Southern Arizona's high school football coaches sum up their seasons in a single word

As a general rule, coaches football coaches are men of few words, choosing them carefully and making sure they fit the situation to a T.

The Star put that talent to good use, asking coaches across the region to describe their experience coaching during unprecedented circumstances using just one word.

Here’s what the coaches who responded had to say. Their responses have been lightly edited to reflect Star style:

If you had to use one word to describe being a coach during the pandemic, what would it be?

Corey Noble, Walden Grove: “Proud. Nothing was easy and nothing was given to these young men. They had to work for and grind for everything they were able to do. It was a challenge but I learned a lot about the quality of these young men and how strong and resilient they are!”

Dustin Peace, Canyon del Oro: “Patient.”

Ryan McBrayer, Sabino: “Persevere. It took a lot to get our couple games with many different speed bumps and a lot of different people made it happen. It was incredibly difficult but we got through it together.”

Jake Allen, Pueblo: “Perspective-enhancing. As bizarre as it sounds, this season made me feel more grateful for football, my players, and my coaching staff than ever before. Every day out on the practice field felt like a gift this year. We didn’t know day to day if it would be our last practice or game which made you enjoy the little things more than ever before.”

Jorge Mendivil, Amphi: “Grateful.”

Pat Nugent, Cienega: “Difficult.”

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Jay Dobyns, Tanque Verde: “Wonderful. I got to see firsthand the resiliency of our players.”

Khyree Copeland, Rincon/University: “Confusing!”

Virgil Henderson, Cholla: “Patience.”

Mike Wells, Palo Verde: “One word to describe being a coach during this pandemic? Seeing how important for our players health and mental health it was for them, I’d have to say, CRUCIAL!!”

Louie Ramirez, Marana: “RESILIENT.”

Scott Cortese, Flowing Wells: “Frustrating.”

Matt Johnson, Mountain View: “Challenging.”

Justin Argraves, Tucson: “Adaptable. Every day, we as a program had to adapt to constant changes and unpredictability.”

James Hardy, Ironwood Ridge: “Challenging.”

Glenn Posey, Sunnyside: “Frustrating. We believe we could have been a very good team this year returning Sunnyside Football back as a Southern Arizona powerhouse.”