Head coach Chris Howell is Sky View football鈥檚 X-Factor
Logan, Utah (BVM) – The Sky View Bobcats suffered as bad a postseason loss as anyone at the end of their 2018 season. As the favorites to win the 4A State Championship, the Bobcats hosted Park City, and lost in stunning fashion, 15-14. Soon after, head coach Danilo Robinson left the program and headed to California. Still feeling the sting from their loss and wanting to move forward, Sky View hired Chris Howell from cross-town rival Ridgeline High School.
Howell heard about the gutting loss that the team experienced in 2018, and spoke to it and how it really motivated them for the 2019 season: 鈥淲hen you talk to the kids and you talk to the coaches who were a part of that, they were definitely upset by the fact that they didn鈥檛 play the best football when it mattered and so I think they鈥檙e very excited to get back on the field and start competing against other teams again.鈥� There is no doubt that the loss to Park City fueled them.
Fast forward to November 21, 2019, and Howell has his team in the Utah 4A State Championship game. The team they are playing is none other than the Park City Miners.聽
For the entire season, Howell hammered home to his team the ultimate goal 鈥� win the state championship. Here was their chance for revenge on the team that bounced them out the year before, and without a doubt they delivered. In a 35-0 blowout, Howell and his Bobcats were crowned 4A Football State Champions for the first time in school history. Howell was short on words after the game, 鈥淚 am not sure words can express it. These guys did an unbelievable job of preparing, embracing the game plan and improving.鈥�
After finishing the season as champions, the question for the Bobcats is how do you follow it up? By going right back and repeating as State Champions. Howell has them right on track, with them so far going undefeated here in 2020.
It can be said that Howell was this team鈥檚 difference maker. Sky View made it to the state quarterfinals in 2015, 2017 and 2018 but they were never able to finish any of those years as champions. Howell proved that he was more than capable and now, this team is reaping in the rewards. This team is more than talented to repeat, and now with a winning pedigree, Howell and his Bobcats would be the last team that I would want to go up against in the playoffs this year.
