Over the next few weeks, SBLive Oregon will break down every 6A, 5A and 4A football team in the state in anticipation of a six-week season in March and April. Even if the season is postponed or canceled, we will continue to highlight more than a hundred teams and more than a thousand players in Oregon. Here’s our look at the Summit Storm of the Class 6A Mountain Valley Conference.
HEAD COACH
Corben Hyatt, fourth season (8-18)
2019 AT A GLANCE
Overall record: 2-7
League record: 1-3, sixth in Mountain Valley
Playoffs: Did not qualify
ALL-LEAGUE PLAYERS DEPARTED
LB Andrew Ryan, second team
QB Michael Schutz, honorable mention
OT Dylan Kaminski, honorable mention
CB Ryan Spreier, honorable mention
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Blake DiTullio, sr., WR/DB
DiTullio was an honorable mention all-Mountain Valley Conference defensive back as a sophomore and garnered first-team honors at wide receiver last season. The 6-foot-1 DiTullio could start both ways as a senior, but Summit has enough depth to keep him focused on offense. “He did amazing things at the end of last year in league, and that’s how he ended up on the first team,” Hyatt said.
Will Brines, sr., OL/DL
As a newcomer to the starting lineup, Brines played guard last season and was voted second-team all-MVC on offense. Brines, now one of the Storm’s most experienced players up front, likely will move to tackle as a senior. “He looks really good there at tackle,” Hyatt said. “He’s made great strides … and the thing I like about him is he has a nasty demeanor about him, which is great. To be a really good O-lineman, that’s a good trait to have.”
Reece Judish, sr., WR/RB
Judish played running back for the first few games last season before transitioning to receiver. He was an honorable mention all-MVC recipient at receiver and will play multiple positions for Summit’s offense. “He’s one of those guys where you can just put him all over the field, so we’ll definitely use him at slot and move him back to running back,” Hyatt said. “He’s kind of a gadget guy, and they’re nice to have.”
Carter Campbell, sr., LB
After earning all-MVC honorable mention at linebacker as a junior, Campbell put on about 25 pounds during the offseason and is close to 200 pounds. He is a leader on defense and an exciting player to watch, Hyatt said. “It was super frustrating last year that he was just honorable mention because … I think he was one of the best linebackers in the league,” Hyatt said. “He can read a play and chase things down all over the field.”
Ryan Powell, jr., RB/DB
Powell will play some running back for the Storm, but coverage skills are the junior’s biggest strength. He was an honorable mention all-MVC defender last season and stood out during fall 7-on-7s. “He just shut down one side of the field entirely and plays with a great attitude as a corner,” Hyatt said. “He’s a physical, ball-hawk type of guy. He looks just phenomenal and is up to about 195 pounds.”
Dylan Kane, sr., RB
Kane, who is receiving recruiting interest for lacrosse, started last season at running back. Hyatt said Kane could be one of the most physically gifted tailbacks to come through Summit in recent memory. “He could do some really special things here,” Hyatt said. “Dylan has really wanted to get into the intricacies of learning defensive fronts and what the thought process is with the line and how they block things. Once you get a player who wants to do that, you see great strides.”
OUTLOOK
While participation in football has steadily declined across the country in recent years, the opposite is occurring at Summit. Hyatt said there were 87 kids in the program during the 2019 season, and that number skyrocketed to 120 — a program record — in the fall.
“With the numbers in Central Oregon and the people moving in, I think the coaches in the region have done a good job promoting the programs,” Hyatt said. “And because of that, our numbers have increased. … Making the jump to 6A, it is so much about numbers.”
The Storm won the 2015 Class 5A state title and have been competing in 6A since 2018, finishing 2-7 each of the past two seasons with fewer bodies than many of their opponents. Despite the cancellation of the 2020 fall season, Summit is up to 23 seniors — another program record, according to Hyatt.
“Whenever you have 20 seniors or above, you are going to be competing for a playoff spot,” Hyatt said. “So, this is what’s killing me. To have the numbers and not be able to play (right now), it’s super frustrating. … We believe we have a great balance of a big senior class and a talented group of underclassmen that can really help us.”
The Storm are talented and deep at running back, receiver and tight end. The competition at quarterback is wide open between senior Daniel Dionne, junior Ben Woodward and sophomores Hogan Carmichael and Kemper Treu. Hyatt said it’s likely that all four quarterbacks will receive time under center this season.
“I wouldn’t say I’m concerned; we just have to figure out where we’re going to go with it,” Hyatt said.
Sophomore Chip Allers (tight end and linebacker) is another promising underclassman who has a bright future with the program.
With eight starters back on defense, Summit should surrender fewer points this season. The team does have some holes to fill on both lines, but it’s clear the Storm will be a much tougher out in 2021 and beyond.
“We are excited about where we’re going,” Hyatt said. “It’s been a rough couple years, but we’ve got a super talented freshman group that came in and we’re excited to see them on the field.
“I think we’re trending in the right direction, and with that, we want to see the success on the field.”
COACH SAID
“If we do have some type of season, we’re looking at this differently than other programs. We’re really trying to give our seniors something positive, but we are also trying to develop younger guys this spring because we know we’re going to be limited in our practice capabilities during the summer. So, we’re going to play a lot of younger guys to get them ready for next season.” — Corben Hyatt
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