PHOENIX — When searching for a motivation as to why Justin Hager would sabotage his own Mountain Pointe football team, maybe we are asking the wrong question. Maybe Hager didn't sabotage HIS team. Maybe he tried to tear down teams he looked at as competition for recognition.
"He was a good coach, I'll give him that," Kayla Smith said soon after learning that her former coach leaked strategies and plays to opposing teams of the football and boys basketball squads at Mountain Pointe.
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"Personally knowing him directly and knowing him from a coaching standpoint where we were probably closer to him than probably the boys football team or basketball team because he was our head coach, it doesn't seem like it," Smith said.
The district provided evidence of emails Hager sent from a personal anonymous address "walterpayton12@yahoo.com." The emails went out to at least 10 head coaches of competing teams just days before a football game or boys basketball playoff game.
"They will run the Carolina 4 corners when needed," the account said to the Pinnacle basketball coach before playing Mountain Pointe in the 6A State Championship game.
The email also said they "will run 55 which is full court man."
Pinnacle drubbed Mountain Pointe by 16 in the title game, but we will never know if the tips played a role.
Earlier in 2018, the same email address sent pictures of the football playbook to Chandler head football coach Shaun Aguano. The Chandler Wolves went on to beat Mountain Pointe 49-21.
"I feel the betrayal for my friends that were playing on that football team that year, the 2017 year. Whose championship could have gotten robbed, we don't know," Smith said.