MHS football charging up for challenging new season

By Ethan McSweeney
[quote_box_right]Key players
Zach Bachelder, Senior, QB
Dakota Halverson, Senior, OL, DL
Nickolas Carbajal, Senior, OL, DL
Kenny Oliver, Senior, WR, DB
Longman Pyne, Junior, WR, DB
Johnny Smith, Senior, DL
Jackson Stensgard, Senior, DL[/quote_box_right]
For Maricopa High School football, bouncing back from a disappointing finish last season may be more difficult this fall as strong competition lies ahead.

The 2015 season ended on a sour note, with the Rams losing three of their last four games after a 6-0 start, missing a playoff berth on a 7-3 record.

Head coach Chris McDonald said while that “left a bad taste in my mouth,” the way the team performed got them one step closer to becoming a perennial playoff team.

“That’s what I’m expecting, and that’s what the kids are expecting,” said McDonald, who is starting his third season as head coach at Maricopa. “They’ve been working hard as a team, and overall as a team I think we’re stronger.”

Returning senior lineman Jackson Stensgard agrees. “I see a lot of young guys stepping up. We’ve got a ton of guys from the freshman team that are doing absolutely wonderful. They went undefeated last year. A lot of good wide receivers, good O linemen,” he said. “We’re coming together as a unit a lot better with those younger guys. It’s helping a lot.”

Stensgard sees team speed and pass defense continuing to be strengths for the Rams.

McDonald said the Rams have played hard in the offseason, working out four days a week at 7 a.m. and playing seven-on-seven scrimmage games. In mid-July, the Rams took off for a weeklong camp in Winslow before officially starting practice on July 25.

The Schedule
The upcoming fall season is the first with realigned divisions from the Arizona Interscholastic Association, the governing body for high school sports. Under the newly-drawn divisions, Maricopa is in 5A, the second-largest tier of schools.

This division is a step up from last season when the Rams played in Division III, which was then for the third-largest tier of schools. Now in the 5A Metro conference, Maricopa will face teams like Apollo and Sunnyslope in league play.

New opponents are up and down the schedule: Division III state runner-up Paradise Valley in Week 2 and defending Division I state champion Centennial in Week 4. Last year, the largest schools in the state competed in Division I.

MHS Athletic Director Mark Cisterna said he thought last year’s formula that had Maricopa in a lower division was fair because it took school size into account along with previous records and the makeup of the student body. Because records were taken into account, some sports at Maricopa, like a strong girls’ basketball program, would compete in different divisions.

Under the realignment this year, division placement depends strictly on enrollment. The growing student population at Maricopa means all sports jumped up one level.

“It will be a very competitive conference for all our sports,” Cisterna said. “Whether we’re ready or not, here we come.”

The Rams hope to be ready as a bevy of new players take the field for varsity this season as several key players graduated. McDonald said, though, he expects this year’s senior class to step up as team leaders.

The Rams’ first game is Aug. 19. They will travel to Surprise for the game against Willow Canyon, which finished last season 2-8.

The Team
Starting at quarterback this year is senior Zach Bachelder, who hasn’t played behind center for two years, McDonald said.

“He doesn’t have a varsity start under his belt, but he gives us the best opportunity to win,” McDonald said.

The Rams will also move to a more traditional offense with the quarterback starting under center, McDonald said, moving away from the spread offense he’s run in the past. He said he expects to have Bachelder take to the air often this season with a talented receiving corps.

Among other key players this season are senior Kenny Oliver and junior Longman Pyne at wide receiver and defensive back positions, seniors Dakota Halverson and Nickolas Carbajal on offensive and defensive line, and senior “impact player” Johnny Smith on defensive line.

Stensgard was a question mark to return. Though a team captain and a Second Team All Section selection last year, Stensgard’s baseball training was his top priority over the summer. But as the football season came closer, he received a message from an assistant coach saying the team would be willing to have him back if he would put in the extra work to catch up.

“I just want to be able to help everybody out on the defense, since that’s my forte,” Stensgard said. “That communication, that camaraderie, all of that is what’s going to bring us together more than anything else. That would be my No. 1 goal over statistics or something like that.”

The varsity Rams have also pulled up sophomores, whom McDonald expects to get some playing time under their belts this season. Last year, the Rams JV team went 4-5, while the freshman team was undefeated at 9-0.

“We’re going to be young this year, that’s for sure,” McDonald said.

“The thing I’m looking forward to is to see how this team comes together and what type of legacy they’re going to create for the 2016 year,” McDonald said. “A lot of these kids are going on their third year in my program. I want to see how far they’ve come.”

SCHEDULE
Date             Location        Time           Opponent
Aug. 12        Scottsdale    7:30 p.m.    Notre Dame Prep. (scrimmage)
Aug. 19        Surprise         7 p.m.         Willow Canyon High School
Aug. 26        Maricopa       7 p.m.          Paradise Valley High School
Sept. 2         Maricopa       7 p.m.          Desert View High School
Sept. 9         Peoria            7 p.m.          Centennial High School
Sept. 16       Phoenix        7 p.m.          North Canyon High School
Sept. 30       Maricopa       7 p.m.          Ironwood High School (Homecoming)
Oct. 7           Glendale       7 p.m.          Apollo High School
Oct. 14         Maricopa       7 p.m.          Sunnyslope High School
Oct. 21         Maricopa       7 p.m.          Raymond S. Kellis High School (Senior Night)
Oct. 28         Tempe           7 p.m.          McClintock High School

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This story appears in part in the August issue of InMaricopa.