and the new Deer Creek High School may become regional foes next fall.
“Every year we always lose a whole bunch of good kids,” Montzingo said. “Everybody says, ‘How are you gonna do it?’ We find a way every year.”
Park City will have to fill the shoes of players like Eli Warner, Ben Souza and Wyatt Knapp, each of whom led the team in many statistical categories. Most of the standout seniors were on the Miners’ defense this year, so Montzingo said next year’s team may just have to develop a standout offense.
“I can’t tell you right now what that’s gonna look like for sure,” he said. “I know we have a lot of youth coming up that are very talented that I’m excited about. But, at the same time, that defense was special, and a lot of those guys were some of our bigger kids, so losing them is certainly not going to make things easier on the defensive side of the ball.”
The Miners will hope the underclassmen picked up on the behaviors of the successful seniors. Montzingo said his seniors always led by example and brought everyone else along with them.
Montzingo credited his staff for helping develop players over the years. He couldn’t overstate how important the offseason work is.
“There were a lot of good times; we had a lot of fun this year,” he said. “A big one was getting a win we needed down at Olympus — it was a tough, hard-fought game. … I don’t know how many changes we’ll make. I think we kind of like where we’re at and what we’re doing.”