Casey Sutera left Brighton with a 35-14 record, three Region 6 titles and a 2024 Coach of the Year trophy. Now he's leading the team picked to win it all in 6A.
The Deseret News released its 2026 preseason coaches poll Monday, July 20, and Sutera's Corner Canyon Chargers sit atop Class 6A with five first-place votes. Closer to home, the Olympus Titans landed at No. 5 in 5A and the Skyline Eagles checked in at No. 4 in 4A. Brighton received multiple votes in 5A but did not crack the top five.
Sutera's return to Corner Canyon
Sutera spent four years building Brighton into a 5A semifinalist, capping the run with 11 wins in 2025 and a semifinal appearance at Rice-Eccles Stadium. He was hired to replace Eric Kjar, who departed Corner Canyon for Weber State after nine seasons and just 10 losses.
Before arriving at Brighton, Sutera served as Corner Canyon's defensive coordinator and helped the Chargers win three 6A state titles. He played college football at the University of Utah and began his coaching career at Jordan High School.
"We know we have a high expectation because of the standard coach Kjar has created at Corner Canyon," Sutera told the Deseret News. "Our players have done a great job of investing into our offseason strength program and I feel like we are in a good place coming out of our summer camp."
Corner Canyon went 12-2 in 2025, won the 6A state championship and returns three offensive starters and five defensive starters as it chases a fourth consecutive title. Of the top five teams in 6A, only No. 5 Mountain Ridge returns its starting quarterback.
Olympus and Skyline earn top-five nods
Olympus (6-6 in 2025) earned one first-place vote from 5A coaches and slots behind Orem, West, Springville and Timpview. Defending champion Orem collected 19 of the available first-place votes.
Skyline (9-4 in 2025) grabbed two first-place votes in 4A, trailing only undefeated defending champion Ridgeline, Crimson Cliffs and Provo. The Eagles posted a strong playoff run last season and enter the fall with legitimate title-contender expectations in a classification where no team dominated the voting.
Brighton in transition
Brighton enters the season without Sutera at the helm, and the school has not publicly named a replacement. Athletic Director Garrett Wilson said in February that Sutera's work had positioned the program for continued success.
When Sutera departed, he told the Cottonwood Heights Journal in February: "The Brighton community will always be in my heart because of the memories and great success that we had here."
The 2026 season kicks off Thursday, Aug. 13, when Mountain Ridge hosts Skyridge, with a full slate of games Friday, Aug. 14.
