JR Alcantar, who took over the Cesar Chavez football program in 2017, has stepped down as head coach of the Champions.
Alcantar confirmed his resignation to Arizona Varsity Thursday, just hours after he informed his players of his decision.
“We came in and gave them something different,” Alcantar said. “We did things that had never been done before. In the four years we were there we had 15-plus kids that earned four-year opportunities. We did a lot of good things.
“It was more than just football. I’m blessed to have been a part of it.”
Alcantar, who previously coached at Dysart High School, led the Cesar Chavez program for four seasons. He took over after the departure of legendary head coach Jim Rattay and built the program into an annual playoff contender and helped establish a strong youth football feeder program. He led the Champions to a 7-4 overall record in his first two seasons, going undefeated in region play both years.
In 2018, Alcantar organized a game against East Anchorage High School in Alaska. A first for Arizona high schools, the Champions flew to Anchorage and came home with a victory. In 2019, East Anchorage came to Laveen.
The Champions also won that contest and finished 8-3 on the year with yet another region title.
“No team in Arizona had ever done that before,” Alcantar said. “We flew to Alaska and won then brought Alaska to our home and won that, too. It was an amazing experience for the kids.”
Cesar Chavez was due for a breakout season in 2020 with several Division I recruits on its roster and players from its talented freshman and junior varsity programs making the jump to varsity. However, Phoenix Union High School District put a halt on all athletic-related activities at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. While other districts began to return to activities in the summer, Phoenix Union was hesitant in its approach.
Phoenix Union became the first district in the Valley to suspend the fall sports season altogether, followed by the Tolleson Union High School District. Despite other districts clearing teams to begin play in the fall, Phoenix Union held strong on its stance, citing high COVID-19 metrics amongst zip codes in the district as the culprit for the sports suspension.
“To be honest, that was the worst part of my coaching career,” Alcantar said. “Not having the boys do anything, it was tough. In a full year we had eight total weeks of practice. It’s hard to have a football team when you can’t have that camaraderie and it’s hard not being able to be there for the boys.
“The district decided to take the safety route, which was understandable, but it was tough.”
When metrics began to improve, Phoenix Union cleared its schools to play a condensed schedule. Alcantar and Cesar Chavez managed to get through three games before the district again pulled the plug due to a second wave of rising COVID-19 metrics.
The Champions finished 2-1 overall, losing only to Higley.
"It became apparent due to COVID that it was going to be a struggle,” Alcantar said. “It got hard. A lot harder than I thought it would be. I hold myself to a certain standard, but I found I wasn’t able to fulfill those standards for the kids.
“We had kids that wanted to transfer out and leave and they knew they were going to sit five, but they said they would rather do that instead of playing three. I couldn’t argue that. I told them they had to do what was best for them. At the end of the day, I didn’t want to continue bringing that stress home to my family.”
Alcantar does not yet have another opportunity lined up. He will continue teaching at Cesar Chavez in the AVID program, which helps students prepare for college.
He admits there aren’t very many head football coaching opportunities in the state as of now, so he’s in no rush to find another gig. But he has faith an opportunity will present itself in due time.
“I’m kind of taking a leap of faith here,” Alcantar said. “I’m not leaving to go chase a job right now. There’s not much open to begin with. I’m just going to step back and let God do his work and see where it takes me.”
