They’ve got their school-color green shirts, but the field isn’t finished. In fact, the school still is under construction. And they’re still finalizing what the football helmets and uniforms will look like.But during Goodyear High School’s meet-and-greet community event Tuesday, Pat Parnell was like a new father inside the Goodyear Recreation Center, taking pride in […]
They’ve got their school-color green shirts, but the field isn’t finished. In fact, the school still is under construction. And they’re still finalizing what the football helmets and uniforms will look like.But during Goodyear High School’s meet-and-greet community event Tuesday, Pat Parnell was like a new father inside the Goodyear Recreation Center, taking pride in being the new school’s first football coach.Goodyear High will open this summer just a few miles west of Desert Edge High. The football program will begin with only a freshman team next fall.”You want to cultivate a championship program,” said Parnell, who is coming over from Waddell Canyon View, where he was an assistant coach last season after moving his family from Washington state. “The goal is to win as many football games as possible.”If you’re chasing wins and losses, and you’re on that emotional roller coaster, it’s tough. But if you’ve got this tough-minded optimism, hey, you take a loss, but how do you keep growing, how do you keep chipping away?”Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
It started Tuesday with Parnell sharing his vision with potential new Goodyear High football families, eager to start something new.
“The cool thing is we’re competing against us,” Parnell said. “We get to dictate where this boat goes.”That starts with a young head coach, who had assistant college coaching stops at UC-Davis and Jacksonville.Linn said the building, off of Van Buren and Cotton Lane, will hold anywhere from 1,700 to 1,800 students. The property has land to expand if needed.The school, part of the Agua Fria High School District, will start with just a freshmen class, not wanting Desert Edge families already in place having to choose whether to stay there or transfer to Goodyear High.”It’s pursuit of competitive greatness,” Parnell said. “That doesn’t just happen on the football field. But that will dictate a lot of what we do. Pursuit of competitive greatness, serving and empowering those around us. That’s our goal.”Principal Jason Linn was part of Desert Edge’s football building blocks, working on Rich Wellbrock’s staff in 2012 when the Scorpions lost to Queen Creek 9-7 in the Division III final. He’s excited to see the imprint Goodyear can make in a growing community where Desert Edge has had no rival.”I just think that Goodyear is booming,” Linn said. “The community is growing. It’s a great community. They do so much great stuff for our kids. One of the reasons we wanted to name it Goodyear High School is to honor that. We thank our voters to help us build this school. We can’t do it without them. We’re ready to pour into the community like they did to us.”
