Corner Canyon's football dynasty has a new voice on the sideline and the same target on its back.

The Chargers landed the No. 1 spot in the Class 6A preseason coaches poll released Monday, July 20, by the Deseret News, collecting five first-place votes from 6A coaches. Skyridge and Lone Peak each received four first-place votes, leaving just one vote separating the top three teams.

Casey Sutera, who was hired in January 2026 to replace Eric Kjar after Kjar left for the Weber State head coaching job in December 2025, will lead a roster that returns just three offensive starters and five defensive starters as the Chargers chase a fourth consecutive state championship.

"We know we have a high expectation because of the standard coach Kjar has created at Corner Canyon," Sutera told the Deseret News. "We expect to keep the same tradition and we know that starts with the process. 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."

Sutera is no stranger to the program. He served as Corner Canyon's defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2021, helping the Chargers win three state titles alongside Kjar. He then spent four seasons as Brighton's head coach, compiling a 35-14 record, earning three Region 6 championships, reaching two Rice-Eccles Stadium final-four appearances, and winning 2024 5A Coach of the Year honors, according to the Draper Journal.

The man he replaces left behind a staggering legacy. Kjar went 112-10 in nine seasons at Corner Canyon, winning six state championships and guiding the program to a Utah-record 48 consecutive victories from 2018 to 2021, per the Draper Journal's March 30 jersey retirement ceremony coverage.

Corner Canyon capped the 2025 season at 12-2 overall, beating Lone Peak 35-20 in the 6A title game on Nov. 21 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The full 6A preseason top five: No. 1 Corner Canyon (12-2 in 2025), No. 2 Skyridge (9-3), No. 3 Lone Peak (8-5), No. 4 Davis (10-2), No. 5 Mountain Ridge (10-3). Of those five, only Mountain Ridge returns its starting quarterback from a year ago.

At least one notable transfer joined the roster from Sutera's Brighton tenure: class of 2027 linebacker Ryce Palepoi, a Boise State commit who followed Sutera to Corner Canyon, according to Sports Illustrated.

The 2026 Utah high school football season opens Thursday, August 13, when No. 5 Mountain Ridge hosts No. 2 Skyridge. A full slate of games follows Friday, August 14. Corner Canyon's specific Week 1 opponent has not yet been announced.