Ten years ago, Sabino’s Jay Campos prepared to coach in his first state championship game – the first of three in a span of five seasons.
“It’s amazing what it does to the school,” Campos said. “When you get to the finals, it seems like everything is revolving school-wide about getting to that game Friday or Saturday.”
A decade after Campos got to experience that stage for the first time, two more Southern Arizona football coaches are getting their introduction.
The teams of Benson’s Chris Determan and Pusch Ridge Christian’s Troy Cropp will be playing for state championships on Saturday at Scottsdale Chaparral.
The top-seeded Bobcats take on No. 2 Glendale Joy Christian in the Division V final, while No. 3 Pusch Ridge plays eighth-seeded Phoenix Northwest Christian in the Division IV title game.
As Determan and Cropp prepare for their first championship appearances this weekend, the Star caught up with five local coaches who have done the same over the last decade.
Here’s what they had to say.
Jay Campos, Sabino
Championship debut: 2005 Class 4A-I state final at Arizona Stadium
The outcome: No. 1 Glendale Cactus 30, No. 6 Sabino 7
Biggest concern: “The first time around, it was just trying to eliminate some of the distractions,” said Campos, who has since coached in two more title games. He said the media presence at practice “got out of control a little bit.”
Best memory: “It was just a fun experience to be in that stadium at the UA; just the atmosphere, knowing that we were playing in Tucson. That was a lot of fun being in that environment.”
Advice: “Embrace the moment. There’s no guarantees you’re ever going to get back to it … It’s just so hard in this day and age to get to that game, so enjoy every moment, enjoy the week leading up to it, enjoy the extra time you get to spend with your kids and your team.”
Pat Nugent, CDO
Championship debut: 2007 Class 4A-I state final at University of Phoenix Stadium
The outcome: No. 1 Scottsdale Saguaro 23, No. 6 Canyon del Oro 21
Biggest concern: “There’s no question our biggest concern was Scottsdale Saguaro. They were a powerhouse team and we knew that. It was also keeping the kids focused; we had a bigger goal than getting to the final and that was winning the title.”
Best memory: “It was such a school event for us. I remember the Friday before we played we basically shut the school down to have a pep assembly at lunchtime. The entire student body was out there, cheering for one thing only — and that was for football.”
Advice: “You’ve got to try to stay in your routine, try to do what your kids have done best and remember you’re still playing a football game.”
Dustin Peace, CDO
Championship debut: 2009 Class 4A-I state final at Arizona Stadium
The outcome: No. 1 Canyon del Oro 40, No. 7 Sabino 0
Biggest concern: Peace was an assistant coach when CDO reached the title game in 2007 so he benefited from all the extra activities that week. “We knew how to embrace it, how to have fun with it and how to use it,” he said.
Best memory: “The greatest thing about how things worked out for us is that we were able to be at Arizona Stadium, in Arizona’s locker room. Just having that hometown feel, not having to travel far or anything and being able to do it in front of essentially a home crowd — that was unique and awesome.”
Advice: “Not to coach it any differently than you normally have, not to do anything different than you normally have.”
Matt Johnson, Ironwood Ridge
Championship debut: 2012 Division II state final at Sun Devil Stadium
The outcome: No. 3 Ironwood Ridge 27, No. 4 Peoria Centennial 3
Biggest concern: “Our whole focus was ‘Don’t be happy to be here; show up and compete.’ I didn’t want everybody feeling so happy that we were in the state championship that we didn’t give our best effort in the game.”
Best memory: “Probably apologizing to the kids on Monday — before we even had our practice — that I was going to be more intense and that they’d better be ready for it.”
Advice: “I’m friends with Troy over at Pusch Ridge, so I already texted him ‘good luck this week’ and I told him to enjoy the moment … It’s like the old ‘Hoosiers’ scene: It’s the same field, it’s the same ball, it’s the same game — it’s just on a different stage, there’s just more people watching.”
Dennis Bene, Salpointe
Championship debut: 2013 Division II state final at Arizona Stadium
The outcome: No. 1 Salpointe Catholic 46, No. 3 Scottsdale Chaparral 20
Biggest concern: Coming up with the best possible game plan. “I thought we were playing at a high, high level so I had all the confidence in the world in our kids.”
Best memory: A goal-line stand in the second quarter that was followed by a 98-yard touchdown catch by Cam Denson. “I thought the game was ours at that time,” Bene said. “I was up in the booth and just watching how hard our kids were playing, that was the best memory.”
Advice: “When you get to that point, in the state championship, obviously you have a talented team. You have kids that can run and tackle; you’re not going to re-invent the wheel in Week 14. Just keep playing to your strengths.”
