First-year head coaches often have lowered expectations because players and coaches have to transition from playing one style to another. But Jason Jewell, nearing the end of his first season with the Brophy Broncos, has enjoyed much success. 

Jewell has had the same passion for football since he was in his teens. He earned a scholarship from Glendale Community College and eventually played two years of arena football. 

He began his coaching career at Agua Fria High School as a volunteer, coaching the junior varsity team. Jewell later latched on with GCC, where he was the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator for 11 years, until football was pulled from Maricopa Community Colleges after the 2018 season.  

“I was devastated,” Jewell said. ”I was crushed, not just for me but for those kids that will lose the opportunity they had.”

Under Jewell’s tenure at GCC, 233 players got scholarships to four-year schools.

“Glendale was real special to me,” said Jewell, who later hired three former GCC players to coach under him at Brophy, as well as a former coach. 

During this time, Jewell started an Arizona high school football website called 24/7 Sports. 

“We started a site to promote football players in a positive manner,” he said. 

Early in Jewell’s tenure at GCC,  there was little social media coverage or other forms of online coverage of Arizona high school football. There was only a message board on AZCentral that did not have the most positive comments on it. While at 24/7 Sports, Jewell began a recruiting service called “Recruiting Roundup” as well.

Jewell was running his recruiting service throughout his time at GCC. Jewell was originally offered a job coaching at Arizona Christian University and was set to start there when he was offered the Brophy job. At Arizona Christian, running his recruiting service would not have interfered. However, once he was hired by Brophy, he stopped working with 24/7 sports.

He did not want the recruiting service to interfere with his job at Brophy and wanted to put his full attention into the students. Jewell was originally offered a job coaching at Arizona Christian University and was set to start there when he was offered the Brophy job.

It worked. They started the season on a seven-game winning streak, which was snapped by Chandler, the second-ranked team in the state. It’s their best season in recent memory, and he doesn’t plan to stop there, as this team has postseason aspirations as well. Jewell has the support of all of his players. 

“We all like each other on this team, and that hasn’t been true in years past,” said senior linebacker Jack Taylor. 

The care and attention to detail is evident with his football team. The players are enthusiastic about each other on every play and rally behind each other through the good and bad. 

“Just knowing he’s there for us and he cares for us means more to me than any actual football thing … thats the biggest thing for me,”  said senior quarterback Matthew Winter, who has thrown 16 touchdown passes to only one interception this season. 

With the cohesiveness that they possess, wins have come easy for them. Jewell’s love for the game and for his team,  as well as his team’s support, has translated into success. Jewell could not be happier.

“I have the best job on earth,” he said. “I get to come to work in gym shorts, I’m a teacher and get to be around the game that gave so much to me.”