Last week long-time Queen Creek head coach Travis Schureman announced, after 16 seasons, he was stepping down from the position.
— Travis Schureman (@TSchureman) January 23, 2026
Schureman, who helped grow the program from 3A to 6A and made the playoffs every year, sat down with “Zone Read” to reflect back on his incredible run at QC, which included a state championship, as well as what the school and surrounding community have meant to he and his family.
1 – Why was now the right time to step down? “I just kind of felt, the last game of the year, I had a feeling my time at Queen Creek was done. By no means, was this anyone’s decision, except my own and my families.
“We have a couple of coaches who had retired or moved on, so I was going to have to bring in three or four new coaches, and I just didn’t feel like it was fair to the kids to bring in new guys and me be their coach for just a couple more years. Then, they’d have to go through all that again.
“Sometimes, Eric, I just think there needs to be new voices and I just felt like this was the opportunity for that to happen.”
2 – One of your quotes from your social media post really struck me. You said, ‘I never want to be someone in the way of growth.’ Will you elaborate on that please? “I think when you care about something so much, and you care about people, and kids in our program, you don’t want to be the one in the way of seeing it continue to grow.
“Truth be told, this is a game where you need to get tied into youth football and all those things. I just don’t have a lot of that time to do those things.
“I love the kids at Queen Creek and the community of Queen Creek and I do not want to be the one that holds them back from taking the next step to let them continue to grow and continue to do the things they’re doing.”
3 – In this day and age, it’s pretty rare for any coach to stay at the same school 16 years. Beyond QC football, what has that entire community and city meant to you and your family? “We have a [Harkins] now and a Costco, so we’re big time (laughing). No, but it’s hard to put into words what the community of Queen Creek means to us, and will continue to mean to us.
“I might be done coaching Queen Creek but I will be a big cheerleader, a big fan, no matter what my next endeavors are.
“We’ve lived in the community for 12-plus years…we live right next to the high school. People laugh at us because you’ll find me and my wife at a baseball, volleyball or basketball game at Queen Creek, just because we love being around it and we’ll continue to support and do those things.
“That community has been with us through tough times for our family. We had the misfortune of [miscarriages] during the time I was coaching there. The community rallied around and loved us. So, as much as we’ve given the community, the community has given back to us one hundred fold, and we’re just grateful to them for the love and support that they’ve shown to us.”
4 – Queen Creek High is located near the epicenter of some of Arizona’s best high school football programs. Casteel won a state championship. Eastmark has had success. You have all the ALA schools, plus the usual heavyweights like Chandler, Hamilton, Basha, etc. Can the next coach win BIG at Queen Creek, or can they just win – if that makes sense? “Oh, I think, for sure they can win big at Queen Creek, but I think that’s one of the reasons I’m moving on, right? I don’t know, right now, if I have the time and the energy…to do that, you have to get deep into the youth programs and build those pipelines.
“I think Queen Creek has the opportunity to continue to grow and get bigger. I think [the next coach] can get them to the next level.”
5 – Give me a few players who made the biggest impact on your coaching career, or just away from the field on a personal level. “I mean…and maybe people will be mad, but it is what it is, obviously, the great joyride, what coaching my own son [Griffin]. To watch my own son play at Queen Creek and go through the program…
Can’t believe this kid is going to be a Senior! Today he finished his 10th camp at Joseph City. Proud of all his hard work. Excited to see what he does his Senior year! Enjoy the ride Griff! pic.twitter.com/9VgABi2mA2
— Travis Schureman (@TSchureman) July 23, 2022
“…sometimes, being the head coach’s son is not easy. It’s actually pretty dang hard, right? You’re only playing because your dad’s the coach or, you’re only getting this award because your dad is the coach. To see him battle through all that and put the noise aside and play at a high level and do the things he wanted to do, was one of the greatest lesson for me. He never complained about it, never argued about it.
“I’ve had some kids who played for us come back and coach with us. To see them getting into coaching and going back and giving back to what we’ve given to them, that’s pretty cool.
