ALLSPORTSTUCSON.COM CONTINUES ITS 50 POSTS FOR THE 50-DAY COUNTDOWN TO THE 2025 SEASON THAT STARTS AUG. 22 FOR SOME SCHOOLS WITH A LOOK AT THE COACHING CHANGES THAT TOOK PLACE FOLLOWING LAST SEASON. CATCH UP WITH ALL THE POSTS BY CLICKING HERE.
2025 SOUTHERN ARIZONA HS FOOTBALL COACHING CHANGES
A list of the coaching changes involving Southern Arizona high school football programs| School | Former Coach | New Coach |
|---|---|---|
| Amphi | Jorge Mendivil | Stanley Richardson |
| Catalina | Andy Fetsis | Virgil Henderson |
| Catalina Foothills | Greg McKinstry | Daniel Sainz |
| Cholla | Paul Tripp | Roland Youngling |
| Florence | Jesse Hart | Mike Carlin |
| Mica Mountain | Pat Nugent | Jay Campos |
| Nogales | Joshua Jetton | Warren Smith |
| Rio Rico | Carlos Duran | Dominik Bonilla |
| Safford | Robert Park | Ishmael MacNeil |
| San Tan Foothills | Mike Carlin | Michael Coe |
| Tombstone | Dominik Bonilla | Jerry Rhoades |
| Vista Grande | Jon Roberts | Loren Dawson |
The 12 changes after last season of those leading Southern Arizona high school football programs include the opportunity for five coaches to re-emerge after taking a hiatus from a head coaching role.
They include:
— Mica Mountain’s Jay Campos, returning after last being the head coach at Sabino in 2016. Campos replaced Pat Nugent, who retired after coaching the Thunderbolts to the 4A state championship in their fourth season of existence at the varsity level.
Over at the Tempe Marcos de Niza-Mica Mountain playoff game tonight and had a chance to interview Jay Campos about his return to coaching, becoming the Thunderbolts’ football coach after Pat Nugent’s resignation following the state championship in December. Campos will also… pic.twitter.com/92U6APxtxF
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) February 22, 2025
— Catalina’s Virgil Henderson, a Trojan alum who spent last season as an assistant at Sahuaro under Al Alexander after being the head coach at Cholla from 2020 through 2023.
— Catalina Foothills’ Daniel Sainz, who returns to lead the Falcons’ program after serving as Cienega’s offensive coordinator last season. The move allowed him to devote more time to his duties with the Air Force Academy. Sainz was previously Catalina Foothills’ head coach from 2021-23.
— Tombstone’s Jerry Rhoades, a former Yellow Jacket head coach who resumes his duty in that role after Dominik Bonilla moved on to Rio Rico. Rhoades coached Tombstone in 2019 and 2020 and was replaced by Bonilla after posting an 0-7 record in the COVID-19-affected 2020 season. Rhoades remained at Tombstone as a physical education teacher, substitute science teacher and baseball assistant.
— Nogales’ Warren Smith, a transplant from Jacksonville, Fla., where he was a head coach in five games with Joshua Christian Academy in 2023 before becoming the defensive coordinator at Cedar Creek Christian last season.
Bonilla is one of five coaches who led a different program as recently as last year before taking on a new challenge.
The others:
— Stanley Richardson, going from Denver Montbello to Amphi (replacing the retired Jorge Mendivil).
New Amphi coach Stanley Richardson comes from being the head coach at Denver (Colo.) Montbello High School. He originally coached at Chandler High School for a decade before moving to Colorado in 2010. He coached at a school in which the athletic director was Tyrone Cephers, who… pic.twitter.com/eU8jrA3VDP
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) June 6, 2025
— Ishmael MacNeil, leaving Wickenburg for Safford after Robert Park was not retained.
— Loren Dawson, hired at Vista Grande, replacing Jon Roberts, who left for Phoenix Mountain Pointe. Dawson coached the last couple of years at ALA-Ironwood.
— Florence’s Mike Carlin, who spent the last four years at nearby San Tan Foothills, replaced Jesse Hart after Hart left for Gilbert Mesquite.
The coaches embarking on their first stints as head coaches are Roland Youngling at Cholla and Michael Coe at San Tan Foothills (part of the new 3A East with Coolidge, Sabino, Pusch Ridge, Safford, Thatcher, and Florence).
Youngling played under Vern Friedli at Amphi and Pat Nugent at Pima College and has coached in the last decade under Mendivil at his alma mater Amphi.
Former Amphi standout Roland Youngling, who played for Vern Friedli before coaching under Jorge Mendivil there, is the new Cholla head coach. He is bringing with him from Amphi former Arizona OL David Watson Sr. as the OL coach among other Panther coaches. To play for Friedli and… pic.twitter.com/Nbe1ulTY3w
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) June 6, 2025
Coe has a background of playing at Glendale Community College and Pacific Lutheran University, followed by 16 years in a semi-professional league. He has served as an assistant coach at various levels and is now an insurance agent in the San Tan area.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon. He became an educator in 2016 and is presently a special education teacher at Sunnyside High School in the Sunnyside Unified School District.
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