Ethan Holtzinger is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Williams Field High School for AZPreps365.com

When Williams Field played its first football season in 2008, it was a fresh program that was still trying to find its identity, and it didn’t take long.

The Black Hawks lost just six games in their first three seasons, which set the standard for the team early on. Head coach Steve Campbell preached about the importance of consistency from day one, and that’s exactly what he got from his team over the following years.

By the end of 2019, Williams Field was regarded as one of the top teams in its division, with an overall record of 129-25, and two state championships to go along with it.

At this point, the Black Hawks were confident in their abilities, and they knew their competition well, but just when they thought that they had reached the top of the mountain, they were transferred up into 6A.

When it comes to a major change like this, the initial transition is always going to be the hardest part.

Since moving up to 6A for the 2020-21 school year, WIlliams Field is 22-22 overall with a 8-12 record in record. Not bad but considering the the level of success (84 percent winning percentage) prior to the move to 6A it's a major drop off.

Break it down to the last three seasons and the Black Hawks are 13-17 overall and 3-9 in region play including the first two losing seasons in program history and this season saw Williams Field go winless in region (East Valley) for the first time. 

“We had to truly know what our identity was, and play to our identity,” Campbell said. “When we first opened the school, that’s what we were about. In 6A, we kinda had to get back to our roots a little bit in some ways, but at the same time we had to evolve as a program.”

Coaching and preparation also become elevated factors when a team moves up in division.

“There’s a lot of really good coaches at the 6A level, and because of that, I would say that the speed of the game changes dramatically from 5A to 6A,” said Black Hawks offensive coordinator Matthew Miller. “In 5A, sometimes we had the ability to not play our best game and still come out with the win, whereas in 6A, you have to play your best game every time if you want to win on Friday night.”

Much like their first few seasons after the program was established, the Black Hawks embraced their new environment and started out strong.

“Our first year we went 5-3,” Campbell said. “Next year we made it to the semifinals. So we actually started off with pretty good success, but one of the biggest differences now is that your schedule gets changed to match that success.

"We can play with anybody, but when you go through a gauntlet of schedules, that’s when it gets real tough, and that’s something that we’re still getting used to.”

And they will get that chance as Williams Field earned the No. 12 seed and will travel Friday to take on No. 5 Salpointe. 

Another problem that most teams run into when they move up a division is roster depth. A school that’s new to its division is likely going to be one of the smallest as well, which always makes it harder to truly compete.

“We’re one of the smallest 6A schools, if not the smallest, so depth is always going to be a challenge,” Campbell said. “At our biggest we might get to 2,300 kids, we’re never going to have the numbers, so we’re going to have to be more disciplined and focused in everything that we’re doing.”

Along with that discipline came confidence and the will to win.

“It was like any transition, you go through some growing pains, but I thought that we handled it pretty well,” said Black Hawks defensive coordinator Kelvin Hunter. “The players were up for the challenge, you know, now we’re playing against a higher level of competition, but we have a pretty confident team, and we think that we can play with anybody.”

After two successful years in 6A, the Black Hawks had to trudge through their first two seasons without a positive overall record. 

“We want to win them all,” Campbell said. “This isn’t a contact sport, this is a violent sport, and unless you’ve got a little bit of a chip on your shoulder and an expectation, you’re not going to be successful.”

The Black Hawks have their work cut out for them with one of the toughest regions the state.

“For the rest of our season, the expectation for me is that we win every football game that we play in,” Miller said. “Our last four games are all against close-quarter schools that we know well. You know, anytime that you’re playing schools that are close to you, or that might have beat you in the past, there’s always going to be just a little bit extra there, and we want to make sure that we’re ready to go.”

As the Williams Field Black Hawks continue to establish their new identity in a new division, they’ll look to get back to the consistency and success that they grew accustomed to over the years.