Haley Stesiak

Chaparral is hitting its stride this season at the perfect time. The Firebirds (7-2) are coming off a big win against Pinnacle last week and key players have settled in after returning from injuries as the playoffs approach. “It’s a very, very unique situation,” Chaparral head coach Brent Barnes said. “To get them all back at...

Campo Verde (7-1) visits Williams Field (6-2) in a big 5A San Tan conference matchup in the East Valley on Friday. The Coyotes got off to their best start in school history (7-0), but suffered their first loss of the season last week against Higley. The Blackhawks are riding a six-game win streak after losing...

For Williams Field offensive tackle and Oklahoma commit Noah Nelson, this week’s film review on upcoming opponent Campo Verde brought back some bad memories. “We were giving Noah a hard time, I said ‘Noah this might be the worst game you played in your whole career’ and he was like ‘Coach it was’,” Williams Field...

Ironwood (5-2) matches up with Centennial (6-1) this Friday night. In their second game of the season, the Coyotes defense gave up 71 points to No. 1 Mater Dei. Since then, they have only allowed 28 points and are coming off back-to-back shutout wins. Centennial's offense, led by senior quarterback Jonathan Morris and ATH Jaydin Young,...

Trust, communication and effective leadership. Those are three elements that help make up a successful team. The Centennial (AZ) Coyotes have effective leadership. Head Coach Richard Taylor has been with the program for nearly 30 years and has led the Coyotes to seven State Titles. With a coaching staff that has seen little turnover, trust is...

Copper Canyon (1-5) takes on Valley Vista (3-3) this Friday. Copper Canyon got their first win of the season last week against Cibola on a last minute touchdown from senior slot back turned quarterback, Doug Woodall. Though their record may not reflect it, Copper Canyon head coach Sean Freeman says this year's Aztec team is gritty...

Before the sun rises over the Valley of the Sun, the Brophy Broncos are already warmed up and halfway through practice. It’s a Tuesday, one of three days of the week that the Broncos are up and at it starting at 5:30 a.m. before a rigorous school day. “We get a good two-hour practice in before...

The Arizona heat is not for the faint of heart. Chandler senior running back Dae Dae Hunter found that out quickly when he moved to Arizona from Colorado in July. “When I first got here it was horrible,” Hunter said. “I’ve never run in 110 degree weather. It didn’t kick in for the first two weeks...

Faith, family and football are what drive Red Mountain’s Ben Bray. In fact, it was those values that led the 6’5”, 270-pound offensive lineman to commit to Arizona State to further his academic and athletic career. Bray had 14 offers including from Harvard, Yale, Cal, Arizona and Oregon State. He was offered by the Sun Devils in...

Red Mountain (4-1) visits Basha (4-1) this week in a big matchup in the East Valley. Red Mountain’s only loss so far this season was to Perry in Week 2. The Mountain Lions went toe to toe with the 6A power, taking the game into four overtimes, but falling short in the end, 68-67. "There were...