Summit Return Most of a Team That Won 8-3

Salt Lake had an 8-3 season in 2024 and finished second in the West, a result that put the Summit among the top teams in the conference. They scored 268 points and allowed 189, a solid margin that points to a team that was well-rounded and difficult to play.

Heading into the new year, the Summit are leaning on continuity.

"We like who we have," coach Gil Arnaud said. "The goal is to be a little sharper than we were."

Balance on offense

Quarterback Victor Redmond threw for 2,365 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was efficient rather than flashy, and he had a pair of reliable teammates to work with. Wide receiver Brandon Young led the receivers with 707 yards and five touchdowns, while running back Miles Tatum ran for 706 yards and eight touchdowns.

It is worth noting how close the yardage totals for Young and Tatum were. The Summit did not choose between the pass and the run. They used both, and defenses never quite knew where the next threat was coming from.

"Our offense works because everyone knows their job," Arnaud said. "Nobody has to do too much."

A defense without a headline rusher

Defensive lineman Blake Garner led the team with four sacks. That is a modest total, and it highlights what makes the Summit defense unusual. Salt Lake allowed only 189 points, among the lowest totals in the league, without relying on a standout pass rusher.

Garner said the defense is built on trust. "We cover for each other," he said. "If the quarterback has nowhere to go, the sack takes care of itself."

That kind of defense can be sturdy, but it also gives opponents fewer reasons to fear a single player, and it puts more weight on coverage and tackling in the secondary.

Chasing Portland

Portland won the West at 8-3 as well, so the Summit were separated from first place by tiebreakers and a narrow margin, not a wide one. The coaches know it, and the chance to finish on top is part of the pitch to the locker room.

A few points to watch as the season starts:

• Whether Redmond can lift his touchdown total with the same group of receivers
• Whether the defense can find a little more pass pressure to complement its coverage
• Whether the Summit can win the close games that decide a conference title

Salt Lake is the kind of team that does not get much attention in the preseason. There are no big headlines about the roster, and no one is promising a breakout. But a team with a winning record, a balanced offense, and one of the better scoring defenses in the West belongs in the conversation.

The Summit know that is not the same as winning. They plan to prove it the old-fashioned way.