Pleasant View • The Weber football team, led by its senior quarterback, knew of only one way to respond to its season-opening loss to visiting American Fork more than a month ago.
“We talked a little bit about resiliency and bouncing back,” Austin Bartholomew said. “That wasn’t the way we wanted to start our season, but there’s not much else you can do but learn from it and move on.”
The Warriors have put together four straight victories — by an average margin of 22 points — since their 54-39 setback to American Fork.
“The kids have the belief and the will and effort and have done the work because they want to be good,” Weber’s fifth-year coach Matt Hammer said. “In the American Fork game, where we had a few plays go the other way on us, the kids knew how close they were [to victory].
“We just had to get better, and it took them a couple games to get going — on offense and defense.”
AUSTIN BARTHOLOMEW <br>School • Weber <br>Year • Senior <br>Position • Quarterback <br>Passing yards • 1,009 <br>Rushing yards • 297 <br>Passing TDs • 7 <br>Rushing TDs • 1
It started with their quarterback, who knew he was ready to lead a high-powered offense around him, but also needed to refine his own game.
A costly interception swung the early momentum in the opener, yet the Warriors will look to continue allowing their quarterback to throw deep.
Bartholomew has thrown for seven touchdowns through five games. He said the Warriors like to take chances with deep passes but have a variety of ways to excel.
“We have so many options,” Bartholomew said. “Teams can’t game plan for one person because someone else will step up and make plays. Coach Hammer always talks about how any night could be anyone’s night to just go off. We have so many options and so much versatility.”
Part of that attack and a teammate Bartholomew praised was running back Carter Green, who he said opens up the field for others.
“We have a real power running game,” Bartholomew said, “but we also have a lot of athletes who allow us to throw the ball around the yard.”
Despite the loss in Week 1, Green knew the offense could put up points the rest of the season.
“We just stayed true to what we do,” Green said. “We weren’t discouraged at all. We knew if we could beat Roy [a 38-28 victory in Week 2], we could get on a roll and continue the rest of the season.”
The defense elevated its play as well.
Green, an outside linebacker when needed, saw a renewed emphasis on stopping the run.
“We’re continuing to get better at it,” Green said. “Our defensive line has been closing their gaps and allowed the linebackers to run free and make plays.”
Two of the Warriors’ four wins have come by shutout.
Hammer said he’s been waiting for this season as the senior class, led in large part by Bartholomew and Green, were standouts in the middle school programs he looked to build in conjunction with the varsity when he took over at Weber in 2013.
“They’ve been running the same stuff that we were as seventh- and eighth-graders,” Hammer said. “It’s a lot of kids that have been in our program for a long time.”
With his final high school season halfway gone, Bartholomew and his team are intent on fulfilling a goal they set before their opening loss and ensuing win streak.
“We thought we’d have a great shot at a Region 1 title,” he said. “Win region and then run the table.”