Walden Grove’s family-oriented football program is no stranger to the postseason

Walden Grove’s postseason stay was shorter than expected, but under head coach Corey Noble, the Red Wolves have become a playoff fixture.

Last week, No. 13 Walden Grove lost 52-46 to No. 20 Phoenix Northwest Christian. The Red Wolves’ bid to stave off the upset on fourth-and-goal came up short in the waning seconds.

Noble took the blame for the loss, but it came after Northwest Christian recovered back-to-back onside kicks.

“I let us down (Friday) night,” Noble said. “I didn’t have us executing in some big moments and that falls on me to make us make sure that we’re ready to execute and that we do the right things and we didn’t, I’ll learn and get better, unfortunately, it doesn’t help the seniors.”

In nine seasons as head coach, Noble has made the playoffs six times. One of those non-playoff seasons was 2020, where they went 3-1 but didn’t play enough games to go to the postseason, and another was 2022, where they went 8-2.

After Walden Grove missed the postseason by .27 points, finishing No. 17, it upgraded its schedule and has made it three straight seasons. Last year, it won its first playoff game, 30-20, at Northwest Christian.

“I love Walden Grove, I came here as a freshman and played a little bit of varsity and I just love it and they treat us very like family,” said junior cornerback Jordan Dobson, who had a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on Friday. “They treat us like their own kids, they’re just perfect, I wouldn’t play for another school if I could.”

Noble has won the 2017 Kino Region Coach of the Year as well as the 2022, 2019 and 2018 Gila Region Coach of the Year.

“It was amazing, he took me in, I love the experience; he helped me through my ups and downs,” said Walden Grove junior quarterback Gauge Abalos. “He just helped me overall and get better each day, day in day out, it was amazing, I love Noble as a coach, he’s the best coach I’ve ever had in my life; I’m looking forward to next year with him.”

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Noble graduated from Sahuarita High in 2008 and coached there while he played for Pima College, and then when he went to the University of Arizona. When Sahuarita’s second high school, Walden Grove, opened in 2011, he moved there and has been a fixture ever since.

He also started up their wrestling program.

“I mostly grew up down here, moved down here when I was young ... coached in the town pretty much since I graduated before Walden was a school and been here since it opened, and I love this town,” Noble said. “I love this school, and we’re in a really good spot right now, and I’m gonna do everything I can to get better.

I’ve been on some teams that weren’t successful, so in the big picture, I know how special it is to have a chance to be successful year in and year out, but I’m getting tired of playing in playoff games and not winning them.”

In 2017, he became interim head coach after Chris May stepped down in the summer.

The Red Wolves went 7-4 and reached the playoffs after going 3-7 in 2016. In Walden Grove’s first four seasons, it went 5-5 twice, 6-4 and 4-6. The 2017 playoffs were the team’s first appearance.

In 2022, he became Walden Grove’s athletic director, too.

“I really enjoy it, there are challenges to it, I couldn’t do it if I didn’t have the top-notch phenomenal, amazing coaching staff that I have,” Noble said. “It wouldn’t be possible without them because there are things that take me away from football, in some ways more than I would like, but I knew that’s what I was signing up for and like I said, I got an amazing coaching staff that is able to hold down the fort when I need them to and really propel this program forward and I enjoy being able to be more a part of all the sports and do that.

“I really miss being in the classroom, but I enjoy being able to do that and it allows me some flexibility to spend some more time with my daughter, which is really cool, a super important part of it.”