ST. GEORGE — The Desert Hills High School football team named a new coach less than four months after the Thunder won the Utah 4A state championship.
Desert Hills Athletic Director Dustin Drake announced in a news release Thursday afternoon that Solomona Tapasa was named head coach of the Thunder football team.
Tapasa will step in for Rick Berry, who went 19-5 (10-2 in Region 10) with Desert Hills during his two-year tenure, including a 30-14 victory over Crimson Cliffs in the 4A state title game on Nov. 11.
“Coach Tapasa brings a wealth of experience on multiple levels,” Drake said in the release, “most recently as an assistant coach/defensive coordinator with Southern Utah University. He has also coached at Sacramento State, Western Oregon and Humboldt State.”
According to the release, Tapasa earned his bachelor’s degree in pre-law at Portland State in 1992 before receiving his master’s degree in health education from Western Oregon in 2006.
A native of American Samoa, Tapasa and his wife Joanna are parents to five daughters.
Tapasa inherits a defending state championship team with several players from last year’s squad coming back, including quarterback Beau Wall and standouts Keala Loo, Stewart Taufa, Ocean Taufa, Javiyen Cummings and dynamic playmaker Cyrus Polu.
Reached by telephone, Berry told St. George News that he accepted the defensive coordinator coaching position at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista, Virginia.
The private liberal arts school is affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but is not owned and operated by the church, like Brigham Young University. On the football field, the Knights play in NCAA Division III.
Berry said he’s excited about the opportunity to coach in college and said the decision was made easier knowing Desert Hills is in fine shape after winning state.
“The cupboard is full,” Berry said. “I’m excited for Coach Taps (Tapasa). He’s going to step in and run with it. I think he’ll keep a lot of the coaching staff, and things are in place for them to be successful. I’ll follow them and root for them. I don’t see them missing a beat.”
Berry said he especially loved his time coaching at Desert Hills because it was a family affair — son Taylor was an assistant coach and son Brett was the team’s unofficial manager and No. 1 fan.
“Taylor and I won a state title at Dixie, with him as senior quarterback,” Berry said. “Flash-forward to Desert Hills and we win another state title with him at my side on the sideline. It’s just priceless for me. I’m truly blessed to have two of my boys with me to share that and I’m very grateful.”
Most of all, Berry is excited for the future of Desert Hills.
“That’s one of the things I take pride in,” Berry said. “I’m leaving a program coming off a state title that has enough talent to win it again. We had a 3.5 team GPA and the kids are going in the right direction on and off the field.”
Berry and Southern Virginia head coach Joe DuPaix will lead a Knights team that went 1-9 last season. Berry said he will also be Southern Virginia’s recruiting coordinator in Utah.
“We’ve got great kids out here,” Berry said. “We’re excited to build the program; we’re not afraid of the challenge. I’m excited to bring this opportunity to a lot of kids in Southern Utah, help them get an education and continue to play football.”
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