I believe in making Sahuaro’s Football program great again. Sahuaro High has almost always been known for having outstanding athletic programs, but for the last two years, Sahuaro’s football team hasn’t lived up to the great legacy it once lived upon. Sahuaro Football used to be known for having a competitive team or playing in playoffs, but since the 2014 team known as “Derik Hall’s group” who went 9-2 (W/L) their senior year, Sahuaro’s team has been on a down slope. The 2015 season, which was our freshman year, the varsity team went 5-6 and that was the last time Sahuaro has been to the playoffs.

After growing up a little bit, I realized that despite the team’s record, Sahuaro has a great team (talent wise). We just didn’t find our “click.” I remember the last playoff game, it was a freezing Friday night at Skyline High School, and Sahuaro #16 (which is the last playoff seed) played Skyline High School (Phoenix).  Even though I didn’t play, it was one of the longest games I had been a part of. Sahuaro lost in this final seconds against the best team in Arizona by a dropped pass, the final score score was 10-15, Skyline. The next year, Sahuaro barely missed playoffs for the first time in years. The senior class that year lacked heart as they went 3-7; the team had lots of talent but too much attitude and not enough heart. Then there was the 2017 class with a total of 6 seniors but over 25 juniors on varsity. Our junior class had lots of talent and athleticism but were inexperienced. So 2017 was our season to prepare for this year.

Now our team, with 19 returning starters, is going to playoffs and we beat Sabino for the first time in 4 years. Our team found our “click”, we are 7-2 and are on track to have 2 home playoff games which hasn’t happened in 23 years. We’re making Sahuaro football great again. No-one will ever know the blood, sweat, and tears (@Richard Campbell) that we put in to get here. No matter how cliche it sounds, it’s our glue. Talent isn’t the only thing that helps us win, it’s our bond. Our team is a 56-piece puzzle, we all have something different that makes us such a tight unit. Even though our teammates’ friend groups are based on our life experiences and/or position group, we still find a way to fit the puzzle that started making Sahuaro Football great again.