PHOENIX — Football and family are two very common words on Friday night in high school football. But out at Central High School, football led to a whole new family for one player, who’s more than 9,000 miles away from home.
Two years ago, Bobcats head coach Chandler Hovik’s life was changed forever. Coach Hovik was introduced to Ismail “Izzy” Foz.
The now 17-year-old refugee from Burundi, Africa came to the United States looking for a better life and future for himself and his family.
Izzy, a soccer player by habit, was asked to give football a try because the Bobcats really needed a kicker. Two years later, Izzy went from knowing nothing about the game to becoming Central’s best cornerback, but this is where this story gets even better.
Coach Hovik and his wife Crishana wanted to help Izzy even more.
They decided to invite him to come to live with them. The Hovik’s went from having no kids of their own to having 1 that was 10 years younger than them.
Now this new family, couldn’t imagine life without one another.
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Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made the State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers also play at the Footprint. Phoenix has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Cactus Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the Waste Management Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall; and Cactus League Spring Training.