By Zach Alvira
Head of Content
The Arizona high school football off-season is in full swing. That means transfers, firings and new hires across the state.
Many media outlets do a fantastic job of covering every coaching change throughout the year, including the Arizona Republic, Arizona Varsity's Gridiron Arizona and the AZHSFB Coaches Carousel account on X, among many others.
With that, the team at Hypamark has compiled a list that outlines the timeline of head coaches getting hired at schools that made a change or were forced into a change (retirement) this off-season.
Dec. 1, 2024 - Canyon View hires JR Alcantar
A longtime coach in the Arizona high school football scene, Alcantar will return to the role of head coach next season for Canyon View, replacing Nick Gehrts. Alcantar was the head coach at Cesar Chavez from 2017-2020. Recently, he served as an assistant coach at Liberty.
Dec. 5, 2024 - Pat Purnell named first head coach at Goodyear
The newest high school in the West Valley tabbed its first-ever head coach in Canyon View assistant Pat Purnell in early December. Goodyear, the home of the Mavericks, will open with only freshmen.
Dec. 7, 2024 - Eli Schoettmer hired at Kingman
Kingman moved quick with hiring a new head coach, tabbing Eli Schoettmer as its new leader. Schoettmer spent a year as the assistant athletic director at Hawaii Pacific.
Dec. 16, 2024 - Ben Kullos leaves Kellis for O'Connor
Ben Kullos is a name to look out for in the years to come. He revitalized the Raymond S. Kellis program, taking the Cougars to the postseason last year. Now, he takes over at Sandra Day O'Connor after Brian Cole was dismissed following the 2024 season.
Dec. 17, 2024 - Josh Sekoch named new head coach at Paradise Honors
Paradise Honors wasted little time tabbing Sekoch as its new head coach. He previously spent three years at Youngker in Buckeye.
Dec. 19, 2024 - Jay Campos becomes Mica Mountain's second head coach
Campos was tabbed to become just the second head football coach in the short history of Mica Mountain. Pat Nugent, a coaching legend who built the program from the ground up and won a state title this past season, announced his retirement shortly after hoisting the trophy. Campos spent 14 years at Sabino.
Dec. 20, 2024 - West Point promotes Brian Walker
Walker served as an assistant coach at West Point before he was elevated to the head coaching role in November. Walker spent 12 years as the head coach at Tempe High School.
Dec. 20, 2024 - Ty Wisdom returns to Arizona to lead Chandler
Fresh off a state championship with Millard South in Nebraska, Ty Wisdom now returns to Arizona to lead an East Valley juggernaut in Chandler. He takes over after Rick Garretson announced his retirement from coaching following the 2024 season. Wisdom previously coached Horizon and Desert Vista before going to Nebraska.
Dec. 26, 2024 - Vernon Smith elevated to head coach at Yuma Catholic
Yuma Catholic didn't look to far for its next head coach, tabbing assistant coach Vernon Smith as the next man at the helm to take over for Rocky Stallworth. Smith inherits a program of great tradition and success, but will have a challenge at the 5A level unless the Shamrocks win their appeal with the AIA Executive Board to move down to 4A.
Dec. 27, 2024 - Eric Lauer makes the short move to Corona del Sol
Just weeks after announcing he was stepping down at Mountain Pointe, Lauer was named the new head coach at Corona del Sol. The inter-district rival on the Pride was previously led by Jake Barro, who stepped down after three seasons.
Jan. 7, 2025 - Jesse Hart leaves Florence for Mesquite
A graduate of Dobson, Hart flourished at Florence High School, taking the Gophers to the postseason multiple times. His coaching experiences spans all across the Valley, from Mountain View to Dobson to Westview.
Jan. 7, 2025 - Daniel Saenz returns to Catalina Foothills
Saenz previously led the Falcons from 2021-23 but, according to Gridiron Arizona, left due to time constraints with the Air Force. He now returns to lead the Falcons once again.
Jan. 13, 2025 - Joe Bushman bringing college pedigree to Casteel
Casteel was arguably one of the top jobs open this off-season after Bobby Newcombe stepped down. Athletic Director Kraig Leuschner wasted no time finding his successor, tabbing former Lewis and Clark College coach Joe Bushman as his guy.
Jan. 15, 2025 - Jon Roberts named new Mountain Pointe head coach
Roberts takes over Mountain Pointe after revamping the Vista Grande program, taking it from 13 players to an average of 120. The Spartans also made the postseason under him.
Jan. 15, 2025 - Jeremy Beamon taking over Desert Ridge
Longtime Casteel assistant Jeremy Beamon was announced as the Desert Ridge head coach Wednesday. Though, he has been in the position for weeks. Beamon brings a wealth of experience to the Jaguar program.
Jan. 15, 2025 - Scott Hare returning to Arizona to lead Crismon
Another homecoming in the East Valley as Scott Hare, who led Mesquite to back-to-back 4A state titles, will return to lead Crismon. Hare spent the last two seasons at Eastlake in Washington. His coaching resume includes being the head coach at Mesa and an assistant for a year under Joseph Ortiz at Perry while he pursued his doctorate.
Jan. 16, 2025 - Chris Miranda to lead Raymond S. Kellis
Former Sandra Day O'Connor assistant coach Chris Miranda announced on Twitter/X Thursday evening he had accepted the head coaching job at Raymond S. Kellis. He takes over for Ben Kullos, who left Kellis for the head job at O'Connor.
Jan. 22, 2025 - Dominik Bonilla hired to lead Rio Rico
Bonilla, who turned around the Tombstone program after taking over that program in 2020, has been hired to lead Rio Rico. Under Bonilla, Tombstone had two consecutive winning seasons in 2023 and 2024 after going 0-7 the year before he took over.
Jan. 23, 2025 - Santiago Maldonado hired by Sunrise Mountain
Per Sports360AZ's Eric Sorenson, Sunrise Mountain tabbed former Moon Valley head coach Santiago Madonado to be the next head football coach for the Mustangs. Maldonado led the Rockets for four seasons before making the move to Sunrise Mountain.
Jan. 23, 2025 - Jeremy Hathcock returning to Mesa to lead Jackrabbits
Jeremy Hathcock called East Mesa home for 15 years as he led the Desert Ridge Jaguars. He returned to his home town of Lakeside where he became head coach and athletic director for his alma mater, Blue Ridge. After a successful run, he took his blue-collar style to Buckeye and led the Verrado Vipers to the 5A quarterfinals this past season.
Now, he returns to Mesa, just not as far east, as he will become the next head coach of the Mesa Jackrabbits.
Jan. 31, 2025 -- Loren Dawson taking over at Vista Grande
Loren Dawson has been hired to lead the Vista Grande football team, the school announced in a letter to families Friday, Jan. 31. Dawson, a Casa Grande native, returns to his home city to lead the Spartans after former coach Jon Roberts departed for Mountain Pointe. Dawson spent the last two seasons leading ALA Ironwood, building the program into yet another power within the charter schools community.
Many positions remain open
Many head coaching positions remain open, with some expected to announce a new head coach in the coming days.
This list will be updated as new coaches are hired.
Current openings
ALA-Ironwood
ALA-Vistancia
Alhambra
Amphitheater
Apache Junction
Arizona College Prep
Bourgade Catholic
Catalina
Centennial
Cholla
Florence
Lee Williams
La Joya
Maryvale
McClintock
Miami
Moon Valley
Nogales
Poston Butte
Red Rock
Rio Rico
Snowflake
Tombstone
Verrado
Youngker
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