Ironwood Ridge players celebrate after receiving the Minuteman Trophy.
Photo by Army National Guard
After already stopping in Arizona, the eighth-annual MaxPreps Football Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard stopped at
Ironwood Ridge (Tucson, Ariz.) on Jan. 11. The Ironwood Ridge Night Hawks not only won the state championship by decisively beating on Centennial 27-3, but they also finished with a record of 13-1. From that incredible season, the school earned one of 50 Army National Guard national ranking trophies. The Night Hawks ended up 110th in the MaxPreps Freeman Rankings out of 16,000 schools!
When we arrived in Tucson at 9 a.m., all the students were in class and the scene was very bare. The school administration staff greeted us upon arrival. The presentation for MaxPreps was set for 11:30 during a school assembly. The entire gym was empty when we arrived. While putting together the displays, several of the cheer teams as well as Norris Thomas from MaxPreps and five representatives from the Arizona Army National Guard walked in. By the time we finished interviewing Scott Simmons, Tyler Williams (the team captain), the entire gymnasium was packed. The school also announced that the school assembly was to honor the men and women who serve in the military so hundreds of students came dressed in military camouflage!
To kick off the assembly, student government representatives Bryce Taylor and Braydon Whitaker, who were also dressed in military colors, got the whole gym pumped up. On the floor from the Army National Guard were Staff Sergeant Melissa Wojoik, Staff Sergeant Benjamin Schreiber, Master Sergeant Mark Torres, Sergeant Major Nathan Breese and Lieutenant Colonel Michael Warren.
After several motivating cheer groups and dance routines, the announcement of the varsity teams, and the arrival of the state champion football team, the students were going crazy! Taylor made the formal introductions to the MaxPreps representative, Norris Thomas, who hyped up the audience by recapping the Night Hawks' record and their state championship. Then he explained the MaxPreps Freeman Rankings, which rank teams across the country.
After Thomas introduced Lieutenant Colonel Michael Warren, who then thanked all the students for honoring the military family, he got the whole gym to scream hoo-ah! He then presented the Army National Guard national ranking trophy to head coach Matt Johnson. The gym was thundering, feet pounding, and arms waving! After handing over the Minuteman trophy to coach Johnson, he looked at his team and thanked them, stating "This is a once in a lifetime experience and award. Special things can happen with incredible players," Johnson said. "This team never complained, I never had to ask," Johnson continued, "They pick each other up. When a player was struggling, it was the players that came to help him. The team is selfless, giving, caring and compassionate to one another."
Coach Johnson was very sincere and truly grateful. In the short time I spoke with him, I learned why the team would expect nothing but the best from themselves - because that's what their coach lives by: Giving his best and being grateful for what they have.
After the assembly coach Johnson and the team stayed in the gymnasium and took team photos before speaking with Channel 13 News. Coach Johnson then came over to each of us and said thank you while shaking all of our hands before he left - a tall man with a huge heart!
