By Clark Campbell
“The pass is out, its sailing down the field, it’s a fair catch, he’s in the end zone; touchdown Knights!” Football is one of the most popular sports in America, and by how things are turning out here at Tempe Prep, it may also be grounds for a state championship.
Our Tempe Prep football team has had a state championship win in the past and with our current players and coaches, we may just have another. Our football team this year has many returning players, as well as six new players, including three new seniors. Senior quarterback, and one of our team co-captains Hayden Sampson says, “This year we plan to be the state champions, and there isn’t anyone who can stop us.”
This year we have returning Head Coach Larry Cain and offensive coordinator, Coach Jason Jones. We also have new defensive coordinator, Coach Marcus Whitmore, Jr..
Coach Cain, time and time again has told us that, “Anything less than winning the Division I championship is UNACCEPTABLE.” Since Tempe Prep has decided to play Division I football this year, we have a very high chance to have great success as we are now playing on a different level.
This year we also welcome a new Athletic Director, Doug Seagrave, who has helped schools much bigger than TPA have winning sports seasons. We also have a new Athletic Trainer, Kaitlin Carter.
This year we have a total of six games, with our very first on Oct. 2, with a 6 p.m. kickoff. Pre-season workouts started a couple of weeks ago, and our first official practice was on Labor Day. With how our practices have been going, our team is destined for great things. Be sure to attend the first game on the Oct. 2, where TPA is the home team at Chandler Prep versus Duncan HIgh School.