PINON — The 2023 Pinon football team may, or may not, go down as one of the best Eagle teams in school history. That’s up to the history books and the writers who write them.

For today, however, the players, coaches and a devoted community that surrounds them, this fall’s version of the Eagles certainly feels like something special is happening.

And now, heading into the Holbrook matchup at a perfect 8-0 (5-0 in 2A Little Colorado region), No. 21-ranked Pinon will face their toughest test yet this season.

Head coach Steve Saban believes his program is “ahead of schedule” in many ways. He mostly chalks it up to the players, who decided they weren’t going to wait around for a three or four-year rebuild.

“[We] kind of snuck up on some people,” said Saban, who is in the middle of his second year leading the program. “We have a good blueprint. It’s a testament to the kids, they bought in. It’s a good senior group, and they worked hard in the offseason.”

Those seniors, led by Pharrell Tsosie, Silas Kaye and Cory Ben, have made all the difference in the world to a program that won just seven games from 2019 to 2022, and have averaged two wins per season in the past decade.

In fact, the only playoff appearance for Pinon in the past 20 years (AzPreps365.com season archives begin in 2004) came in 2012, when Pinon went 8-3 overall and lost to Scottsdale Christian in the first round, 55-0.

“This season has been surreal,” said Tsosie, who leads the interior line on both sides of the ball. “We have a lot of pride in what we do on the field in practice, and in games.”

The senior made sure to credit the fans, who have come out in droves lately.

“Big shout out to them,” Tsosie said.

Kaye, who leads the 2A in rushing touchdowns with 22, and is second in the state in rushing yards with 1,083 this season, pointed to Tsosie and the rest of the offensive line for his success, and couldn’t stop gushing about his coach.

“He got us together. Everyone here on our team, he brought us together. We have a great weight room, and now a great program,” Kaye said about coach Saban, who has no relation to Alabama’s Nick Saban.

Kaye added that the community has surrounded this team with nothing but praise and support throughout the week, not just Friday nights.

“It feels really awesome. Our community has been brought together from the sport we all love,” Kaye said.

Typically, cross-country and basketball are the dominant sports in the region, but what Pinon and its players are accomplishing this fall, maybe one day that will change.

“It’s more like a dream, because before coach, I really didn’t play football. I was a big cross-country person,” Ben said, a first-team All-Region performer in 2022, and currently leads 2A in interceptions with five.

“My coach believed that I could play [football], and when I was named first team All-Region, I didn’t believe it,” said Ben, who added that the Eagles will have to continue to work hard and be disciplined if they want a perfect 10-0 regular season.

“We do the work, [coach] tells us what to do and we do it. … We need to stay focused and stay on top of our game,” Ben said.

Born in Prescott, and raised in Globe, Saban, 52, coached at Hopi, St. Johns and Payson prior to coming to Pinon. He says the entire team, players and community take a “lot of pride” in what’s going on this fall.

“[The players] wanted to do in one year what normally takes three or four years,” Saban said about the program he’s building. “We’re achieving success so far.”

If Pinon can pass the Holbrook test on the road Friday, Oct. 20, Hopi will be the only team standing between them and perfection.

And when a team achieves perfection, they become the ones who write the history books.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on Twitter @AzPreps365Brian. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.