These are dire times in football across the board. Youth programs are in decline—in an unprecedented move, several locally have had to join forces, as a matter of fact. 

It isn’t down everywhere, though. 

More than 40 kids returned from last year's 2-8 Cottonwood Colts varsity team that narrowly missed and arguably should’ve been included in the last 4A state football tournament. A few months later, then-head coach Donovan Malmrose stepped down after one season at the helm. 

Cottonwood defensive coordinator AJ Jones, a local businessman who along with the former coach Malmrose were primarily responsible for keeping the school’s football program alive after many in their own community had declared it dead, had created the framework for the program to survive not only several dozen losses to graduation—but another dozen transfers to other schools. 

With a new head coach in Tai Satuala, who like Malmrose had never been a head coach, the Colts defense bent but didn't break holding Ogden to a field goal to start the season Aug. 16. 

On the sidelines at home in front of a decent crowd, Cottonwood’s players outnumbered Ogden’s 3-to-1 that stretched from their own 35 to the opponent’s 35 though the scoreboard at the Colts’ stadium didn’t show that at the end—that being out on the field in the first place was a win. 

The scoreboard showed a 38-3 win for Ogden Friday night in the shadow of nearby Mount Olympus, made whole by the fact that not only did Malmrose leave after his first year in charge—several others had, too. 

No matter; Jones had a plan, he stuck to it and soon after that, and well before the 2023-24 school year was out, the Cottonwood alum had replacements times two and the cupboard of players was refilled. Not only had Jones hired everyone the program lost, he created more positions—enough for two dozen slots. 

Covering everything from key coaches for new Colts youth football programs, a new frosh-soph team, a JV team and varsity as well as coordinators for all five programs, Jones moved right alongside his new staff in lockstep. 

As for the game itself, the Colts played this season as the last with the same quarterback in senior Malcolm Mundy, who threw to familiar targets such as John Rosevear, who of course helped lead the Colts to the 4A championship game in basketball. 

To be fair to the Colts football team, however, they’re still getting out all the kinks in their armor. They’re still shining up all the horseshoes for what should be—will be, in the eyes of CHS alumni—a return to the glory days of yore when Cottonwood football was synonymous with winning. 

Palmer Johansen is going to be a problem for defenses. Although the Colts no longer release stats—or are having trouble compiling all of them—this writer counted as many false starts on the offense as runs sprung by the wiry, 5-foot-7-inch all-purpose senior into the open field. 

A 40-yard punt was returned 30 yards by Ogden. As the PA system rang out asking “What are we gonna be,” it was hard to tell. Mundy rolled to his left, looking for Rosevear—gah. 

The chants of "C-O-L-T-S" rang inside the stadium as did "T-D, touchdown, let's go" but neither piece of motivation/cheerleader exhortation worked on this evening for Cottonwood in their gold helmets and all-black unis as they jogged into the locker room for halftime. 

Down by the finite score of 38-0, nobody slumped their heads in the second half. In fact, Bo Smith was aided by a block in the back. As the horse on the PA whinnied, an Ogden player jumped, handing the Colts a first down. Then a facemask on Mundy begat a “No, you can’t do that” as the white hat ref moved Cottonwood ahead five yards.  

Johansen toughened up the Tigers for a few more yards—then Mundy, who was the Colts’ ace pitcher on that 3A state tournament team rolled to his right and with his trademark athleticism, fired all the way back to the left sideline. 

Mundy’s throw outran the Ogden defender by two yards and landed in the breadbasket of senior Caleb Loveless for an 18-yard completion. 

Later on this drive, Parker Evans got a few shoulder-pad pats as he ran onto the field. Surely he’s heard of Ryan Nielson, he who snapped through that fair-catch-free-kick that the coach-before-the-last-coach Casey Miller concocted that went viral. 

Evans would launch the ball past the never-ending gray-brick apartments with balconies and into the purple mountain majesties for three huge points, a great omen for a team that lost Nielson to graduation. 

It was the kind of omen that spelled great things to come perhaps, if the Colts players could create points like their opposition.

Based on what was seen on this glorious night in mid-August at the base of the Wasatch, you got the impression that anything was possible. They’ve already been shown the blueprint. λ