PHOENIX — The 35th season of Arizona's No. 1 and longest-running high school football show, Friday Night Fever, has arrived and that means it is time to begin a 15-week marathon to see who will be crowned the as the top high school football team in Arizona by winning the 2024 Open Division championship and to see who will be raising golden football at the champions of 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A and 6A.
The offseason in high school football always means change for many schools and the 2024 offseason was no different. According to the AZHSFB Coaches Carousel account on X, formerly Twitter, there were 70 head coach changes around the state.
One of the coaches to move was Cesar Chavez head coach Chandler Hovik, who left Central High School in Phoenix to head across the Valley to his alma mater and become the head coach of the Champions.
"It's been a blessing," Hovik told 12Sports on Aug. 16. "It's extremely special to be at the stadium. We've got the best stadium in the state and now to be back on this turf with the guys leading the troops, you know, this is my dream job."
Hovik said it has also been great seeing excitement building around the Champions' program, which finished 3-7 in 2023.
"We're definitely trending in the right direction," Hovik said. "We actually ran out of helmets, had to borrow some from the sister school down the street. And so to have this type of excitement, the energy that these guys are bringing , first day of full pads and these guys are ready to hit. These guys have been chomping at the bit for the past seven months for this day. And so, for them to be out here competing, this is what it's all about."
Out in Gilbert, former ALA-Queen Creek head coach Ty Detmer has moved to ALA-Gilbert North, taking over after Randy Ricedorff was fired.
"It's been great. It's been a good transition," Detmer told 12Sports. "The boys have been awesome, bought in. I think they're excited with some of the new changes and things, but at the same time, I know they've missed Coach Ricedorff. But, they've embraced it."
About 12 miles southwest, at Hamilton High School, alum Travis Dixon is getting ready for his first season as the head husky after the departure of former head coach Mike Zdebski, who is now at Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale.
"We're gelling even more than we ever have been," Dixon told 12News at the Chandler Unified School District's media day. "And we're doing a great job potentially to build relationships. And I think the biggest thing is the young men are understanding what we're looking for from us as a program standpoint on and off the field on a day-to-day basis."
Over in Ahwatukee, Jake McSpadden is taking over as the fourth head coach in four years at Desert Vista High School.
In Ahwatukee, there is one game that matters more than any other, the Tukee Bowl, when the Desert Vista Thunder play the Mountain Pointe Pride.
That will be the season's final game in 2024, and McSpadden is making sure his team isn't looking ahead and is instead focused on Week 1 against Cienega.
"I think really Week 1, just to kick off the journey, it's my first year as a head football coach and the first one is always the one you want to get," McSpadden said. "And then that kind of leads the program from there. And then, the Tukee Bowl, like you said, it's always circled on the calendar because it's a special one and we just look to compete every single week. And, obviously, the goal every week is to win, so that's what we're looking to do."
And finally, out in Goodyear, Henri MacArthur is taking over a Desert Edge Scorpions squad that fell a two-point conversion shy of the 5A state title last season.
"I think we have a really great group this year," McArthur said. "They're really close, they're really talented. We've got a lot of speed. We have a lot of tough kids who are excited to compete. So, I'm really excited to go to battle with these guys. It's an amazing group, great spirit, great energy (and) positivity."
MacArthur added that while the players on his team may not be as well known as those at the top 6A schools like Liberty, Centennial, Chandler, Hamilton, Basha and others, he expects that to change by December.
"They've worked hard, so I think they've earned the confidence that they have," MacArthur said. "I think they see it and they see the results that they've had already this offseason. So, I think that's where the confidence comes from. Just to be successful, our goal is to be one to know every single Friday night.
"And hopefully when we get to December, we'll be where we want to be, but we're going to just let the play on the field do the talking and see where it ends up."
The 35th season of Friday Night Fever kicks off on Aug. 30 at 11:35 p.m. Be a believer and catch the Fever!
12Sports journalists Cameron Cox, Lina Washington, Luke Lyddon and Brett Silva contributed to this story.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to four major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals have made 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 play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events every year, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
Friday Night Fever on YouTube
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