With a new head coach who is no stranger to Cottonwood High School, the Colts got ready for the season by doing everything they could get their hands on.  

“The team is doing good,” said Donovan Malmrose, who ushers Cottonwood back into Class 4A and a new region with a 0-0 record as a head coach. “We’re on the grind.” 

Included with the usual summer training and one-week summer camp are three seven-on-seven tournaments at the University of Utah, Viewmont and Timpanogos for the smaller guys at the skill positions.  

Also at these tournaments were several events that the whole team liked, said Cottonwood’s new head coach. 

“The strongman are the competitions they do for the big men,” explained Malmrose, who takes over for Casey Miller. “The events can be anything like five-man sled push (how many yards in 15 seconds), relay obstacle course, tire flip, etc. It’s fun and the kids love it.” 

Miller stepped down at Cottonwood to accept a coordinator position at a school closer to his home, but he personally recommended Malmrose for Cottonwood’s head coaching position due to the relationships that Malmrose has already developed with many of Cottonwood’s students and faculty. 

Malmrose has deep ties to the school. He’s not only coached and taught Spanish at Cottonwood but he attended and played football there, too. 

It’s that familiarity with Cottonwood that Athletic Director Greg Southwick said should provide an extra spark when the Colts kick off the 2023 season Aug. 11 at Ogden. 

“We’re gonna be able to compete with a lot of teams,” said Southwick, who added that there are a number of key players returning that are in skill positions. “We had 80 boys come out for spring football and our numbers were probably as high as they’ve been in the last four years.” 

Cottonwood will have its home opener Aug. 18 against Salem Hills. 

The Colts will wrap up their preseason slate on Aug. 25 at Mountain View, marking the first time in several years that the Colts will be staying on the Wasatch Front for their first three games. 

The reason for such enthusiasm on the part of the new head coach and AD, however, is that Cottonwood will now not only join a new Region 7—it moves to Class 4A in all sports. 

This includes football, where the previously independent Colts will clash with Stansbury to open region play at Cottonwood on Sept. 1. 

The rest of the Region 7 foes will follow, one after the other: at Tooele Sept. 8; at Jordan Sept. 15 and home to Park City on Sept. 22. 

Fall break will give Cottonwood a one-week breather before plays kick off again on a special night, and at a crosstown rival: Hillcrest, on Oct. 5. 

The Colts will line up against rival Murray at home to close out the regular season on Oct. 11. 

“We think this team will be competitive even though we lost a lot of seniors to graduation,” said the Cottonwood athletic director. λ