GUNSLINGER...Koden Lunt | Cedar Reds

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KODEN LUNT | CEDAR | QB |

OVERVIEW:

I don’t have to introduce the fanfare that comes from being the quarterback at any level of football. The quarterback gets the praise, the love, the attention. When the team is winning, you can often look at the quarterback as one of the reasons why. They captain the offense, direct traffic, and are behind some of the biggest plays of the season. Its hard to make it far in the football world without a sturdy signal caller. But all that fanfare is attached to expectations. The weight behind being listed as “QB” on the roster is extreme. The quarterback can also receive all the blame, whether it be fair or unfair when a team struggles. To be a quarterback requires more than a stout arm and an ability to extend plays, it asks for a player to be mentally strong with the ability to weather whatever storm rears its ugly head and to help your teammates do the same.

Cedar’s field general has proven himself to be capable of the quarterback mantra. Koden Lunt has done fantastic things on the field, and in the locker room where he is highly regarded amongst teammates. It makes sense, as the Reds have grown up with and around Lunt, who has quarterbacked this team since his sophomore season in 2021. Naturally, Cedar fans expect greatness from Lunt coming into his senior season and based on his progression, team chemistry and time in the system, that’s not an absurd ask. Lunt grew quite a bit his Junior season as Cedar went from 2-8 and 1-5 team in region play his sophomore season to a 4-7 team last year, with a 2-4 region record. Based on the way Cedar played and the internal growth those numbers should keep climbing.

If you break things down statistically, you’ll be able to see the strides Lunt took at the quarterback spot. His sophomore year saw 193 attempts, 108 of which were completed, for 56 percent of his passes. He threw for 174 yards a game and had 12 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. His quarterback rating according to MaxPreps sat at 93.4. For a sophomore quarterback taking over in a tough region 9, these stats were fantastic. Compare these to last year, his junior season, where he actually attempted less passes at 181 for 105 completions. It’s a small detail but his completion percentage jumped up two percent. He went from 174 yards a game to 155, which seems like a drop off, until you look at his yards per attempt which was at 16.2, nearly identical to his sophomore season. The attempts and yards passed for went down oh so slightly, but his efficiency went up. Nothing demonstrates this better than Lunt throwing for double digit touchdowns once again, this time at 18, while throwing only 9 interceptions. Doubling the touchdown to interception ratio always has to feel good. The icing on the cake was finishing the year with a 102 quarterback rating. Lunt didn’t attempt as many passes or throw for as many yards, which in their own right, were small differences, but he got better, wiser and more consistent all across the board. Lunt currently has a career 57 percent completion percentage, throwing 213 completions on 374 tries. He has 3,438 yards to his name, with 30 touchdowns. These numbers are only set to grow as we face down a new season.

By stabilizing his passing, he also opened up his run game to new heights last year. He more than doubled his rush attempts at 90 on the season. As a sophomore he only took off 34 times. He went from a 180-yard rusher to a 480 yard, 43.6 yards per game quarterback. He would run for two touchdowns, making his career total stand at 4. This added an extra wrinkle in Cedar’s offensive attack, and made Lunt a dual threat. It also allows Coach Bennett to put Lunt in new unique situations if it suits the team and the offensive pace this upcoming season. If you need some proof in regards to that statement, go watch film on the Cedar VS Juab game in which Lunt carved up the Wasps for 115 yards including a 44-yard burst. Koden would also throw for over 200 yards on 14 attempts with a whopping 23.3 yards per completion in that game.

In Cedar’s region victories last year, Lunt would lead the Reds offense to over thirty points in both contests, scoring 69 points in the two games. Those 69 points were a byproduct of Lunt going 22 of 32 or 382 yards and 7 touchdowns. His touch on the football was on full display against Hurricane, when he had 5 touchdown passes alone in a 38-0 win. In the other region victory he added 81 rush yards and a score to go with his two touchdown passes in a hard fought 31-28 win over Pine View. In 11 games, Lunt would throw at least one touchdown in all but three contests, and would never throw for less than 100 yards but only two times. There is no doubt that Lunt is set up for a great year as he strives to be not only one of region 9’s best signal callers, but one of 4A’s.

COACHES COMMENTS:

“Koden is a great example of hard work to his teammates. Koden is returning as a 3-year starter and brings a wealth of experience. We expect great things from Koden this season and expect him to use that experience to help execute our offense and win football games. Koden is a great teammate and is willing to do what it takes to be successful. Looking forward to a great year from Koden!”

-Josh Bennett, Cedar Head Coach 

LOOK AHEAD:

CEDAR CLASHES WITH RICHFIELD IN IRON COUNTY TO OPEN UP THE 2023 SEASON ON AUGUST 11TH.