Riding a five-game winning streak to end the season, the Olympus football team entered the state tournament on a roll. 

The Titans finished the regular season with a 6-3 record, tying for the top spot in Region 6 with two other teams—Brighton and West—with a 5-1 mark. The season started off a little rough for Olympus, as the team began the year 1-3, with all three defeats coming by four points or fewer. The Titans fell to Spanish Fork 24-20, to Bountiful 25-22 and to West 40-38, the latter in the Region 6 opener on Sept. 6.

Beginning with a 13-0 shutout over Brighton on Sept. 13 (Brighton’s only loss of the regular season), Olympus finished the rest of the regular season unblemished, earning the No. 6 seed and a first-round playoff bye. The Titans kicked off the Class 5A state tournament Nov. 1 to host the winner of Woods Cross and Cedar Valley.

Olympus went a nice run a year ago, reaching the state semifinals before losing to Timpview on a last-second field goal. 

This year’s squad had had a stingy defense. During the team’s five-game winning streak to end the season, Olympus allowed just 33 points. After the shutout over Brighton, the Titans defeated East 33-10, ran past Alta 30-10, crushed Highland 41-7 and routed Skyline 47-6. 

That momentum made Olympus a dangerous team heading into the state tournament. The Titans have won at least one game in the playoffs the past three seasons. 

Multiple players have stood out on the defensive side of the ball for the Titans. Senior linebacker Nate Sheets led everyone on the team in tackles with 105 during the regular season. He also had two sacks, two interceptions and two defensive touchdowns. Fellow senior Brady Wolfenbarger linebacker added 84 tackles and a sack. Junior defensive end Lincoln Ames is one of the top sack leaders in the state, having racked up 17 on the season to go along with 68 tackles. Senior Ryder Birdsley was another prolific tackler, piling up 78 stops. Senior Jack Evans paced the Titans with three interceptions. 

The offense used two quarterbacks, with senior Max Rice getting the most reps. Rice completed 56% of his passes for 1,410 yards and 19 touchdowns. Junior Luke Esperson contributed 633 yards and five scores through the air. Three players had at least 23 catches during the regular season. Luke Campbell was the leader with 32 grabs (452 yards), while Tommy Nelson topped Olympus with 495 yards (on 23 catches) and 10 touchdowns. Hugh Matsumori, a junior had 31 catches for 340 yards, and senior Caden Lloyd caught 23 passes for 468 yards and six TDs. 

The running game got 320 yards and five touchdowns on 80 carries from senior Jack Evans. Junior Nate Heugly chipped in 117 yards and four touchdowns on 35 carries. 

Second-year head coach Brandon Burt will have some key players to replace in 2025, though some experienced returners will be back. Olympus has put together seven consecutive winning seasons, having last finished below .500 in 2017. λ