Players discover life after Sinagua
August 26, 2010 by Don Ketchum, AZPreps365
SAME GAME, DIFFERENT TEAMS FOR SINAGUA FOOTBALL REFUGEES
By Don Ketchum
Kevin Fox wasn�t sure what to think.
Sinagua High, his home away from home in Flagstaff for three years, closed in June along with three elementary schools due primarily to budget issues.
Since Fox would be a senior in the 2010-11 school year, it wasn�t exactly the greatest of timing. Such things never are. He would have to decide which of the city�s two remaining high schools, Flagstaff or Coconino, would be his new home.
�I was kind of upset,�� he said. �I mean, it was my school, and now I felt like I didn�t have a home. But I knew I would have to make the best of it, and I have so far.��
The school district allowed seniors to choose their school, and Fox chose Flagstaff. He will play football, as a wide receiver and cornerback. About eight of Sinagua�s players will wear the Flagstaff green, while the rest, about 16-20 at the varsity level, will wear Coconino�s black and red.
The situation hit Fox a little closer to home. Seven relatives are Sinagua graduates, including a brother who was part of Sinagua�s first graduating class in 1994.
�My friends (other seniors) were kind of split about where to go,�� Fox said. �Even though some will go to Coconino, they will always be my friends no matter what.��
He worried about coming to Flagstaff and not being accepted, �like I was invading their school. But once I came over, it wasn�t like that at all.��
Another Sinagua-Flagstaff refugee is Cody Livingston, a senior linebacker and slot receiver.
Livingston said he had no idea what would happen when he came over to Flagstaff.
�The guys welcomed us from the first day. It�s been pretty good so far,�� he said.
The new Flagstaff players as well as those who are returning from last season also have an additional adjustment, to that of a new coach, Eddie Campos.
Campos wasn�t hired until July, and has hit the ground running, with the help of associate head coach Kevin Kortsen, who has been at Flagstaff for a few years.
Campos said the Sinagua players �know what they need to do. I think it would be a similar situation that it would have been at SInagua. I don�t think we�ve skipped a beat so far, and that�s a tribute to everyone.��
Seeing Sinagua close was a bit difficult for Campos as well. He was the school�s head coach from when it opened in 1989 until midway through the 2003 season, when a family illness forced him to step down. Also, Campos� son, Jay, was a quarterback at Sinagua and now is a head coach in Arizona at Tucson Sabino.
Flagstaff returnee Brandon Davis, a free safety and running back, said he could understand how the Sinagua players would feel if he were in their shoes.
�We all realize that we are working toward the same thing, and that is winning football games,�� Davis said. �We all tried to make them feel as welcome as possible. As far as I could tell, it looked like they were comfortable when we started practicing.��
As Flagstaff High players and coaches bonded on their bus toward Glendale and a scrimmage against Raymond S. Kellis on Aug. 19, Coconino players and coaches were getting to know each other better with a spaghetti dinner at the school.
For the Sinagua players moving over to Coconino, the pasta probably never tasted so good.
Senior lineman Tanner Roush said there were rumors that Sinagua might close long before it actually did, so it didn�t come as a complete shock. That still didn�t make it any easier.
Many of Roush�s concerns were eased when he and some of the Sinagua players joined their new Coconino brothers for summer workouts.
�We just had to face the fact that we were going to have to adjust and that�s what we did,�� Roush said. �I�d say things have gone pretty well. We have jelled as a team.��
Putting on a different uniform seemed a bit strange, but the players got used to it.
Among the factors in some players choosing Coconino was that Flagstaff did not have a coach at the time. Roush said he and his fellow �Sinaguans� are glad they chose Coconino, led by sixth-year head coach Tadd Ragan.
�It�s a new season, so we have to prove ourselves all over again,�� Roush said.
Junior Trevor Kortsen was Sinagua�s starting quarterback for much of last season as a sophomore. Now he is battling Coconino returnee Casey Sisling, a senior, for playing time. Kortsen said Sisling has helped him out quite a bit with the new plays and some of the terminology.
Kortsen already knew some of the Coconino players, but their new friendship grew stronger with a three-day camp at Camp Colton, a nearby mountain retreat.
�We ran and ran some more,�� Kortsen said.
Kortsen also had to make some adjustments by learning the route-running and abilities of his new receiving corps, including returning Coconino senior Brandon Hurst.
�He (Kortsen) has added a lot to our team,�� Hurst said. �I�d say we are more used to each other now, just as we are used to (Sisling).��
Matt Ruiz, a senior returnee nose guard and running back at Coconino, said, �It�s always tough to get used to new surroundings, but the new guys have fit in. Going to that camp helped. We are looking forward to going out there for the games.��
Lineman Andrew Ohumukine, a returning as a senior, expects to get help from the Sinagua players as Coconino plays and aggressive, physical style.
�We�ve already done a lot of work in the weight room,�� he said.
Ohumukine has made his own way at Coconino after his brother, Victor, played at Sinagua.
�Everybody knows everybody better now and that will only help us,�� Ohumukine said. �We want to help the new guys in whatever way we can, including keeping the grades up, because the coaches emphasize that. We�re here to get an education.��
One thing that the Sinagua players and their new teammates can agree on is the excitement that the game between Flagstaff and Coconino will bring in the regular-season finale on Nov. 5 at Northern Arizona University�s Walkup Skydome.
