Prepared Huskies ready to turn page

WEEKLY BLOG: 7/21/19

Hamilton fielded a powerhouse program from its first AIA season in 1999 through the school's last championship game appearance in 2014. In those 16 seasons, the Huskies played in the big-school championship game 12 times (winning seven of them). The peak of this was from 2008-2011, when HHS rolled off a 53-game winning streak.

The program was rocked in 2017 with hazing accusations resulting in the departure of longtime head coach Steve Belles, the athletic director, and the principal. One former player was charged as an adult.

Last year, Hamilton had its toughest season, going 3-7 and missing the playoffs for the first time.

The challenge for second-year head coach Mike Zdebski, who was hired in January of 2018, but didn't move to Arizona until after he was finished with his school year in Michigan, is to rebound from that.

Fortunately, he's had a full offseason with weight training, speed work, spring ball, summer passing leagues, and a week at Cal Lutheran for camp (July 8-12). That time was spent focusing and forming bonds.

"The players have developed the ability to practice at a high level," Zdebski said in an e-mail interview. "The relationships that we were able to build between players, coaches, and player/coach are irreplaceable."

Nick Arvay returns at quarterback and will have a full season at the controls for his senior year. A transfer from Casteel, he had to sit the first half of 2018 (due to AIA rules) and still finished with 1,005 yards and 11 touchdown passes. A dual-threat, Arvay also led the team in rushing with 265 yards and four TDs.

Arvay ran track last spring competing in the 100 meters and on the 4x100 relay team. As a matter of fact, most of the football team joined the track squad last spring.

Cody Cameron visited Hamilton to talk to Arvay last spring in a Minicast for Arizona Varsity.

As a team, the Huskies averaged 234 passing yards per game. Hamilton has an elite talent at wide receiver with Brenden Rice. In two seasons on varsity, Rice (6-3, 210) has 18 touchdown catches. This year should bring about his first 1,000-yard season. Rice is an elite recruit with offers from Michigan, Arizona State, Oregon, Colorado, and Texas A&M among the schools in the mix.

"A college will get a fast, athletic athlete that can make the exceptional play," Zdebski said of Rice, who is the son of Hall of Famer Jerry. "His physical build will make him difficult to press."

If teams think they can double up on Rice, then junior Brady Shough will likely make them pay. The younger brother of former Hamilton (and now Oregon) QB Tyler, Brady is 6-2, 185 pounds, and athletic (also plays safety). He received his first offer last month from Northern Arizona.

With the emphasis on the pass, along a mobile quarterback, the running game suffered to just 120 yards per game last season. A pair of senior returners, Sebastian Dorman and Gabriel Armenta, will share the duties heading into training camp. Some aid will come in Week 6 when Skyline transfer Ethan Truesdell becomes eligible. As a backup last season, he averaged six yards a carry.

Anchoring the offensive line is Dylan Mayginnes, who is committed to Washington State.

Last year's Hamilton defense was young by the end of the season. Combined with the difficult 6A Premier Region schedule, the Huskies surrendered 35 points per game. While there will be some new faces, there will be many players that earned quality experience in 2018 and be ready to improve.

The top returning tackler is linebacker Jeremiah Trojan, who has pledged to UCLA. He tallied 72 tackles last year. In the secondary, Jamar Brown had 60 tackles and intercepted a pair of passes.

Between the full offseason and so many players involved in track, it has allowed the team to make many strides internally since the season ended last October.

"(What's been different is) the ability to develop strength, speed, football IQ, to focus on strong character traits and leadership skills, and classroom habits for success," Zdebski said. "The speed development as a team will be positive for the upcoming season."

The run that Hamilton went on for 16 years at the highest division may never be matched again (Chandler's is currently at five years). The Huskies lost more than two games in a season just once in that stretch (and that was 3 defeats in 2013) and had a record of 199-20. Longtime dynasties eventually fall like they did in earlier times at Mountain View and St. Mary's.

Still, the expectation from Zdebski, who is in the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, is to return to that glory. He guided Walled Lake Western to a state title and won 160 games at that school. When he was interested in relocating to Arizona, Hamilton was the only school he put an application in for.

"(The expectation is) to get back to where we were," Zdebski said. "The history is incredible and the future is looking strong."

It's worth noting that three of the Huskies' losses last year came by a touchdown or less, so they were just a few plays away from a winning record. School begins this Tuesday, and official varsity practices start on July 29. The schedule is identical to last year's, which means the opener on Aug. 23 (at Chaparral) is a chance to avenge one of those narrow defeats. Hamilton fell to the Firebirds, 36-33 in overtime last year.

"The development of our coaching staff and players has been on track," Zdebski said. "Now, we need the results on Friday nights."