Last year under first-year head coach Doug Provenzano Goldwater won twice as many games (four) as they did the previous three years combined.
This fall the young Bulldogs are looking for even bigger and better things, thanks in large part to talented senior quarterback Jordan Gourley who was forced to sit out his entire junior year after transferring in from 2A Paradise Honors High School in Surprise last year.
Gourley will certainly make an impact with his play on the field this fall but it’s what he did off it last year which impressed his coach the most.
“The thing I really like about him is he handles himself like an adult,” Provenzano, who coached Gourley at Paradise Honors, said to Sports360AZ.com. “He’s a guy we don’t have to worry about when no one’s looking. He’s always going to do the right things. ”
He certainly did the right things in his two seasons with the Panthers accounting for 17 touchdowns, while throwing just three interceptions.
The 6-foot-3, 170-pounder’s summer will be busy further familiarizing himself with his group of young skill players, as well as working with his personal quarterback coach on Sundays.
“I’ve been putting in a lot of off-season work to perfect my craft,” Gourley explained to Sports360AZ.com. “You can always get better. You’ll never know everything so hopefully it pays off at the end.”
2019 QB Jordan Gourley continued his impressive spring, leading Barry Goldwater to the championship over Mountain Ridge in the GBAC 7v7 B bracket. pic.twitter.com/tGBGaTVCal
— ArizonaVarsity.com ???? (@AZHSFB) May 26, 2018
The dual-threat signal-caller says he patterns his game after some of the NFL’s elite, both past and present. He cites Tom Brady, Cam Newton and Michael Vick as examples of players he likes to model between the white lines under the Friday night lights.
Just the start to something BIG.. ??✊? pic.twitter.com/wIWh6UEmE5
— Jordan Gourley (@GourleyJordan) March 13, 2018
Gourley already has an offer from Benedictine College and interest from TCU, NAU, Montana, Montana State, Marshall, Cal-Poly and a number of other schools around the country.
“Jordan to me is a Division I quarterback,” Provenzano said. “He has goals. He has a vision for himself and we’re just helping him along with that vision.”
Bulldog mentality, indeed.
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Eric Sorenson
A Valley native, Eric has had a passion for the Arizona sports scene since an early age. He has covered some of the biggest events including Super Bowls, national championships and the NBA and MLB playoffs in his near 20 years in local media.