WILLIAMS FIELD
Conference/Region: 4A-II/East Sky
2008 record: 8-3 against an independent schedule
Coach: Steve Campbell, first year, 8-3
Returning offensive starters: 11, including running back Brandon Warren, who ran for 1,237 yards last year.
Returning defensive starters: 11, including Dylan Koch, who had 90 tackles and four sacks last year.
Outlook: Williams Field doesn’t plan on easing into its first year of varsity football.
After an 8-3 record last year against an independent schedule when the team didn't yet have seniors, coach Steve Campbell envisions his team being competitive beginning with the season opener Sept. 4 against Dysart.
“We have a team that has a full varsity schedule experience,” Campbell said. “We are excited from that standpoint. Every time we played a team that we matched up with age-wise, we’ve won them all. We haven’t lost. That’s a positive sign, but that’s just a sign, not necessarily an indication. We know we’ll be competitive. We know we’ll be right there with everybody.”
The Blackhawks will be led on offense by Warren and quarterback Nick Gaylord. Warren ran for 1,237 yards last year, averaging nearly 10 yards per carry and 123 yards per game. Gaylord is a dual threat quarterback who only threw for 877 passing yards last year but ran for 688.
Koch had a team-high 90 tackles last season and will be the middle linebacker. Larry Sandrolini had six sacks from the defensive line.
The talent level of the opposition will jump considerably this year for Williams Field, who will have to contend with teams like Scottsdale Notre Dame and Phoenix Arcadia inside its region.
But the group has grown a cohesiveness after playing for multiple years together, and Campbell can see the urgency in his seniors’ eyes. This will be their only year to play a full varsity schedule.
“They have one shot to make their name,” Campbell said.
Schedule:
Sept. 4 vs. Dysart
Sept. 11 vs. Flagstaff
Sept. 18 at Tempe
Sept. 25 at Desert Edge
Oct. 2 vs. Seton Catholic
Oct. 9 vs. Notre Dame
Oct. 16 at Maricopa
Oct. 23 at Higley
Oct. 30 vs. Coronado
Nov. 6 at Arcadia
Key games:
- Sept. 4 vs. Dysart: The first varsity game in the history of Williams Field should show just how competitive they can be this year.
- Sept. 18 at Tempe: The region is loaded with talented teams, but if the Black Hawks have any notion of jumping into the race, this is a game they must win.
- Oct. 23 at Higley: Many of the seniors on the team were set to go to Higley before the new school opened. This game should be intense.
