Edgardo Soto is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Ironwood High School for AZPreps365.com

Youth and inexperience usually aren't a recipe for success, but the Ironwood Eagles have embraced it and found a way to win.

Two years removed from a state championship appearance, the Eagles (2-4) find themselves in an unfamiliar spot. After several starters graduated this summer, the team has 14 new starters, all of whom are playing their first year of football. 

Head coach Christopher Rizzo isn’t sure why the school doesn't have more football players, explaining that if anybody who tried out had prior football experience, they more than likely made the varsity team. 

A team with so much inexperience will encounter issues a veteran team wouldn't go through. This may explain the Eagles' slow start, getting shut out in their first three games. 

“Football is fast, and it's about adjusting to the speed of the game,” Rizzo said. “It's hard to replicate game speed in practice, but we do the best we can. When you're out there with the lights and the opposing team, it gets real, and things are just moving too fast for these young guys.”

Rizzo has enlisted help from several senior players, knowing they can relate to the younger guys and help them in ways he can’t. One of those seniors is Kyle Clinkenbeard, a three-year starter. 

“Coach let me know in the summer that I was going to have to step up and be a leader on the team,” Clinkenbeard said. “I feel that I've embraced that by always trying to help my teammates with any questions they have with the playbook or game situations.”

The Eagles have played substantially better these last three weeks, going 2-1 in that stretch, beating Kellis (1-4) and Agua Fria (1-5). A big reason why is the stellar play of freshman quarterback Noah Walker. He accounted for seven touchdowns and passed for more than 500 yards. 

However, Walker credits their first win against Kellis as the driving force behind the team’s new-found confidence. 

“It was great to get that first win because it felt like a weight had been lifted off our shoulders,” Walker said. “We’ve been able to play more freely because we’re not constantly thinking about it. Which is why I think we’ve played better these last three weeks.”

Since that win, Rizzo has seen significant improvement in his team’s play and attitude.

“If you turn on the tape from Week 1 to where we finished out this week, those same guys that are now in their sixth varsity game are making fewer mistakes and more positive plays,” Rizzo said. 

The last three weeks may be a small sample size, but it very well could be an indication of what lies ahead for the Eagles. 

“We have a lot of young core players, so we're excited about what we're building and where we're going,” Rizzo said. “I couldn't be more excited about the future of this program.”