SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Since the high school football season ended in early December, there have been some major shake-ups at some of Arizona's top programs.
Hamilton High School saw head coach Mike Zdebski step down and be replaced by alum Travis Dixon. Zdebski is now the head coach at Shadow Ridge High School in Surprise.
Dixon had been the head coach at Eastmark High School in Mesa and was replaced by Jason Lyons, who had been the defensive coordinator at Highland High School in Gilbert.
ALA-Gilbert North head coach Randy Ricedorff was let go in early January. He was replaced by Ty Detmer, who had been the head coach at ALA-Queen Creek. Detmer was in turn replaced by Rich Edwards, who was the head coach at ALA-QC prior to Detmer.
And Detmer's move has now caused another major job to open as Saguaro head coach Zak Hill is stepping down to join Detmer's staff, Hill confirmed to 12News journalist Cameron Cox.
Hill will be the offensive coordinator for the Eagles, a role he previously held in 2022, after resigning as the offensive coordinator at Arizona State amid the NCAA's recruiting investigation.
Hill also told 12News he will be an assistant athletic director at ALA-Gilbert North. Mark Martinez, Saguaro's offensive line coach, will reportedly serve as the interim head coach for Saguaro.
This move opens up one of the top head coaching jobs in Arizona and comes just more than one year after Hill was hired as the head coach at Saguaro.
In his lone season with the Sabercats, Hill led them to a 5-5 record, third-place finish in the 6A Northeast Valley region and 6A state championship.
"I absolutely love Saguaro, our administration, our coaches and especially our student athletes," Hill said in a statement posted on X. "It has been a pleasure to be your Head Football Coach and I appreciate all the friendships and support through this last year. I'm proud of our players and coaches for all the hard work and dedication they put in to make this last year a successful one and finish with a 6A State Championship!
"My experience at Saguaro was one that I will always remember."
Hill filled the vacancy at Saguaro that was opened when Jason Mohns left to take a job as the tight ends coach on Kenny Dillingham's staff at Arizona State.
Mohns had spent 16 years at Saguaro, including 11 years as the school's head coach. He led the Sabercats to seven state championships, including the 2021 Open Division state title. Saguaro's dominance of the 4A conference with Mohns as head coach was one of the major factors in the creation of the Open Division playoffs, which has also been implemented in boys and girls basketball.
Arizona High School Football Head Coaching Carousel
Along with the jobs mentioned above, many other Arizona high schools have gotten new head football coaches. Here's a breakdown of all of the moves and which jobs are still open.
Saguaro: Zak Hill → TBA
Hamilton: Mike Zdebski → Travis Dixon
Eastmark: Travis Dixon → Jason Lyons
Shadow Ridge: Sean Hegarty → Mike Zdebski
ALA-Gilbert North: Randy Ricedorff → Ty Detmer
ALA-Queen Creek: Ty Detmer → Rich Edwards
Valley Vista: Derek Wahlstrom → TBA
Cesar Chavez: William Burwell → Chandler Hovik
Central: Chandler Hovik → Chris Barrett
Mountain View: Joe Germaine → TBA
ALA-Mesa (New Program): Joe Germaine
Betty Fairfax: Keith Mannie → TBA
Camelback: Brandon McNutt → Dante Foster
Cholla: Virgil Henderson → Deshaun Epps
Salpointe Catholic: Eric Rogers → Pat Ryden
Canyon del Oro: Dustin Peace → TBA
North Canyon: Jeremy Dieck → Anthony Johns
Heritage Academy Laveen: Anthony Johns → TBA
Verrado: Dustin Johnson → TBA
South Mountain: Byron Evans → TBA
Shadow Mountain: Ron Fagan → Stephen Hemming
Gilbert: Derek Zellner → Stevann Brown
Copper Canyon: Chad Talley → Rodger Schenks
Sahuarita: Jacob Price → Jake Allen
Arizona College Prep: Myron Blueford → Steve Vaught
Coolidge: Rodger Schenks → Carlo Hernandez
Pueblo: Jake Allen → Sly Lewis
Benson: Dustin Cluff → Chris Rasmussen
Chandler Prep: Frank Peake → Chris Ator
Show Low: Carlo Hernandez → Mike Boyce
Desert Sunrise: Jonathan Clark → Steven Beard
Boulder Creek: Tony Casarella → Josh Bahr
Trivium Prep: Stephen Hemming→ Kalae Wong
Sierra Linda: Ty Preyer → Roland Pierce
Mingus: Dave Moncibaez → TBA
Willcox: Eric Hjalmarson → TBA
Maryvale: Byron Taylor → TBA
Morenci: Rishard Davis → TBA
Winslow: Brandon Guzman → TBA
Lee Williams: Stevaan Brown → TBA
Rio Rico: Jeff Scurran → TBA
Rincon/University: Khyree Copeland → TBA
Globe: Talmage Hansen → TBA
Bisbee: Shawn Holley → TBA
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 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. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
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 on a yearly basis, 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.
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