Assuming the 2020 Arizona HS football season kicks off as tentatively planned, there will be no less than three new schools that will field teams for the first time this fall. The three schools are definitely placed for apart from one another and will be competing on three different levels and will feature a coach who is well known to a couple that will garner the spotlight for the first time.
The West Point Dragons have been placed at the 5A level and will be part of the West 2 region. Jerry Ball will be the head coach of the Avondale based school and is really looking forward to leading this team. "I was hired in July and when we get the green light we will be ready to go full speed" said Ball. When they are ready to go, they will be doing it without seniors. Because of the newness of the school West Point's top class will be juniors. Nonetheless the environment and facilities will be great. "A beautiful synthetic turf field, seating for 4,500 and a press box that will have four separate areas" said Ball in regards to what visitors can expect to see on Friday nights.
Mica Mountain is in Tucson, Arizona ands part of the Vail School District. The Thunderbolts will be playing a junior varsity schedule in 2020 as they gear up to become part of the 4A Gila region when they suit up the varsity team in 2021. Brett Darling who was the defensive coordinator for the Cienega Bobcats for the last four seasons will be the first head coach coach in school history. "We're gonna take care of the little things and hit you pretty hard" Darling explained his team philosophy. "The hardest part was getting the word out to find kinds to build the program" Darling said of his initial challenge. "We had to email maps since these kids had never been on campus" said Darling. They will have approximately 60 players to start their program (JV & Freshman) and they are the only school to be called the Thunderbolts in the state of Arizona.
Scooter Molander was last seen on the high school football sidelines in 2017 as the head coach of the Brophy Broncos. It was a rough year in which they finished just 1-9. Molander however is a championship caliber coach having led the all boys school to the state championship in 2005 with a 15-14 win over Hamilton at Sun Devil Stadium. 2020 will be the year that Molander gets to lead the Eastmark Firebirds out of Mesa onto the field for the first time. "It's just a joy to work with a great staff, it's fun being over there it's exciting" Molander said as he anticipates the upcoming season. In fielding a team that will have no seniors he still will have plenty of talent on the field. Javery Mayberry, Javien Celaya, and Jordan Howard are all in the class of 2024. "Those 3 guys are not only special football players but special kids, and we love that about them" Molander mentioned. The Firebirds will compete in the 3A central region and are looking forward to it. "Who knows how the schedule is going to come out, knock on wood that everyone will have a season" he said about the pandemic affecting the school year.
