Before head coach Rob York and his staff took control of the team in the 2016 season, the Glendale High School football team had not been in the playoffs since 2006. 

Since York and his staff arrived, the Glendale football program has not had a losing season, has qualified for the playoffs in three consecutive seasons, and was back-to-back region champions in 2019 and 2020. It has been since the 1963 and 1964 seasons since the football program has won back-to-back region championships. 

So, what has York and his staff done to turn Glendale football into a winning program?

York has a 14-year history of coaching, having served in many different positions at Kingman High School and Agua Fria High School before taking the position at Glendale.

After taking the job at Glendale in 2016, York’s first season with the team resulted in a .500 record, which was an improvement from years prior. And it was just up from there, having winning seasons ever since.

“The biggest differences now are the organization and structure of the program, and the buy-in of the players,” says York. “Our offseason program is much better than it was five years ago and that has been a real difference maker for us.”

This sentiment was mirrored in the responses of former players as well.

Rocco Bruney, Glendale’s starting quarterback last season noted, “Weightlifting set us apart from other teams and it really translated on the field.”

While starting guard last season Jesus “Zues” Zayas says, “A main part of our success would be our weight training program, we definitely had a lot of strength over other teams.”

While it’s clear that the offseason and weight training program was a big factor in the program’s success and turnaround, another huge change in the program has been the culture shift.

“We knew that the culture of the program had to be changed,” says York. “There wasn’t much structure and not a lot of player accountability. That’s where we knew we had to start.”

The culture starts from the coaching staff and trickles down to the players, meaning the coaching philosophy has to resonate with the players as well if they want good response and results.

“The staff has taken great pride in developing a positive relationship with the student-athletes in our program,” says offensive coordinator Tom Bruney, who has been with the program since York took over. “Our goal is to make each player a better student, a better person and a better player. When the kids know you care about them as a person and not just a player, they believe in you and what the program stands for."

When you have a coaching philosophy that is focused on developing a positive relationship with the athletes, paired alongside a great offseason program and hard work, it’s no surprise Glendale has experienced winning seasons since coach York and his staff have taken over the program.

“I see Glendale staying in a winning culture with coach York and his coaches,” says Zayas. “His energy and wanting to win will be one of the greatest forces I have experienced yet.”

As for York? It’s all business on his end. 

“Our expectations are pretty simple and remain the same every year. We are going to get better every day,” he added. “We want to finish the season with a winning record, beat our rival schools, win our region and make the playoffs. We try to take everything one day at a time and week by week. Every Saturday morning after our film session, our record is 0-0.