How Hamilton High returned to national football prominence
Hamilton sent a strong message late last season that its football program was back when it went up by two touchdowns in the final quarter against rival Chandler.
The Huskies weren’t able to finish and lost in the last minute of that final regular season showdown.
But that was just the start of Hamilton’s return to national prominence, restoring the Huskies pride and reputation as a program people talk about with respect.
With an influx of great talent from Colorado, a defensive coordinator who nearly was part of the original Hamilton coaching staff, and a head coach who drove players in the weight room and on the track, this could be the year they catch national Top 10 Chandler.
The state and a national audience will be watching on ESPN2 on Friday night, when the Huskies play Scottsdale Saguaro, the only other school that is being talked about in the same Open Division state championship conversation.
Many believe it is a three-team race to the top this season among Chandler, Hamilton and Saguaro.
Having a team play on ESPN is a first for Hamilton coach Mike Zdebski.
“We just have to play to the level that we can and see how it shakes out after 48 minutes,” said Zdebski, whose team lost a lead in the Open semifinals last year to Saguaro.
Hamilton’s football program has been building its way back to respectability after the high-profile program was crushed in March 2017 by a hazing scandal. The allegations centered on older players sexually abusing younger members of the program as an initiation ritual.
Three players initially faced charges in the scandal, including one 17-year-old who was charged as an adult with counts that included kidnapping, sexual assault and aggravated assault. Eventually, he pleaded guilty to an aggravated assault charge and was sentenced to probation.
But the scandal resulted in the departure of then-Coach Steve Belles, Principal Ken James and Athletic Director Shawn Rustad, after allegations surfaced that they were aware of the abuse complaints in the but failed to notify authorities as required by state law. The Chandler Unified School District settled a lawsuit filed on behalf of five victims last fall.
After the scandal broke, assistant principal Dick Baniszewski filled in for the 2017 season as interim head football coach.
Hamilton was faced with a rebuilding effort and went to Michigan to find its
next coach, Zdebski.
In Zdebski’s first season in 2018, the Huskies failed to reach the state playoffs for the first time in their history with their worst-ever record (3-7), a season in which they gave up 55 points to Mountain Pointe, 63 to Perry and 49 to Chandler.
There were rumblings over whether Hamilton made the right hire. But Athletic Director Brett Palmer was convinced Zdebski could restore the proud culture.
Zdebski knew what he needed to do. He needed to get players in the program committed to the weight room and the track. They got stronger and faster. And, then he got Tim Dougherty to be his defensive coordinator.
Dougherty reminds the Hamilton die-hards of Lane Reynolds, who was the defensive coordinator until 2016, when he left the state for a job in Alabama. Reynolds was a part of seven state titles at Hamilton.
Dougherty knew John Wrenn, Hamilton’s first coach, from their days in Illinois. Dougherty coached from 19922007 at Edwardsville, where he won 132 games. He almost connected with Wrenn at Hamilton when the school opened in the late 1990s. But he decided to stay in Illinois.
Hamilton feels fortunate to have him coaching the defense. Last year, the Huskies were smaller up front and started some key offensive players, such as wide receiver Brenden Rice (now at Col
orado), on defense to make it faster and more athletic.
They held their own.
This defense is bigger and the secondary might be the best in Arizona. Zach Lewis and Cole Martin at the corners, along with safety Jack Howell, lead the way. Christian Anaya, a hybrid who can play linebacker and safety, adds to one of the most physical defenses in the state.
In the opener, they let the state know how much stronger they were on the defensive side, handing Peoria Centennial a rare shutout in a 42-0 rout.
“You just have to have a lot of things in your tool box,” Dougherty said.
“It’s kind of a hybrid. I spent a lot of years on the offensive side and I know how they attack it. I’ve tried to carry that over to the defensive side. It’s personnel and staff. I have a great defensive staff.”
When senior cornerback Zach Lewis moved from Pensicola, Fla., three years ago, he said he checked out both Chandler and Hamilton and felt a stronger connection to Hamilton.
“It’s like a brotherhood,” said Lewis, who has committed to Nevada.
Howell left a strong program at Valor Christian in the Denver area in the spring, and quickly discovered how sound the Hamilton program was.
“This secondary is something special,” said Howell, who is committed to Colorado State.
“This whole special.”
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