Pine View looks to former standout for leadership, Panthers expect to compete in tough Region 10

Written by E. George Goold
August 7, 2022

ST. GEORGE — It’s all about attitude for the Pine View High School football team.

Pine View’s Corbin Yocham (27) catches a pass in a scrimmage, St. George, Utah, Aug. 5, 2022 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

At a scrimmage in front of a large gathering of friends and family at the Pine View Stadium Friday night, the Panthers competed against each other as if they were already playing a Region 10 rival.

“I wanted to see the boys compete and battle hard with the two new systems we’re putting in, learning and growing and developing,” Panthers interim head coach KJ Boyer told St. George News.

“And that’s what I saw. They battled and they’re learning and they’re still competing,” he added. “We’re going to keep getting better throughout the season.”

Boyer is stepping in for longtime coach Ray Hosner, who is taking a year off. Boyer is an assistant coach under Hosner and played for him as well, at Pine View, for three years starting in 2007.

He then went on to play in college for Southern Utah and Dixie State (before it became Utah Tech).

“I’ve been learning under coach Hosner for the past couple years,” Boyer said. “We sat down and talked and he’s like, ‘Listen, I trust you to take over for me while I’m out’ and I’m up for the challenge we’re going to keep moving.

“The boys have made it easy. They make my life easy, we just come out here and keep moving, we have no hiccups, we just keep working,” he added.

Interim head coach and former Panther KJ Boyer encourages his team at a scrimmage, St. George, Utah, Aug. 5, 2022 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

Pine View had an up-and-down season last year. After being the preseason favorite to win Region 10, the Panthers suffered a slew of injuries and lost some close games in the regular season.

The Panthers ended the season with two invigorating playoff wins over Snow Canyon and Desert Hills before losing a 4A state semifinal to Dixie and finishing 7-5 overall. 

Pine View has the luxury of having two quarterbacks coming back with experience.

“So Abe Rosenlund right now has the starting spot and Tyler Brown will be the backup,” Boyer said. Both Roseland and Brown are seniors who got reps in games last season.

“Abe’s doing a great job learning the offense and knowing what’s going on so we’re excited for him and what he’s doing right now,” Boyer said.

Senior nickelback Jacob Sersansie is expected to have a strong season defensively for the Panthers.

“He’ll be the leader of the defense, taking care of business,” Boyer said. “And with Tyson Dinsmore playing corner for us, he’s really helping us lock down those edges.”

The offensive line will be bolstered by some solid returning Panthers as well.

“Greg Naegle and Angel Martinez are going to be helping us out, taking care of things up front,” Boyer said. 

Boyer expects to see the Panthers play with energy and enthusiasm.

“We’re going to compete and we’re going to battle,” Boyer said. “These kids are going to get better. We’ll reach our peak when it matters the most near the end of the season and we’re going to keep battling and keep getting better.”

Pine View kicks off the season on the road at Stansbury Aug. 12 at 7 p.m.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eric George Goold came to St. George News from southwestern Colorado, where he was a radio news reporter. He has been a journalist for over 20 years in five different states. He graduated with a master's degree in English from Kansas State University and writes nonfiction as well. Goold has been published in Sunstone Magazine and has done multiple public readings about local history. When he has free time, he enjoys chess, movies and dogs.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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