Asked about the game, they answered almost in unison, �Oh, yeah. We can�t wait.��
By Don Ketchum
Kevin Fox wasn�t sure what to think.
Sinagua High, his home away from home in Flagstaff for three years, closed in June along with three elementary schools due primarily to budget issues.
Since Fox would be a senior in the 2010-11 school year, it wasn�t exactly the greatest of timing. Such things never are. He would have to decide which of the city�s two remaining high schools, Flagstaff or Coconino, would be his new home.
�I was kind of upset,�� he said. �I mean, it was my school, and now I felt like I didn�t have a home. But I knew I would have to make the best of it, and I have so far.��
The school district allowed seniors to choose their school, and Fox chose Flagstaff. He will play football, as a wide receiver and cornerback. About eight of Sinagua�s players will wear the Flagstaff green, while the rest, about 16-20 at the varsity level, will wear Coconino�s black and red.
The situation hit Fox a little closer to home. Seven relatives are Sinagua graduates, including a brother who was part of Sinagua�s first graduating class in 1994.
�My friends (other seniors) were kind of split about where to go,�� Fox said. �Even though some will go to Coconino, they will always be my friends no matter what.��
He worried about coming to Flagstaff and not being accepted, �like I was invading their school. But once I came over, it wasn�t like that at all.��
Another Sinagua-Flagstaff refugee is Cody Livingston, a senior linebacker and slot receiver.
Livingston said he had no idea what would happen when he came over to Flagstaff.
�The guys welcomed us from the first day. It�s been pretty good so far,�� he said.
The new Flagstaff players as well as those who are returning from last season also have an additional adjustment, to that of a new coach, Eddie Campos.
Campos wasn�t hired until July, and has hit the ground running, with the help of associate head coach Kevin Kortsen, who has been at Flagstaff for a few years.
Campos said the Sinagua players �know what they need to do. I think it would be a similar situation that it would have been at SInagua. I don�t think we�ve skipped a beat so far, and that�s a tribute to everyone.��
Seeing Sinagua close was a bit difficult for Campos as well. He was the school�s head coach from when it opened in 1989 until midway through the 2003 season, when a family illness forced him to step down. Also, Campos� son, Jay, was a quarterback at Sinagua and now is a head coach in Arizona at Tucson Sabino.
Flagstaff returnee Brandon Davis, a free safety and running back, said he could understand how the Sinagua players would feel if he were in their shoes.
�We all realize that we are working toward the same thing, and that is winning football games,�� Davis said. �We all tried to make them feel as welcome as possible. As far as I could tell, it looked like they were comfortable when we started practicing.��
As Flagstaff High players and coaches bonded on their bus toward Glendale and a scrimmage against Raymond S. Kellis on Aug. 19, Coconino players and coaches were getting to know each other better with a spaghetti dinner at the school.
For the Sinagua players moving over to Coconino, the pasta probably never tasted so good.
Senior lineman Tanner Roush said there were rumors that Sinagua might close long before it actually did, so it didn�t come as a complete shock. That still didn�t make it any easier.
Many of Roush�s concerns were eased when he and some of the Sinagua players joined their new Coconino brothers for summer workouts.
�We just had to face the fact that we were going to have to adjust and that�s what we did,�� Roush said. �I�d say things have gone pretty well. We have jelled as a team.��
Putting on a different uniform seemed a bit strange, but the players got used to it.
Among the factors in some players choosing Coconino was that Flagstaff did not have a coach at the time. Roush said he and his fellow �Sinaguans� are glad they chose Coconino, led by sixth-year head coach Tadd Ragan.
�It�s a new season, so we have to prove ourselves all over again,�� Roush said.
Junior Trevor Kortsen was Sinagua�s starting quarterback for much of last season as a sophomore. Now he is battling Coconino returnee Casey Sisling, a senior, for playing time. Kortsen said Sisling has helped him out quite a bit with the new plays and some of the terminology.
Kortsen already knew some of the Coconino players, but their new friendship grew stronger with a three-day camp at Camp Colton, a nearby mountain retreat.
�We ran and ran some more,�� Kortsen said.
Kortsen also had to make some adjustments by learning the route-running and abilities of his new receiving corps, including returning Coconino senior Brandon Hurst.
�He (Kortsen) has added a lot to our team,�� Hurst said. �I�d say we are more used to each other now, just as we are used to (Sisling).��
Matt Ruiz, a senior returnee nose guard and running back at Coconino, said, �It�s always tough to get used to new surroundings, but the new guys have fit in. Going to that camp helped. We are looking forward to going out there for the games.��
Lineman Andrew Ohumukine, a returning as a senior, expects to get help from the Sinagua players as Coconino plays and aggressive, physical style.
�We�ve already done a lot of work in the weight room,�� he said.
Ohumukine has made his own way at Coconino after his brother, Victor, played at Sinagua.
�Everybody knows everybody better now and that will only help us,�� Ohumukine said. �We want to help the new guys in whatever way we can, including keeping the grades up, because the coaches emphasize that. We�re here to get an education.��
One thing that the Sinagua players and their new teammates can agree on is the excitement that the game between Flagstaff and Coconino will bring in the regular-season finale on Nov. 5 at Northern Arizona University�s Walkup Skydome.
Asked about the game, they answered almost in unison, �Oh, yeah. We can�t wait.��
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