'We just want to be tough': Coach Jeremy Hathcock ready to turn around Verrado football

Jeremy Hathcock is starting over. But in a sense it feels like he's been here before.

Once he began to know the Buckeye Verrado community, and the student-athletes who would be playing for the football team, he felt like he was back at Mesa Desert Ridge, working with athletes willing to put egos aside and go the extra yard for the sake of the team.

His resume at Desert Ridge was impressive, with a few years sprinkled in at Blue Ridge, his alma mater in the White Mountains. It was enough for Verrado Principal Kevin Thomas to give him an interview. He was hired to lead Verrado's football program after Dustin Johnson stepped down.

Through the first week of spring football practices, Hathcock felt the bounce back in his step, finding players willing to take direction and a toughness level that always marked his Desert Ridge teams, two of which reached 6A state championship games.

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"We just want to be tough," Hathcock said. "I think if we can be tough we can neutralize other people's talent a little bit."

That includes teams such as Goodyear Desert Edge, which crushed Verrado 62-7 in the Vipers' season finale last year on its way to the playoffs and 5A championship game, where it lost to Higley.

It will take more than toughness as Hathcock tries to flip the script on last fall's 3-7 season.

Hathcock said none of the Verrado players left for other schools since last season ended. But Verrado hasn't been a big destination school sought out by incoming transfers either. Verrado has to take small steps. But Hathcock has never been one to wait. If he can win now, he will. And he'll find the talent on campus to make it happen.

There is a good core that revolves around receiver Caden Gingg and cornerback Deriece Brown and safety/linebacker Gavin Naylor.

"I pride myself in being a hard worker and I feel like the energy is way bigger," Naylor said. "The discipline has been up. We're a lot more together."

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Brown, 6-foot-2, 195 pound senior, started at cornerback last year but said he also will play receiver this year.

"With Coach Hathcock coming in, there's been a lot of changes," Brown said. "It's definitely high tempo."

Hathcock has a good quarterback room that got even better with sophomore quarterback Malachi Wilt, 6-foot, 195, transferring in from Tonopah Valley, where he passed for 4,407 yards and 49 touchdowns at the 2A level last season.

Hathcock said there are about five good quarterbacks, including returning starter Chase Gieszler, who will be a senior next season. He passed for 1,592 yards and 18 TDs with nine interceptions, completing 95 of 164 passes. He ran for 153 yards and three scores on 45 carries.

"He's such a great leader," Hathcock said of Gieszler.

Hathcock said he'll open up the playbook. He's got assistants in place now. He's waiting for his son Alec to finish his teaching contract at Blue Ridge, before joining him at Verrado.

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Gingg might be the biggest name in the Verrado football community. He has had family members stand out over the years at Verrado. His cousin Logan Gingg was a running back, who ran for more than 3,000 yards in 26 varsity games from 2018-20.

Caden Gingg, 6-3, 190, will play free safety next season along with receiver.

"He's got us really coming together," Gingg said of Hathcock. "We've got a lot of discipline going in. He's really connected, which is great for us."

It's a hard climb, but one Hathcock feels is manageable. He's closing on a house in the Verrado community in May. And he'll ramp it up in summer workouts.

"I'm actually super surprised at the type of kids I have," Hathcock said. "This place is going to blow up in a few years."

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Jeremy Hathcock feels he struck gold at Verrado football