The dream chase begins
Fall practices start for all high schools
by Jason Stone

NORTH VALLEY – Can Cactus Shadows’ football team win state again? How will coaching changes for the football programs at Goldwater and Boulder Creek affect the teams?

Can Boulder Creek shock the state and win it all in girls volleyball? How will all the new coaches across the North Valley affect their teams?

Those are just some of the questions fans are asking as all Arizona schools began fall practices this week.

With campuses still missing students, gyms and football fields opened up across the North Valley as the dreams of winning state championships still seemed within reach for all teams.

The 2006‑07 season will be a period of adjustment for all local teams. Boulder Creek had its independent status in football removed and will be a full member of the Northwest Region under new coach Dan Friedman, the former leader of Goldwater.

Goldwater, meanwhile, promoted Ed Cook to be head coach, and a rivalry is brewing. On Goldwater’s 2007 schedule on its Web site, it does not name Boulder Creek but calls it “That School Up North.”

Cactus Shadows moves up classifications from 4A‑II to 4A‑I with two of the programs introducing new head coaches.

Tom Gardner, previously a volleyball assistant at Chaparral, takes over for last year’s co‑coaching tandem of Michelle Drecshler and Shawnee Smith.

The Falcons will also be with a new boys golf coach as Mike Olson moved out of state. As of the beginning of the week, however, the school was still looking for his replacement and was using a volunteer parent coach to lead tryouts.

Outside of the promotion of Cook, Goldwater did not make any other varsity coaching changes in the offseason.

Football scrimmages begin next week with games starting either Aug. 24 or 31 depending on if a team plays an extra or early game. Boulder Creek plays its first Northwest Region game in the opener Aug. 24 at Valley Vista, a school in Surprise making its first varsity appearance ever.

Volleyball and football playoffs are scheduled for November. The football state championship games will be played at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, but the Arizona Interscholastic Association has not yet released the dates of any of the games.