A combination of last season’s loss to Mesquite in the 4A semifinals, several weeks of quarantine amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a talented roster, and the customary jitters of a first day back made Monday’s offseason training session unique for the Cactus High football team.
Spirits were high among the Cobra players and coaches, new and returning. But, like most of the high school football programs across Arizona starting their initial foray into offseason training, the weight room and conditioning drills were non-conventional.
Players had to train with the necessary distance from their peers, coaches donned gloves and masks as necessary and the quarterbacks throwing routes could not even share a football. But, while meandering around abnormal circumstances, there was an air of welcome familiarity among the group. The speakers blared hip-hop music in the weight room and in each exercise rep and the players tried to make each exercise rep count toward both their individual and team goals for the 2020 season, just like any other year.
“It really just feels good to be back,” coach Joseph Ortiz said.
What Ortiz saw on the first day of official team activities was a roster full of talented players, quietly motivated by a playoff exit they felt was a round early against the eventual-champion Mesquite Wildcats.
Talk of last year’s loss is limited, but the experience is deeply entrenched in the minds of the returning players.
“They got a taste of what it is to make a deep playoff run, and then with how it ended they want more. So that attitude, I really like,” Ortiz said.
Before any of that, the Cobras must traverse through a difficult regular season. It begins with a rematch against Mesquite to open on August 21, and includes nine of ten games against 2019 playoff teams and two opponents a class higher in 5A.
Rather than fear the competition though, senior receiver Justin Gomez said his teammates are embracing the challenge.
“This schedule is going to be harder than past years, and I want to see how we deal with that because we’re young. It’s a test,” Gomez said.
And even before the Cobras take on Mesquite at NAU’s home field in Flagstaff, the coaching staff is tasked with forming a roster worthy of the double-digit wins it is working toward.
The Cobras will have to make up production from the quality 2020 class of seniors on both sides of the ball, but boast plenty of returning talent. Ortiz said there was 70 students on the first day of practice - a record in his tenure at the 4A school - and even more coming in as freshmen. Some of the large crowd includes a crop of transfers hopeful to make their own mark on the team.
One of those newcomers is Chris Thomas Jr., a junior transfer from Moon Valley. He said his new teammates embraced him immediately.
“They’ve been so welcoming since the very beginning, and we’re ready to work and get straight to business because we know we have a chance to win a lot of games if we play well,” Thomas said.
The process for getting back to football is still uncertain– the Peoria Unified School District and state of Arizona have implemented a multi-faceted plan that allows advanced drills and contact over time but could fluctuate at any point – and the Cobras will need new players to step up. But, overall, they are excited for the future.
“We’ve got a lot of talent here and kids who really want to get after it, so that’s a good sign,” Ortiz said.
“Good things are happening over here.”
