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Saguaro High School cancelled another football game.
Saguaro High School has cancelled a second straight football matchup as a result of safety concerns linked to staff movement. Simply put, the Sabercats can’t keep a head coach.
The program has had five different leaders since 2022. Its latest firing has put the 2026 campaign in doubt.
The cancellations are shocking given the program’s elite status. Saguaro has historically been the top team in the Scottsdale-Phoenix area. It has since fallen on hard times.
Saguaro High School cancels another football game.
The Sabercats own 14 Arizona state titles since 1995. They won six straight championships between 2013-2018 before adding two more in ’21 and ’23.
That success came with a price. It created a rotating door at the helm.
Championship winner Jason Mohns left after the ’22 season to become an assistant at Arizona State. His replacement, Zak Hill, led the team to its most recent title a year later, but left after his lone season to join the Seattle Seahawks.
Darius Kelly was hired in 2024 but failed to live up to expectations. He went 4-16 across two seasons. He was fired after the 2025 campaign.
Jason Ronquillo was briefly employed as Kelly’s replacement this past February, but he bolted shortly after accepting the job. His roster situation might’ve played a role.
A typical high school football team rosters around 50 players, give or take. Thirty-five players transferred after Kelly’s firing.
The Sabercats scrambled to find a head coach after Ronquillo bailed in the offseason. It settled on promoting assistant Butch Goncharoff, who’d previously won 11 Washington state titles at Bellevue.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t left with much to work with. Saguaro had just 14 players when Goncharoff took over. He was able to boost that number to 33, but it came at the expense of the Freshman and JV teams.
The Sabercats now have a thin roster filled with inexperience. They lost 62-0 in their season opener. They’ve refused to play since.
Arizona high school football powerhouse can’t field a team.
Safety concerns were cited after Saguaro cancelled a game vs. Chaparral. That same excuse has been provided after scratching a matchup vs. American Leadership Academy – Queen Creek.
District officials say Saguaro’s varsity team is still dealing with a “significant number of injuries.”
“As a result, there are not enough healthy and available student-athletes to safely field a team for this week’s competition,” a portion of the district’s statement said.
District staff canceled the game after consulting with athletic training staff and school administration, citing an increased risk of injury and concerns for student safety.
“We understand this news is disappointing for our student-athletes, coaches, families, students, and supporters. Our athletes and coaches dedicate a tremendous amount of time and effort to preparing for each competition, and canceling a game is never a decision that is made lightly,” the statement read.
Saguaro cannot keep a coach, and it has a player shortage as a result. Some of that issue is tied to past success. Some is tied to recent struggles. Regardless, the Sabercats are currently too banged up to field a team.
Rather than risk another 60-point beatdown, they’ve opted to prioritize health. The program is scheduled to play Mountain Ridge on September 18th.