By Joe O’Leary
The Mountain Times
Prior to eighth grade, Michiah Turin hadn’t taken a single organized snap of football as quarterback. Two years later, Turin is starting at the same position for Sandy High School under the lights week in and week out. And not only is he starting, he is doing a good job at executing what head coach Josh Dill has asked of him. When you watch Turin lead an offense, you’re immediately going to question how he never played QB until very late in his youth development process. Turin leads his offense and supports his defense in a way any coach would be grateful to see. This, compounded with a dependable arm that’s kept the ball out of harm’s way, has led to the Pioneers having a very solid start to the season. However, if you ask Turin about his view of the SHS offense, you’re not likely to hear him say anything like that.
“My job is very easy, with the line giving me five seconds on every play to make passes, and my receivers just being amazing at getting open,” Turin explained, “I have two amazing running backs, even three,” Alongside this, Turin plays with a defense that proved from the get-go they can set their offense up with optimal chances to succeed, completely shutting down Franklin to start the season, allowing just 13 points (to Sandy’s 38). The Lightning’s offensive production in that contest was almost exclusively due to three-star tight end and Idaho commit Cash Landau having a fantastic individual performance within an otherwise dead unit.
“I love building off of (my teammates) energy and leading by example, doing the right thing,” Turin said. A builder Turin certainly is, with him building new things within his community before he ever took a snap for SHS. Turin’s parents are the owners of the Jamba Juice that opened in Sandy in July, and not only does Michiah work there, the business was originally his idea.
“I had the idea in my business class last year. I took it home to my parents and told them what a great business opportunity I thought it was, one that would really take off in Sandy. I did a bit of research, got it started, helped with the build out, and I’ve been working there since,” Turin explained. Following the aforementioned week one victory, Turin exclaimed “free Jamba for everyone!” while the team celebrated and shared praises. Once the initial jubilation of starting in such a comprehensive way had passed, Turin reflected on how it felt finally living the dream he had fought to secure for months when walking back to the team bus.
“I felt like everything was in slow motion, I took (the first snap) and it all slowed down, I felt like the game was in my hands, my teammates played alongside it and carried us to a win,” Turin said. In the team’s second game, Turin and the offense started very slowly, but rallied and responded in the fourth quarter to take a 21-20 lead over Hillsboro with three minutes left. This was followed with an unfortunate final drive that featured numerous questionable calls going the Spartan’s way before a touchdown to notch SHS’s first loss of the year, 27-21. Following the game, the sideline was ripe with bitterness and aggravation, especially in the 15 year-old quarterback. Overall, Turin has been able to take on the challenges of his role in a truly professional manner, looking to put his team first and take whatever part he needs to in order to win games.
“We really want to win a playoff game. It’s lit a fire under everyone, we’re all working our butts off to make that goal a reality,” Turin said. As the season progresses and Turin continues to establish himself within the gadgety, explosive Dill offense, only time will tell if the Pioneers can reach their goals. One thing is certain, however, Michiah Turin will stop at nothing to make that happen.