Zone Read: Gridiron Arizona’s Chris Eaton Unplugged

For over the last decade, Chris Eaton was a friend, peer, and friendly face I’d see at games. “Gridiron” was always up for a quick chat and would frequently drop some AZHS football knowledge on the match-up, or some other story line, which caught his attention that week.

Earlier this year, Chris became a teammate, bringing his in-depth analysis, unique perspective, and unquestioned work ethic to Sports360AZ.

Last week, we sat down for a coffee and Chris discussed a myriad of topics about himself, and the sport he covers with an unmatched passion,

I remember the first time we met, it was back in 2013, I believe in the press box of then-University of Phoenix Stadium. It was so great to put a face with your trademark green iguana Twitter profile pic. When, and how did you start covering high school football in Arizona? “It all started when my daughter went away from college. The year after, I was looking for something to fill my time with…I remember watching “Friday Night Fever,” pretty much from the start of it [in previous years], so I kind of had a knowledge of who the decent teams were. At the time, pre-internet, there was quite a bit of coverage in the newspaper. In 2005, my first year covering, North Canyon won the 5A-2 State Championship. It was the first year they split 5A in half. I went to 11 of the 14 games that year and it re-kindled the interest in it. 

“I found someone who did a website thing and I said, ‘I can kind of mock that a little bit.’ I kind of built it to where I was sort of the John Madden of high school football, and take my Chevy Cruze somewhere every week…and try to build a following off of it. I started [the website] before the 2009 season. It was a situation where I had to get all the [head] coaches’ emails and send them an email blast letting them know what I was doing. The first coach who responded back to it said, ‘Hey, this is great. Players and fans are going to love it’. It was [Centennial head coach] Richard Taylor.”

Do you think about writing, talking about, analyzing AZHS football seven days a week? “Yes (smiling). It’s a hobby for me.”

Even in the off-season? “Yes. Most of the people in the high school media, it is their job. For me, I have a 40-hour-a-week job that’s not related to high school football. This is the hobby. It works out well that I have nights free so I can go to a game. I have weekends free so I can go to a passing league tournament in the summer. This is what I do for the fun kind of thing.”

Your manual scoreboard has been a Twitter staple for several years. When, and how, was that concept created? “The Manual Scoreboard is something I’ve done since 2009,  It just didn’t become public until some time around 2018. I’ve always used it to help fill out my spreadsheet on Saturdays.  The way I remember it, some people would tweet final scores of games, but were limited by characters.  I already had the sheet in front of me, so all I had to do was take the picture and tweet it out! I don’t remember exactly when I first took that first picture to send it out on Friday nights, but I recall a response to it being called the “Manual Scoreboard” so the name was born.  The first Twitter reference I can find on it was for Week 1 of the 2019 season when I said “The return of the Manual Scoreboard. . . ”

Open-ended question – what do you enjoy most about covering high school football in this state? “Probably the three hours a week that I’m covering a game. It’s the atmosphere. I try to arrive at the game around 6:15. One thing I learned from [former preps writer] Jason Skoda, was going down to the field and talking to both coaches before the game. Get a feel for it. It kind of gives me a little insight of what they’re team’s about.”

I was talking to Ralph Amsden about this earlier this summer. I almost think, in some ways, Arizona high football is getting too big for itself. All the recruiting hype, the transfer controversies, kids, and coaches, basically doing something football-related 11 months a year. Being so close and so involved, do you see the same thing? “It does make sense. It’s definitely changed. The growth has definitely been noticeable, in terms of the recruiting. I want to say we had 65 [kids] sign early last year in December [Division I], and then in the spring. I want say that number was about 250 [players] that signed to go to college.

“I like the coaches that will let the kids play multiple sports. I think it’s important that kids play multiple sports. Then there’s the whole burnout thing. I think we had a record number of coaching changes last year. I want to say that number was about 65 new coaches, which is about a third of the [high] schools in the state.”

Are the current AIA rules and regulations on transfers is broken? “I’m ok with what’s in place to this point. I don’t want this to turn into the wild west, like California is now, or how college football is now. Some people thinks it’s unfair they have to sit five games, half the season. You know, I don’t think two or three would be enough teeth in the rule, and I think you’re seeing it this year with Centennial and the start of their season. They had, I believe, 15 players on the sidelines for those five games, not suited up, and they had to use younger players in those games. Having that 1-4 start, and having that teeth in the rule, can make it difficult.”

Do you foresee the urban sprawl continuing in the Southeast Valley or, with Phoenix growing so rapidly, the AZHS football success balancing out in the West Valley with potential new schools? “It depends on where they add schools, obviously, because the more schools you add, the more population you’re going to pull from other schools. You’re seeing that with Queen Creek right now. You had Queen Creek [High] build themselves up from 3A to 6A because no other schools were being built around them. 

“I think last year showed the West Valley kind of take superiority when you had Centennial and Liberty playing in the Open Division final.”

Do you still feel the Open Division format is necessary? “Before The Open, everything was enrollment-based in terms of where teams were placed…for that two-year block. In 2017 and ’18, you had the same teams meet for the championships in 4A, 5A and 6A. I think it really bothered [David] Hines and some people at the AIA. It’s sort of become a foregone conclusion of who’s going to be playing for these championships. They wanted to make it more open, for lack of a better word. 

“Eventually, Saguaro made it to multiple Opens – moved up to 6A. Salpointe, who’s made multiple Opens, moved up to 6A. ALA Queen Creek, who’s made multiple Opens, moved up to 6A. Now everybody is in 6A. The Open allowed teams a level just below the best to win 6A titles. You can argue it’s helped propel Liberty to where they are now. Liberty won a 6A title before they went on this Open run. The teams that are in 6A and aren’t among the top eight teams love it, because they get their own opportunity to get in the playoffs.

“I think if they do get rid of The Open, I’d like to see a 7A opt-in only. You keep the teams in their regular 6A regions but you make a 7A opt in. It’s an annual thing. The coaches decide before the season, maybe July 1st or something like that, and the coaches decide if they want to be in the 7A bracket. So, the AIA does not lose the money having one less tournament. How ever many teams opt-in that season, that’s the field. Maybe it’s 12 teams – however many opt-in. You cap it at 16 teams. If a team is in there and they’re 3-7, they’re 3-7. You’re committing to it over the summer. You know who your transfers are by July. You’re not getting new kids after that. 

As we sit here today in the second week of October, is Liberty still the team to beat at the top of 6A? “I rank Liberty #1 right now. I have Basha #2. I know that Basha played their out of state opponent better than Liberty did, and I know Basha’s out of state opponent was better than Liberty’s. If you were looking at it like the College Football Committee does, I’d have an argument putting Basha #1 right now. But I’ve seen them play on the field, granted they were different players, but Liberty had the advantage on the field, and Liberty being the defending champ, I put them there.

“I don’t think there’s much of a gap between two and three. Have you seen what Red Mountain’s done the past few weeks? I definitely think they’re in that argument. I think you can put Brophy in that group. They just played Basha down to the wire. There’s four right there.”