Strong passing and tough defense combine for Olympus football success

 Titan football is looking strong, racking up five wins in its first six games of the season, with its only loss to Sky View 33-3 Sept. 2—a preseason game which left Olympus undefeated in the first two games of region, and tied for first place with Skyline.

 “Our team is playing hard,” coach Aaron Whitehead said. “Everyone is coming together at the right time.”

 The Titans have relied on the passing game of senior Scott Porter, who had thrown for over 1,100 yards in the season (at press time) and 15 touchdowns, but have a lot to back him up with.

That includes receiver Calvin Escobido (senior), who had totaled 346 yards, seven touchdowns and 17 receptions, despite having missed two of the first six games with a concussion. Other contributing receivers include seniors Nate Sorenson with four touchdowns and 15 interceptions, and Cole Benson with two touchdowns and 15 interceptions as well.

 “Our defense is awesome,” Whitehead said. “They swarm to the ball. We have 9 to 10 guys on every tackle. This is a great group. They take great pride in what they do, especially on the defensive side. Three strong defenders who are doing an excellent job at the linebacker position are [seniors] Brandon McBride, Jon Harper and Scott Jeppson.”

 In preseason play, the Titans defeated Snow Canyon 27-7 Aug. 19, Northridge 21-14 Aug. 26 and Taylorsville 35-14 Sept. 9. Their first two region wins were 26-20 over Westlake Sept. 16, and 41-10 against Murray Sept. 23.

 In the Westlake game, Olympus commanded the first three quarters, shutting Westlake out and scoring three times, and managed to contain Westlake’s fourth quarter rally that tied the score at 20 before the Titans scored once more to win the game.

 “Cole Bensen had a kickoff that set us up for a touchdown and had two interceptions against Westlake, just an outstanding performance,” Whitehead said. “He also recovered an onside kick in that game. Darrell Day had a 61-yard touchdown run against Westlake in the fourth quarter.”

 Whitehead can’t say enough about the caliber of players he is working with this year.

 “Their leadership is outstanding,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. In the locker room after our loss to Sky View, I walked in to talk to the team and every knee was down, every helmet off, every eye on me, waiting to hear what I had to say. That’s the kind of players we have.”

 The quality extends off the field as well, Whitehead feels.

 “This is a great community,” he said. “And the classrooms are the same way. I set a high standard in class, and they meet it. This is a special group. We’ve got great administration and good supportive coaches as well.”

 Olympus beat Herriman 27-21 Sept. 30, shut down Hillcrest 34-7 Oct. 7, and will end the regular season at Skyline Oct. 14 for a Region 7 showdown against the also-undefeated Eagles. State playoff games will be held Oct. 28-29 and Nov. 4-5 at home fields, with the semi finals game Nov. 10 and the championship game played at the University of Utah Nov. 18.