In his second year as head coach of Ironwood football, coach Christopher Rizzo is expecting his players to cash in on potential he saw in them from the beginning.
Since joining the program as an assistant in for the 2018 season, when the current senior class were sophomores, the 2021 class at Ironwood was one Rizzo gravitated toward. It was a group that really “clung on to the vision” he aimed to set for the Eagles.
Now, with a few years of experience behind them and one more season to show the state their work, he believes the Eagles are in a solid spot.
“We had some kids as juniors that, even though they had the talent and might have been ready for it, didn’t step in over seniors or other players and become those vocal and team leaders. Now I’m expecting it from them,” Rizzo said.
Among the senior leaders are a stable of quality offensive skill players, led by quarterback Will Haskell.
The San Diego State commit is placing pressure on himself to improve and lead, not only for his own growth, but for the recruitment of teammates that he believes have been overlooked in college recruiting thus far.
“I'm committed and I have my future planned out. I still have to step up if I know that I have boys on my team and I want them to have the ability to go on to the next level,” Haskell said.
The ability to make plays and put his teammates in position for success will rely on an offensive line that Rizzo said is still a work in progress. For the most part, they are young and inexperienced.
“There will definitely be a learning curve at first,” Rizzo said.
But, with proper preparation and new additions to the Ironwood coaching staff, Rizzo believes they can learn technique quickly and become a weapon rather than a liability.
“What was once a little bit of a low light for us, I think it's actually going to be something that people find a lot of surprise in this season,” Rizzo said.
The Eagles are also faced with a different challenge unrelated to their own skill. The 2020 AIA football realignments placed Ironwood in a region that could prove a killer’s row. The 5A West 1 region is comprised of five teams that made last year’s playoffs – Desert Edge, Ironwood, Millennium, Sunrise Mountain and Verrado – and Betty Fairfax, which posted a 6-4 record despite missing the post season in 2019. And, before COVID-19 precautions changed the schedule, the Eagles were set to face 4A heavy-hitters Cactus and Mesquite among other tough games.
Receiver Elijah Sanders, one of the seniors also looking to make waves in his recruitment by putting up noticeable statistics and helping Ironwood find success, said the major contests are challenges to look forward to, rather than back away from.
“I’m excited for those big games. Like, if we do everything we’re supposed to do and practice the way we should we have a shot in all of them, and even to beat some teams that beat us before,” he said.
A season that may have seemed like a distant future to the Eagles earlier this summer is creeping up quickly. And, from the looks of it, the seniors believe they are ready.
“As a senior you just look at it knowing it’s your team, and that changes the way you present yourself and the way you look at your teammates and expect the best from them,” Haskell said. “And that’s where we’re at now.”
