Estrella Foothills junior receiver/defensive Noah Romo changes direction while running upfield against the Maryvale defense during a Sept. 29 home game.
Mike Spencer feels like his Estrella Foothills program has already started to turn the corner.
Now if the Wolves could showcase their progress by being selected to play in the postseason, he said, that would help make it clear.
The Wolves went 7-3 last season, and their 5-0 mark in the 4A Copper Sky Section was a first-place effort. Still, they weren’t among the 16 top-ranked teams in 4A that made the playoff bracket.
“There were four 4A section champs who didn’t make the playoffs last year, which is a travesty,” Spencer said. “The power rankings system tends to hurt the low-socioeconomic schools the most. We definitely want to go deeper this year.”
Estrella opens at home this year, Friday, Aug. 29, against Buckeye Union High School district rival Youngker.
If there were a year for the Wolves to break their six-year playoff drought, it’s 2024, with about eight starters returning on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Spencer, now in his second year at the helm, said the team is measurably ahead of where it was last year at this time.
“A full off-season schedule, there’s no replacement for that,” Spencer said. “I run the weight room, so I know we’ve made a lot of progress there. But all my assistants agree, we’re ahead in just about every category.”
Gone are graduated running back Simione Koroush — 2023’s leading rusher and a valuable linebacker — along with linebacker and leading tackler Elijah Alvarado.
Defensive tackle Chris Braker was the foundation of the interior line, but transferred to Desert Edge after last season ended.
Senior defensive end/long snapper Grant Wochner is now a linchpin for the line, and he said to watch out for his bookend and two new starting linebackers.
"The most improved player is Tony Lopez. He will be a monster at DE for us. His length and athleticism will give any lineman problems this season. He joined the team late last season and kept getting better as the season went on," Wochner stated in a DM interview on X. "We will definitely miss Elijah and Simeone’s presence, but Dasan Ponce and Xander Teeter have played a lot of football for us and will be a tough duo this year and next."
Spencer taking players to a camp in Thousand Oaks, Calif., along with both hosting 7-on-7s and traveling to nearby Canyon View for more competition, honed the game skills of both returners and varsity newcomers.
Leading the way is senior quarterback Hone Wray, about to begin his third year as the starter. Wray had a 92.6 passer rating and threw almost twice as many touchdown passes as interceptions in 2023, completing more than 61% of his passes.
Hone also ran for seven touchdowns in the Wolves’ somewhat run-centric offense that is not starting over despite Koroush's graduation.
Several Wolves carried the ball regularly last year, including A.J. Horne Jr., a senior who Spencer said will probably be a featured back this season.
“A.J. will probably get 90% of the touches,” Spencer said.
Wochner also adds to the backfield. The versatile H-back will see time in three roles. Spencer said Wochner is highly talented long snapper being heavily recruited at the college level for that skill.
Senior Noah Romo is gearing up for his third year of varsity for Estrella. He was the team’s second-leading receiver last season and will see snaps in 2024 at wideout, free safety and as a kick returner.
Spencer doesn’t have a lot of experience among offensive linemen, though junior left guard Jace Coleman could provide some stability.
On defense, Romo returns, along with senior defensive backs Landyn DeBoard and Danny Ostrander. DeBoard had four interceptions and was second on the squad in solo tackles as a junior.
Kade Carroll is a junior who had three fumble recoveries and two picks as a defensive back in 2023. He also scored three touchdowns in his role as a running back.
Ponce is another junior who already has contributed. He was third on the team in total tackles as a sophomore.
Spencer said his team will know right away how far it’s come, as its schedule — a carbon copy of 2023, in terms of opponents — is a matchup challenge each week. Though the Wolves dropped three of its first four games to open last season, those defeats to Youngker, Arizona College Prep and Buckeye were by a combined 24 points.
Wochner said that when the Class of 2025 were freshmen compiling and undefeated season, players wanted to change the narrative about Estrella Foothills football. The goal was to not just win region, but change the mindset of the school and the community that the Wolves can compete for a 4A championship.
"We do feel pressure after missing the playoffs last year with a really good team. We know we deserved to be in the playoffs, and we would have done very well in the playoffs, but we beat ourselves. We didn’t finish games we should have won," Wochner stated.
Spencer points out there really are no weak opponents in their five-contest pre-region schedule, though the Wolves get to face Mingus and Seton Catholic at home this year.
A seasoned lineup should be relied upon to avoid mistakes late in close games, the coach said.
“We were competitive, and might have raised some eyebrows with how we looked, especially against ACP,” Spencer said. “We were just on the wrong side of some close games. We need to come out strong and healthy and get some non-conference wins this time.”
West Valley Preps editor Richard Smith contributed to this story.
Jason W. Brooks News Editor | Chandler Independent
Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.
Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.
Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.
Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.
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