Chris Eaton
It was in 2009 that the second high school in the city of Casa Grande opened. That would be Vista Grande, which is the younger brother by a few generations (89 years, to be exact). The Spartans have had some success in the program of late with seven-win seasons in each of the past three years. VGHS is nipping at the heels of Casa Grande Union (established in 1920) and will be moving up to join the Cougars in the 5A Conference in the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Both schools are currently slated to be in the Sonoran Region, but Vista Grande has appealed to be in the Southern Region instead.
Due to a combination of the increasing enrollment of Vista Grande (1,957) and the success of the football program, the Spartans will be leaving the 4A Conference, which it has called home since 2018. There will also be some newness this fall as 17 seniors graduate from the school this May. Perhaps, unplanned change also occurred this offseason with a switch at head coach.
On Jan. 15, Jon Roberts, who had coached the Spartans for the past four years, took the open position at Mountain Pointe. A little over two weeks later, Loren Dawson made the move from ALA-Ironwood to Vista Grande. Dawson took over an ALA-IW program that was coming off a 2-7 record in 2022 and led the Warriors to a 15-8 mark, including a pair of playoff appearances.
For Dawson, it’s a move back to the place he grew up. He played for Casa Grande in the ’80s under head coach John Kashner, who is now the interim athletic director at Vista Grande.
Kashner said there were approximately 14 applicants for the position and two candidates were brought in for interviews. He was looking for an experienced coach as opposed to someone looking to land their first head coaching job.
“We’re excited to have him and I think he’s what we need,” Kashner said. “Our football players will be fortunate to have someone of his quality.”
For Kashner, bringing someone in with experience was important as the growing program faces the challenge of 5A and many new starters in 2025.
“We had a senior-dominated team,” Kashner said. “It’s been a struggle to build a team at Vista Grande. One school (in the city) has been around 100 years, one is fairly new. The city of Casa Grande is growing and we’re starting to turn the corner.”
Dawson got his start in coaching in 1990 at Bourgade Catholic. He said it is special to be back in his old stomping grounds once again.
“It was very tough leaving ALAIW,” Dawson said in an e-mail interview. “Great place. Great people. But the opportunity to coach in my hometown, where I now live again was too good to turn down. The only place I would leave ALAIW for is to coach back in Casa Grande.”
While there is a familiarity with the city of Casa Grande, there is a change with the size of the school Dawson is coaching at. ALA-Ironwood (enrollment: 980) is about half the population of his new school. He’s not phased by moving up in conference.
“The size of the school does not matter to me,” Dawson said. “I started my career at Bourgade Catholic with under 35 guys and coached 25+ years of college ball always having at least 100 on the roster. I’m excited for this opportunity as it will be a challenge with losing a huge senior class and moving up to 5A all at the same time. We have great leadership from superintendent Jeff Lavender to principal Vance Danzy to athletic director John Kashner.”
Priority one for Dawson before spring ball begins is getting a staff together, which he’s working on daily. He will be a guidance counselor on campus. Vista Grande has petitioned to move to the Southern Region, but would still likely meet up with Casa Grande in a freedom game if that turns out to be the case. VGHS and CGUHS have not met on the field since 2020. Dawson said it will hopefully be a healthy rivalry that is a great experience for the kids.
While the top nine tacklers will graduate from Vista Grande this May along with the Spartans’ starting quarterback, leading receiver, and two running backs, one of the returners for VGHS this fall will be Brayden Mendoza. As a sophomore, the 6-7, 295-pound left tackle earned Second Team all-region honors. He made big strides in several areas of his game.
“My football IQ improved, allowing me to read plays better and react more quickly,” Mendoza said in an e-mail interview. “I also worked on my techniques, whether it was footwork, hand placement, or tackling fundamentals. Additionally, I got stronger and faster, which helped me to be more physical and make a bigger impact on the field. Overall, I think my confidence grew, and that allowed me to continue to play at a higher level on a team dominated by seniors.”
Mendoza has familiarity with the Spartans’ new head coach. He began his high school career at ALA-Ironwood and played on varsity as a freshman. While he was only with Dawson for a short time, he said it was a great experience and appreciated Dawson’s leadership.
“He pushed us to be our best every day and emphasized discipline, hard work, and accountability,” Mendoza said. “He cares about his players, not just on the field, but off of it as well and he always made sure we were prepared for every game. His coaching style helped me grow as a player and as a person and I’m grateful for the foundation he helped me build at the beginning of my high school career.”
In addition to his region honors, Mendoza had 19 pancake blocks and has accomplished a 3.64 GPA thus far. He’s excited to build on what the Spartans did last year. With so many seniors gone, it’s also an opportunity to step up when it comes to leadership.
“Personally, I want to take my game to the next level, be a leader on and off the field, and contribute in any way I can,” Mendoza said. “I’m also looking forward to competing against tough opponents in the 5A Conference, making big plays, and hopefully having a deep playoff run. It’s going to be a great season and I can’t wait to get to work.”
Last season, Vista Grande entered its final game on the road at Combs standing at No. 11 in the power point rankings. A win was needed to secure that coveted playoff spot as both teams entered with 6-3 records. The Spartans came through with a thrilling 21-16 victory behind 200 passing yards and 115 rushing yards from senior quarterback Eltorna Gant. Sophomore Leewai Tavares caught four passes for 79 yards. Defensively, Athiaun Arol and Nehemiah Naymond Dixon combined for three sacks while Gant intercepted two passes.
Vista Grande defeated Combs to win their 4th straight game and punch their first ticket to the playoffs since 2015. The Spartans visit Prescott on Friday for a rematch of their Sept. 20 loss, looking for their first playoff win in school history (since 2010)
🎥: Bailey Greiling pic.twitter.com/JuzYCzLx0V
— BJ Media (@BJMedia1) November 11, 2024
Reach Chris Eaton at gridironarizona@yahoo.com or DM at @gridironarizona with story ideas.
