Mike Wells has been around football so long that it wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone if he woke up thinking about it and went to sleep with the game on his mind. That is, when he gets the chance to sleep.
Wells was born in Ohio, where the small towns around him would “shut down” every Friday for games.
Wells played under legendary coach Jeff Scurran at Sabino High School in the 1990s, then joined Scurran on the sidelines at both Santa Rita and Catalina Foothills.
When Scurran decided to retire at the end of last season, Wells decided to give head coaching a try. He’s now in charge of a Palo Verde program that hasn’t had a winning season since 2013.
Wells and the Titans (1-2) will look to get back in the win column Friday, when they travel to Empire for a matchup with the 1-2 Ravens. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
“I saw the difference coach Scurran and another mentor of mine, coach (Joe) Abney, made in not only my life, but many of the other kids’ lives and that’s why I got started in coaching,” Wells said. “I started just helping with my son’s Pop Warner team when they needed some extra guys and quickly saw the impact I could have in their lives. From there, it has been a great ride.”
For Wells, the day doesn’t just begin or end with football. A warehouse manager for Eegee’s, he is up around 3 a.m. five days a week for work. After working eight to 10 hours depending on the day, Wells dedicates time to a small business he owns before heading to Palo Verde for seventh-hour weight training with the team. After study hall and practice, Wells spends time with his wife and three children before diving back into film review.
“Luckily, I seem to function pretty well on about three hours of sleep,” Wells said smiling.
“My family is along for the journey with me and support me through and through. If it wasn’t for them, I couldn’t get it done.”
Head coach Mike Wells checks his roster during Palo Verde Titans football practice at Palo Verde High School, 1302 S. Avenida Vega, Tucson, Ariz. Mike Wells is Palo Verde High School’s new head football coach.
The work ethic is something Wells hopes to instill in his team — not by just talking about it, but by showing it firsthand.
“When we first met in the spring I wrote my schedule on the board for them,” Wells said. “I didn’t do it to try and be like, ‘Oh, I do all this so you should be able to do it too since you’re all young.’ It was more to show them that I’m committed to this. They’ve bought in, and there’s no other way than to lead by example.”
So far, the Titans’ 2019 season has included outcomes on opposite ends of the spectrum.
Palo Verde has been outscored 105-22 in its two losses. The win came in blowout fashion, defeating Catalina 61-0 in Week 2.
“We talk a lot about dealing with adversity,” Wells said. “That’s one of the toughest parts of coaching. We deal with it is by talking about it. The biggest challenge so far is teaching them that if their back is against the wall, the fight still continues. I talk a lot about how games aren’t won or lost on the field; they’re decided by how we carry ourselves throughout the week. We try to win the week.”
The hope is that the weeks will add up. The last TUSD school to win a state championship in football (2005), Palo Verde has gone just 23-67 in the nine seasons following the retirement of Todd Mayfield, who led the Titans to the playoffs in 10 of his 13 seasons as head coach.
Senior Christian Verdugo, center, (61) tries to break a tackle from senior Ceasar Rose (21) and junior Forrest Walker (55) during Palo Verde Titans football practice at Palo Verde High School, 1302 S. Avenida Vega, Tucson, Ariz. Mike Wells is Palo Verde High School’s new head football coach.
The road back to glory for the school will come with challenges, but nobody is as prepared for the task as Wells.
During his time as an assistant, both Santa Rita and Catalina Foothills made state title game appearances following years of futility on the field. The Eagles played for crowns in both 2008 and 2009, and the Falcons went in 2016.
“It starts off by making football important to not just the student-athletes. It’s getting parents and faculty on board, the community, local businesses and even the houses across the street,” Wells said. “The first thing I talked to the kids about is brotherhood and how to build it. We’re so far ahead of where we were when we first started, and the buy-in from the kids has been amazing.”
