Team: Coolidge
Mascot: Bears
City: Coolidge
Head coach: Carlo
Hernandez
2006 Record: 12-1
Region: 3A South
Schedule
8/24- Round
Valley
8/31- Blue
Ridge
9/14-
Maricopa
9/21- Globe
9/28- @ Florence
10/5- Empire
10/12- @ Fountain
Hills
10/19-
Safford
10/26- Santa Cruz Valley
Key Losses: QB/DB Jesse Wheeler, RB/DB TJ
White, WR/LB Damar White, LB Sharrod Peace, OL Ian Gillespie, DL Shavar McKaney,
OL Josh Thornton
Key Returners: RB/LB Brad Jackson, RB Jeremy Ross, K Cody Barber, RB Jayrome Cade, LB Andrew Ashford, DL Wyn
Henderson
Breakdown
Coolidge has been one of the class
teams of 3A over the past few years. Head coach Carlo Hernandez has done a great
job! They won the 3A title last year beating Blue
Ridge and of course there are loses but Coach Hernandez feels that
the Bears have a very strong junior class and they will reload with players from
a 7-2 JV squad. Replacing Jesse Wheeler, TJ White and Damar White will not be
easy but Coolidge has a couple of the best players in 3A ready to show the state
that they will not fall off. RB/LB Brad Jackson is back after rushing for 1000
yards and d-lineman Wyn Henderson returns to wreak havoc.
Hernandez says, “I believe our
entire junior class has made the most improvements in the off season. We our
without a doubt a junior dominated team, that being said, they are a very solid
class and do not want to be a part of a team that does not reach our team goal,
a state championship.”
The team has worked hard to
accomplish that goal this off-season. They performed well at several passing
league tournaments. Hernandez tells us about those tourneys, “For as young as we
are we had a very good 7 on 7 season. We went undefeated at CDO until we lost to
Sunnyside in the quarterfinals. (We) lost to Phoenix Christian in the
championship game at Florence on a last second play. (We) won the
Empire tournament, which was mostly made up of 3A south teams, had a very good
showing at the Ironwood tourney, going undefeated the first night and gaining a
second seed with Desert Vista taking the #1 seed. (We) also beat and probably
angered a very good Chaparral team. We ended up losing in the semis to Chap and
to be honest the second time around was not even close. We ended our summer by
traveling to Albuquerque, NM and as the smallest team in the tourney we placed 3rd
beating a team from Colorado and only losing to the team that won
it, in triple overtime, Aztec I believe was their name.”
Coach Hernandez adds, “(The)
strengths of our team is that I believe this is the best TEAM I have had in my
eight years. Not saying they are my most talented…yet.”
Expect Coolidge to be a contender
again.