Justin MacDonald is in his first few months as coach of the Apache Junction football team after taking over for Rich Milligan. He talks to the Coaches Corner about the experience thus far.

Apache Junction football coach Justin MacDonald resigned last week, citing a need to spend more time with family.

Longtime Apache Junction assistant Jeff Rathjen was named interim football coach for the Prospectors' 2012 season.

With the Matt Gracey era of Mesquite football a couple weeks away from beginning, we caught up with him to talk about his new schemes, style of play and the fortunes of having a quarterback who play his way.

Fresh off a 7-4 season and playoff appearance in 2010, Perry coach Preston Jones took his team to Show Low for camp last week. Upon returning and in the midst of school starting this week, the man whose built Perry from its beginning paused to rave about his offensive leader, the rest of his team’s unknowns and question why the Pumas have a most random of schedules.

Every year, it seemed, Apache Junction football coach Rich Milligan spent his spring worrying about how to fill his freshman head coaching spot.

Apache Junction Prospectors

After a few bumps in the road, Campo Verde got its first “official” season off on the right foot. The Coyotes even left their mark. Or more precisely, the Coyote fans left their mark.

Apache Junction Prospectors

Maybe it was because his own house is short on healthy bodies this month. Maybe he hasn’t had time to learn about the rest of his newly-aligned neighbors. Maybe he simply doesn’t care.

Here come the hires.

Frank Sinatra crooned a thing or two about happiness coming “The Second Time Around,” and though The Chairman of the Board never met East Valley high school football coaches, they share his sentiment.

The name couldn’t be more apropos.

Transition period

Here are some of the top storylines heading into the first week of the regular season:

Higley Knights

January 1, 2005

EL PASO, Texas - Arizona State's duo of understudies — a second-string quarterback and a fourth-string tailback — came up huge on a big-game stage.

January 1, 2005

November 8, 2004

November 7, 2004

It was a John Elway night for Arizona State quarterback Andrew Walter against Stanford. The senior from Grand Junction, Colo., surpassed the Stanford legend as the career leader in touchdown passes in the Pac-10 with 80.

1 Sam or Rudy?