Just over three years ago, the football season ended on the field at Estrella Foothills High School in Goodyear. The home team lost to Thunderbird, 52-22. It was the sixth straight loss and second consecutive 1-9 campaign. The Wolves completed six passes in the game, finished with under 100 yards passing and less than 100 yards rushing.
Two months later, administration at EFHS made a coaching change and Michael Spencer was hired. He came in with solid credentials having led Trivium Prep Academy (also in Goodyear) to four region titles in five years. That included an undefeated regular season in 2019.
Spencer faced a daunting task when he took over in January of 2023: the rebuilding of a team that hadn’t seen a six-win season since 2019 and a culture that needed to learn how to win.
To say that the hire has worked out would be an understatement. In his three years at the helm of the Wolves, Spencer has led the team to three straight winning seasons, a record of 23-10, and the school’s first playoff victory in 10 years (and first at the 4A level).
Estrella is a master-planned community in Goodyear in the foothills of the Sierra Estrella Mountains. It opened in 1988 with a pair of new home communities and now has 10 neighborhoods with homes on the market and a population of 21,000. To get there, you head west from Phoenix on the I-10, go south off of Estrella Parkway and go for 10 miles passing the Goodyear Airport and the Goodyear Ballpark. The school is just south of Foothills Community Park and pretty much has the area to itself.
“This team is unique to the high school landscape as we are located up on a hilltop community away from the freeway where we get to home-grow our athletes and players,” Spencer said in an e-mail interview. “Our players love being underestimated and being the underdog and it fuels their passion and pride for making this community in Estrella proud.”
The transformation began in Spencer’s first year and was aided with a realignment that put the Wolves in the 4A Copper Sky Region that provided a more competitive landscape. Players stepped up and Estrella Foothills captured a pair of region titles in 2023 & 2024 along with a playoff spot in the second year.
The experience was a little different in the recently-completed 2025 season. The Wolves graduated many players off of the previous year’s team. Only nine starters returned (three on offense). A new defensive coordinator came in with Austyn Hull. It was time for a a new crew to step up. Complicating matters was a position shift for the first part of the season. A rare transfer came in with quarterback Mickey Raftery from Canyon View. With him having to sit the first five games due to transfer rules, the team’s top receiver manned the QB spot during the non-region portion of the schedule in August and September.
Senior Jacob Rawls held down the signal caller role and led the team to a 5-0 start with two of those coming by one score. He passed for a pair of touchdowns and ran for five more before returning to his usual spot as a wide receiver. Once there, he caught 54 passes for 695 yards and 6 TDs and made First Team All-Region.
When the Wolves needed a game-changing play, it could come from either side of the ball.
“Mickey Raftery made clutch throws late in games with big-time catches by Jacob Rawls and Gavin Knebel,” Spencer said. “Our linebackers, led by Xander Teeter made plays all over the field when we needed big stops as well.”
Raftery, a junior, said the confidence in those crucial situations came from preparation and trust.
“Our coaches put us in competitive, game-like situations every week in practice, so when the moment comes, it feels familiar,” Raftery said in an e-mail interview. “I want to be the Man in the Arena in those moments. We love having a chance to win ball games in the fourth quarter. . .and we believe. We trust our offensive line to protect, the receivers to make plays, and what our coaches teach us to recognize on the field. I’m really just focused on doing my job to the best of my ability and trying to execute for my teammates. When you believe in the guys around you, and hopefully they return that belief, it takes the pressure off and lets you compete freely.”
Raftery finished the year with 1,374 passing yards and nine touchdowns. He also ran for 223 yards and four more TDs (in seven games).
Region play was more challenging in the West Valley and the Wolves found themselves at 6-3 after losses to Youngker, Deer Valley, and Lake Havasu. The team was ranked No. 25 in the AIA 4A power points with just one game to go. The new playoff system expanded from 16 to 24 (which was a good thing with 58 schools in the 4A Conference), but Estrella Foothills was just below the cut line.
In the finale at home against Buckeye, Estrella Foothills was hanging on to a 32-26 lead with the Hawks threatening. Teeter sacked the quarterback on the final play to thwart the attempt and secure a playoff spot (No. 22 in final rankings).
Teeter had a tremendous season with a team-high 127 tackles (20.5 TFL) and seven sacks. He was named to the First Team All-Region as the Defensive Utility Player.
Estrella Foothills held seven of its opponents to under 17 points. The defensive line with juniors Seamus Pezzelle and Knebel also made their share of big tackles. The success of this unit of the team wasn’t unexpected.
“(I was) absolutely not surprised,” Spencer said. “Those two young men are highly athletic, competitive, and have a great work ethic.”