“Always gotta go with [former ASU/Oklahoma State/Vanderbilt tackle] Isaia Glass (laughing). Even to this day, he’s mad at me because he thinks he could have been a Division I tight end. That was his message to me. I tell him, ‘It worked out pretty well for you (laughing).'”
6 – When you take a step back and self-reflect on your last 16 years at Queen Creek, what will you be most proud of, besides winning a state championship and taking a number of your teams deep into the playoffs? “I think sometimes, when you’re in the thick of it, you don’t see the good that you’ve done, right? One of the greatest blessing, since stepping down, is all the messages I’ve gotten on social media and the text messages I’ve gotten from former players and coaches.
“Just to see, maybe we did make a little bit of an impact. Maybe we did change some lives and helped create a culture. I hope that we created a culture of love and togetherness that people will always remember.
Good people doing Good things. Rivals on the football field, players and coaches from ALA-Queen Creek and Queen Creek HS came together Saturday morning for a service project in their community. https://t.co/EBKvglbIUU
— Gridiron Arizona (@gridironarizona) October 12, 2025
“That was something I always striven towards, no matter if you were the best player or the worst player, we wanted you to feel wanted. We wanted a sense of community…we wanted people to know they were cared for and loved. I hope that I set a standard of doing the right things.”
7 – How gratifying and touching was it for you to see all those people, particularly your coaching peers, reach out to you after it became public that you were stepping down? “To see people like Charlie [Ragle], and Kyle Enders, and Coach [Kelvin] Hunter from Williams Field, people who you’ve coached against…we’ve had some battles back in the days. I’m going to miss those days. Grateful for those relationships and what those men have taught me.
“You hope that you make a difference, Eric. That’s why we do this, right? We do this because we want to make an impact on people’s lives…I hope, at the end of the day, I changed a few people’s lives, and made their lives better because of the time they spent with me.”
8 – Was this a pretty easy decision for you to step away after that last game, or was there that tug-o-war of maybe wanting to keep doing it? “After the last game, I did have a bit of a moment with myself, right? It was a hard thing. But, I’m pretty blessed, I have my wife, Corree, who’s been my arrow for this decision. It’s been a hard decision for her, as well. When you’ve been somewhere for 16 years, it’s not just me who’s invested, it’s everyone.
“Friday was tough. Getting in front of [the team] and telling everyone, but I was 100 percent at peace and comfortable with my decision. I’ve known…it’s right for the kids. I have not second-guessed myself since I made the decision.”
9 – If you don’t mind sharing in this space, what were some of things you said to the team when you addressed them? “I just told them how much I loved them. I told them how much I appreciated them. I told them how special they were.
Today some of our athletes gave back to a local @qcusd elementary school by reading books(and maybe a few recess races). Proud of the way these kids show kindness. @CrewLeavitt @QuintinMiles12 @jayshon_liles06 @EvanHenderson73 @PaytonEvansQC Austin Fackrell pic.twitter.com/CRxYH5AGg7
— Queen Creek Football (@QC_football) March 4, 2025
“But I also told them that the program is bigger than any name. I was wearing my Creek Creek pullover, and I told them, ‘This logo is the most important thing and you, the players represent that.’ It was emotional…that was a tough day.”
10 – Open-ended question here – is Arizona high school football, as a whole, in a good place right now? “I think you’re looking at Arizona high school football playing at the highest stage, right? Kids are going on to national stages and playing and performing well. High school football here is great.
The QB from AZ! Welcome to the family, @TaitReynoldsQC 🐅 #ALLIN pic.twitter.com/sGwUu3Aa2n
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) December 3, 2025
“As with anything, change is hard. I’ve been coaching in Arizona since 2001…I’ve had the opportunity to see a lot change. Even at Queen Creek, we were 3A when I started coaching and went all the way to 6A.
“It’s getting harder to play with neighborhood kids. I don’t think that’s a secret anymore. That’s a little bit sad to see…but change, that’s the way of the world. You have to learn to adapt and move on.
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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.