TEMPE, Ariz. - First-year Corona del Sol head coach Jake Barro came over from Casa Grande after winning a state title last season looking to turn the Aztec program around.

Barro said he wanted to come to Corona del Sol because of their community and their tradition, but he knows that he and his guys had some work to do.

“Long term we want to be an open division team…we’re building, kind of getting there right now laying the foundation with our younger group,” Barro said.

But that younger group doesn’t necessarily want to wait around. Junior quarterback Conner Ackerley thinks they have it takes to win right now.

“We grind, we’re hard-working. We like to talk a little bit. Not anything too much, but a very (much) underdog mentality,” Ackerley said.

Ackerley knows his team is going to have to do just that -- grind -- to get where they want to go. Last year the Aztecs missed the playoffs and that left a bitter taste in their mouth. But with Barro now at the helm, Ackerley and this Corona del Sol team are ready to start making some noise.

“Obviously we want to make the playoffs…the main goal is to get to the playoffs and win state this year,” Ackerley said.

For some players, this is their last chance to make a run at state. Senior wide receiver Owen Janssen is one of those players who is in their last year wearing an Aztec uniform.

“It’s a big thing not knowing what I’m going to do with the rest of my life. Just knowing that you have one more year to play football, the game you love,” Janssen said.

Janssen made it well known the type of attitude he and his teammates have going into this season.

“They’re resilient, when their backs are against the wall, when things don’t go right, they don’t shut down,” Barro said.

Barro and his team have a lot to prove in his first season. When asked what the main goal is, it was a simple response from the head coach: “Just be competitive”.