Despite being underdogs against the higher-ranked Sahuaro Cougars (No. 11), the Wolves seized the moment. Estrella Foothills made the 150-mile trip to far east side of Tucson and trailed 14-0 at the half. The score remained the same after three quarters, before the Wolves rallied and wrote more to their story.
A run from Teeter cut the lead in half early in the fourth quarter. The game was tied up with a trick play. Rafters tossed it to Rawls, who then threw downfield for a 67-yard touchdown pass to Shawn Ellison. The QB from the early season made the big play at the end. The game went to overtime and Sahuaro missed a long field goal. When the Wolves got their opportunity, Knebel booted a 27-yard field goal for the walkoff win.
Estrella Foothills advances on a 27-yard FG in OT. Next stop: At Gila Ridge. #azpreps365live https://t.co/ORHy58FKUp pic.twitter.com/1Hiv8JrOv3
— Andy Morales (@AZPreps365Andy) November 8, 2025
“This was a big win as this group wanted to raise the bar and standard that was left by the previous squad the two years prior,” Spencer said.
Six players on Estrella Foothills have received college scholarship offers. Jacob Ludlow (DE), Rawls (WR), Teeter (LB), Will McGee (LS), Colton Rowe (OL), and Jace Coleman (OL) all hold them.
Ludlow has a total of 11 offers from Division III and NAIA schools. He had 44 tackles along with 6.5 sacks. In his senior year, his football IQ went up.
“I feel like I really got stronger in the mental aspect of the game,” Ludlow said in an e-mail interview. “I understand it more deeply now and just grasp what’s going on more effectively.”
Ludlow said his favorite moment from his senior year was beating Buckeye in that last regular season game to send the Wolves into the playoffs. At 6-foot and 240 pounds, he is a three-sport athlete (wrestling and track). He’s still mulling over the offers before deciding where he will be going to school.
“It’s been going really well,” Ludlow said of the recruiting process. “It truly is a blessing. I feel fortunate for all the opportunities and I’m excited to see what the next chapter holds!”
There are a pair of K-8 feeder schools in Estrella, Estrella Mountain Elementary School and Westar Elementary School. EFHS is part of the Buckeye Union High School District and has an enrollment of 1,588.
“The support has been unmatched,” Ludlow said of the community. “No matter the weather or distance, rainy, cold, or on the other side of the state, our fans are always there and it’s truly awesome to see the stands packed with supporters.”
Raftery said he never imagined transferring, but things happened outside of his control. His impressions of the community have been positive from the start.
“From Day One, the coaches in both baseball and football welcomed me with open arms,” Raftery said. “They set a standard that’s about hard work, accountability, and doing things the right way. My teammates are awesome and have made Estrella feel like home. We haven’t’ accomplished what we want to in either sport, but we’re focused on competing and getting better. The community support has been incredible – the energy and the pride in the program are great and we’re working at getting more students fired up for Friday nights! I’m extremely grateful for how everyone embraces us and it makes me want to give everything I have back to the school and community in Estrella.”
The Wolves’ 2025 season did come to an end in the second round against Gila Ridge. Spencer believes the returning players will take a great deal from both of the games of playoff experience.
“I think this will help push the group forward to a great offseason and even more discipline to the details,” Spencer said. “They know that it sometimes comes down to the little details that can make or break you.”
Spencer has more than 25 years of coaching experience. When it comes to the next step for the Wolves, he is looking for the returning players to continue this upward trajectory.
“I am looking forward to more leadership from the players and not having to rely solely on the coaches for motivation,” Spencer said. “We return quite a few starters, which is great in advancing our system (spread offense with an H-back) and bringing the younger players along. I am excited to see this team bond closer this offseason to propel us into the fall. I am looking forward to players like Shawn Ellison (WR), Josh Udall (DB), Matthew Perry (LB), Rudy Martinez (LB), Marshall Leudemann (OL), and many others to put this team on their backs to continue to climb that ladder of success and keep us pushing forward.”
One area of change will be a new defensive coordinator as Hull has left to go to Liberty, where he will coach linebackers.
Raftery is taking Spencer’s goals to heart and knows the long road to the 2026 season is just underway.
”I’m really excited to keep building on the foundation that Coach Spencer and his staff have established,” Raftery said. “We trust those men and their vision. I think we’ve got a long ways to go, but we’ve also got a hungry group that understands what it takes now and the goal is to keep getting better – in the weight room, in the classroom, and on the field. We want to raise the standard even higher and do it together. I’m grateful for the opportunity and can’t wait to compete with this team again and represent EFHS the right way.”
For the team representing Goodyear’s 85338 zip code, the field on Estrella Parkway is once again a place of pride and victory.
Reach Chris Eaton at gridironarizona@yahoo.com or DM at @gridironarizona with story ideas.
