The Shadow Ridge Stallions varsity football team has named former Hamilton Huskies coach Michael Zdebski as their new head coach.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!We would like to welcome our new Head Football Coach to the Stallion Family, Coach Zdebski! Let’s go Stallions! pic.twitter.com/dDjQG98qQg
— Shadow Ridge High School Athletics (@AthleticsShadow) January 31, 2024
Zdebski’s stepping down at Hamilton
Coach Zdebski stepped down in late November following his sixth season as the Huskies’ head football coach.
This caught players and the school by surprise as they admired all the time and work he put into rebuilding Hamilton’s football team.
Hamilton Players talk about the stepping down of head coach Michael Zdebski and what is next for the program. ⬇️ https://t.co/gzpyHBO8Yl
— Saleh Awwad (@SalehAwwad_) December 13, 2023
After finishing just 3-7 during his first season at the helm for Hamilton, Zdebski got the historically winning program back on track.
He led the team to five straight Open Division playoff appearances, along with one state title appearance where they fell just short to Chandler.
Hamilton goes for the potential game-winning field goal and it’s wide left.
Chandler flagged for the entire team running on the field but the Wolves are going to win their fifth straight state championship #VXLive #TeamAZV pic.twitter.com/vxWAJZj3EH
— Zach Alvira (@ZachAlvira) December 13, 2020
Despite not bringing in a state title during his time, keeping the team afloat after its 2016 controversy is something that should not be overlooked.
Hamilton replaced Zdebski with former Huskies quarterback and Eastmark head coach Travis Dixon. Dixon helped the Huskies win two state championships in 2003 and 2004 during his time at the school.
New Hamilton football coach Travis Dixon on returning to lead his alma mater where he was QB of Huskies in their 2004 state championship season pic.twitter.com/guxg2nwM1a
— Richard Obert (@azc_obert) January 12, 2024
The 37-year-old is right at home where he’ll look to bring back a championship culture for the Huskies.
Turning point for Shadow Ridge?
Shadow Ridge finished the 2023 season with a 1-9 record. They have also made just one playoff appearance in the past decade.
Considering their constant struggles to compete at a high level, the team desperately needed a change. Zdebski is the perfect replacement as he has proven that he can turn a program around.
This could be a turning point for Shadow Ridge football and the start of future success.
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Saleh Awwad is a writer/reporter covering Phoenix High School Sports, Arizona State Sun Devils, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @SalehAwwad_
