Arcadia High School was quite the Cinderella story this season, going undefeated in their first five games after going a combined 2-18 in the last two years. The Titans were outscored 472-29 last season, going 0-10 and had lost 13 games in a row overall.

Following a coaching change after previous head coach Tony Stillings resigned after one season, the Titans feel like they have finally found their footing under new head coach Kerry Taylor’s leadership.

Taylor comes from an experienced background as a former Hamilton High School, Arizona State and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver. In his first year as head coach, Taylor has not only transformed his team from the bottom up, but has given them hope and something to look forward to.

Before Taylor came, senior captain Johnathan Hunter and senior Oscar Mosqueda said that they were not sure what to expect with a new coaching change, but have felt a switch in Taylor’s new energy and have taken every word he tells them to heart.

“I think the coaching staff that came in with as much experience as they had, with college and the NFL, really helped us take in all their coaching habits, and put them to use out on the field,” said Hunter. “They changed the culture of the entire program, and we shifted into having a winning mentality every Friday night."

The Titans fell to 5-1 with last Friday's loss to powerhouse Saguaro, but it's a new era for Arcadia football under Taylor.

This year’s theme and motto for the Titans has been #NewDay and #ForTheCulture. This theme has shined through week after week and has lifted the morale and spirits for not just the football team, but for the entire school and community as well.

“The energy that Coach Taylor brings with him has definitely been different from last year to this year,” said Mosqueda. “Last year, everyone was kind of down after we went 0-4. But, this year, after we started winning some games, the culture had shifted, and people started to believe in this program again.”

The atmosphere around the school and the student body is night and day from the losing team some may remember. With a change in morale, suddenly the school is excited and the community is enthusiasti. Stands are packed for every home game.

However, while Arcadia had quite the winning streak, they faced their biggest challenge yet in the Saguaro Sabercats, a high caliber team that has won 10 out of the last 12 State Championships. Saguaro’s squad was even deeper with the addition of five transfers becoming eligible.

It didn't go well. But the Titans came in with confidence.

“We don’t care who we’re playing,” said Taylor. “Each week, we’re just hoping to come out and compete, play hard, execute our game plan offensively and defensively, play with a lot of effort and passion and go out there and play like we know how to play. We feel like if we do those things that gives us a good chance to be successful.”

While some schools may still remember Arcadia as a team that went 0-10 last year, Mosqueda begs to differ and even prefers to be in the underdog position.

“People are still underestimating us, but I personally kind of like being the underdog,” Mosqueda said. “People don’t expect that much from us, so if we can show what we got and beat them on the field, I definitely feel like we can at least make it to playoffs and be a real contender.”

Although Taylor knew Arcadia could be an up and coming football team, he did not expect such a quick turn-around in his first year as head coach, and he could not be more pleased with the guys on his team.

“It’s a little shocking to see how fast this program has grown, and see all the support we’ve gathered,” said Taylor. “It’s been a lot of fun, and I have a great group of kids that I’m coaching that makes coaching easy and fun. It makes me happy as a coach to put them in a place where they are successful, and then see them have that success on Friday night