Brad Cesmat
I dropped in on Hamilton football this past week. One of the crown jewels of Arizona high school football had been brought to its knees in late March after a hazing scandal.
It was “Mo-Town Friday” in the weight room. Sweat was dripping, the clanging of iron was mixing in with Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell belting out “Aint No Mountain High Enough.” Several of the players were singing too(might want to stick to football).
Arizona State offensive coordinator Billy Napier was on campus watching Husky quarterback Tyler Shough throw.
A short time later Husky running back Jawhar Jordan was on the phone with coaches from Rutgers. Jordan has lights out speed and could be on the Sun Devils radar as a slot receiver.
Shough hasn’t been offered a scholarship by ASU yet, though Alabama and Michigan have called and presented him a full-ride. With spring ball practices starting on campus Monday, dozens of major college coaches are going to be at the school to watch Shough throw. His 4.4 GPA, big frame(6″4), and leadership skills will be on display. His recruitment will open up exposure for his teammates which is a good thing for ANY program.
Husky head coach Steve Belles was reassigned by the Chandler Unified School District once the hazing scandal was uncovered. He won’t be on the field Monday. He’s still not present on campus as part of the reassignment. The longer that he is away, the more likely it appears to me that he won’t return as coach. I could be wrong, just my opinion. Assistant Principal Dick Baniszewski will be leading the spring workouts. “Bano”, as he’s known in the Chandler community, is a good man and close friend of Belles. This cannot be easy for either one of them.
The cameras, writers, and reporters will show up on campus this week to tell the spring football story and the after affects of the scandal. Lives have been changed forever by the actions of a few. Coaches and administrators that I’ve spoken with around the state have said the same thing over and over “this could’ve easily been us.” So they are re-doubling their efforts and message to 15-18 years olds that hazing can’t happen. Doesn’t mean that it won’t. If you think that high school coaches and administrators can control the actions of 15-18 year olds 24/7 your not dealing with reality.
Still more chapters to come, on and off the field, at Hamilton…
