Walden Grove 10-year coach Corey Noble has long been one of the best in the state with the Red Wolves’ annual high level of success.
The Arizona Cardinals are recognizing Noble as their Arizona High School Coach of the Week honor because of Walden Grove’s 22-21 upset victory over previous No. 1 Mica Mountain, according to a social media post by Phoenix-area media personality Cody Cameron.
Let’s go!! @CoachNobleWGHS Happy for you and the players, well deserved.
— Cody Cameron (@CodyTCameron) October 13, 2026
The Thunderbolts (6-1, 1-1 4A Kino) are now No. 2 behind Snowflake in 4A as ranked by MaxPreps, which the AIA recognizes as its official rating system.
Walden Grove (5-2, 2-0) moved up to No. 9 from No. 10 after snapping Mica Mountain’s 16-game winning streak (that included winning the 4A state championship game last season over Phoenix Arcadia).
The thrilling win over Mica Mountain involved a gutsy call by Noble, also the school’s athletic director, going for a 2-point conversion instead of a PAT after cutting the lead to 21-20 with 12 seconds left following a 50-yard touchdown reception by senior Jordan Dobson on a pass from freshman Miguel Alvarez.
Senior tight end/defensive end Nick Roberts caught the two-point conversion pass from Alvarez to give Red Wolves the lead and their defense held off Mica Mountain’s last couple of plays to secure the win.
“The day that I decide to kick an extra point there, I’m firing myself the next day; we will always go for the win,” Noble told James Kelley of AllSportsTucson.com after the game. “We’re here to win. My kids deserve an opportunity, I have faith in my kids. I believe in my kids and I want to show them I believe in them and give them the opportunity to win.
“I tell them it’s about us. I tell them to be aggressive and that I want to be aggressive. In the biggest moments, that’s when it matters. If I tell them we’re about this certain way, these are the things that are important to us and in the biggest moment I don’t do it, it’s talk. It’s not just that. I want my kids to know that I believe in them and that I trust them to rise to the occasion.”
The game was Noble’s 100th as head coach at Walden Grove since taking over in 2017. His record is 67-33.
Walden Grove will host Catalina Foothills (2-5, 1-1) on Friday at 7 p.m.
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