We’ve seen the Arizona high school football Player of the Year candidates heading into the state playoffs. Now let’s look at the Coach of the Year candidates. Again, much can change in four playoff weeks. No order:

Chris McDonald, Chandler Basha

First-year coach had seven-win teams at Maricopa, but this is his first trip to the state playoffs as a head coach. McDonald took a two-win team and got it to play fast, loose and fun into the 6A playoffs with a 6-4 team. He is the program’s third coach in three years and he’s become a savior.

Brock Farrel, Gilbert Highland

Farrel has taken a bunch of hard-nosed, hard-working high school players who don’t play for the stars (ratings) but for each other and got them to win nine games and demoralize Mesa Desert Ridge with a 51-0 victory to head into the 6A playoffs with a swagger.

Dan Norris, Phoenix North Pointe Prep

From 2-8 to 8-2, this is one of the more remarkable fix-it jobs ever. Two years ago, North Pointe was 0-10. In spring of 2011, it shut down the program after computer scheduling stacked the small, under-sized depleted program against teams like Thunderbird, Cactus and Moon Valley. It restarted the football program. But after five seasons and five head coaches and just four wins, here it is in the 2A state playoffs, getting ready to take on one of the greatest small-school teams of all time, Thatcher, in the first round.

Kerry Taylor, Phoenix Arcadia

Everybody knows how bad the Titans were before Taylor took over. They were outscored 472-29 in 2017 and came into this season having lost 18 of 20 games. In his first year, Taylor had the Titans off to a 5-0 start and finished 6-4, giving a young team hope for a future that now looks very bright.

Dana Zupke, Phoenix Pinnacle

Zupke has probably had more adversity this season than any in his career at Pinnacle. Star quarterback Spencer Rattler was lost for the season with two to play because of a code of conduct violation. Zupke lost his main running back in August to a season-ending injury. He has had to fill spots with players not used to playing those positions. But the Pioneers head into the 6A playoffs at 6-1 and battle-tested.

Mark Smith, Peoria Liberty

There is no such thing as a rebuild in this program. A 5A semifinal team that gave Peoria Centennial its last loss last season was supposed to be depleted, especially on offense this season, as it made the move up a conference. But the Lions rolled to a 9-1 record taking everybody’s best shot. It even had Pinnacle down by a few touchdowns before losing that game by a point.

Jon Kitna, Phoenix Brophy Prep

The Broncos went from 1-9 to 7-3 in the former NFL quarterback’s first season. Granted, the Broncos’ non-region schedule was easier than during the Scooter Molander era. But this is a team that won ugly, playing with incredible passion on defense, running players in and out, keeping bodies fresh and making high-scoring Gilbert Perry work for all 31 of its points. It was the lowest-point total for Perry this season. And that includes playing Chandler.

George Prelock, Scottsdale Notre Dame

His calming demeanor has done wonders for a program that was rocked a few years ago by AIA sanctions. Prelock is only 20-0 during the regular season in his two-year head coaching tenure. More remarkable is that Prelock had to replace every defensive starter this year and the offense was inexperienced, except for All-Arizona RB/WR Jake Smith.

Bobby Newcombe, Queen Creek Casteel

Newcombe did such a good job taking over the program in the summer from Spencer Stowers that the school rewarded him last week by removing the interim tag and naming him the official head coach. Newcombe embraces the small details, shows great patience and intellects and puts players in the best position to succeed. Moving from 3A to 5A is not easy. But the Colts are 8-2 heading into the playoffs with the only losses coming against the two best teams, Centennial and Gilbert Williams Field.

Lamar Early, Goodyear Millennium

Early came into his first season at Millennium last year after undergoing back surgery. With his back strong now, Early took last year’s 4-6 lumps and turned it into 8-2 gold with a 5A state playoff appearance. Not to mention he moved the Tigers forward after their leading rusher transferred to Centennial.

Mark and Marcus Carter, Phoenix South Mountain

The twins were just what the Jaguars needed. They’re enthusiastic from sun up to sun down and they jumpstarted a struggling program into one that went 6-4 this year, even after ramping up the non-region schedule. South Mountain will only get better as long as these guys stay put and stay together.

Doug Provenzano, Phoenix Barry Goldwater

The second-year coach flipped the record from 4-6 to 6-4 this year. Those are major steps, considering the youth of his team. Two years ago, before he took over, the Bulldogs were 1-9.

Rob York, Glendale

The Cardinals came two points away from having their first undefeated regular season since 1980. They’re in the playoffs for the first time in 20 years. And nobody is looking to bolt. They’re getting big linemen, the coaching staff is strong and committed and they’ve got fast playmakers.

Cody Collett, Prescott

Adversity only strengthened the Badgers after two games when Collett stepped in as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. He had the Badgers playing for the Grand Canyon Region championship last week.

Robert Ortiz, Cottonwood Mingus

Ortiz replaced a Cottonwood legend, Bob Young, this year and led it to the Grand Canyon Region title with a win over Prescott. The Marauders went 8-2 and secured a 4A state playoff berth in his first season.

Joseph Ortiz, Glendale Cactus

In his first year as a head coach, he took over a program that got spoiled by Larry Fetkenhier over the course of three-plus decades. Ortiz got the Cobras to play fast and furious and made it to the 4A playoffs.

Mike Moran, Flagstaff Coconino

This guy pulls double duty. He not only heads the football program but the boys basketball program. His team went 7-3 and, if not for region champs receiving an automatic state berth, he would have his Panthers playing this week in the 4A playoffs. Coconino won only two games last year before Moran took over.

Corey Noble, Sahuarita Walden Grove

He guided the 8-2 Red Wolves to their first region championship this year. The program was born eight years ago but made strides in the past two years under Noble, after the school went 3-7 under a different coach two years ago.

Vance Miller, Apache Junction

The Prospectors were on nobody’s radar before they went 7-3, won their region, and clinched a 4A state playoff berth last week.

Mitchell Stephens, Page

It’s rare for teams in the 3A North to beat teams outside the reservation but this team not only beat a couple of White Mountain schools but also knocked off a good Chandler Valley Christian team, while going 9-1. Its only loss was to Snowflake and that game was mostly competitive.

Kirk Sundberg, Valley Christian

From Valor Christian in Colorado, to Valley Christian, Sundberg has done wonders in his first season, leading the Trojans to a 7-3 record and 3A playoff spot a year after they went 3-7.

Mike Mitchell, Wickenburg

He might be the oldest head coach in Arizona. But he hasn’t lost any knowledge that led him to great success through the Pacific Northwest. In his first year, he guided the Wranglers to an 8-2 record after taking the program late.

Ramon Morales, Thatcher

He took over a loaded 2A program suddenly and kept it going strong, acquiring former Thatcher head coach Don Conrad, now the school’s athletic director, to be his offensive coordinator. The Eagles, who use a bevy of backs in a punishing ground game, have outscored 10 opponents 161-21.

Brandon Newcomb, Whiteriver Alchesay

He has made this Apache Indian reservation school a power with a 9-1 record that included a 14-6 win over 3A Lakeside Blue Ridge in the second game of the season.

Chris Goodman, Chandler Prep

Even after being diagnosed with diabetes during the season, the former Marine didn’t skip a beat. He has completely changed the culture at this 2A charter school, leading it to five consecutive wins to finish the season and going 8-2. He has not had a losing record in his four years as head coach. The year before he took over it went 0-10.

READ MORE

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him at twitter.com/azc_obert.