Staff Reports
PHOENIX – During the 2A State Championship football game at Mountain Pointe High School on Saturday, the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) paid homage to a razor-thin triumph that still stirs the soul of small-town sports. As the Scottsdale Christian Eagles clinched their third straight 2A state championship with a heart-pounding 27-22 victory over St. Johns, AIA paused the pageantry at halftime to celebrate a milestone etched in the annals of the state’s prep history: the 25th anniversary of the Thatcher Eagles’ unforgettable 14-13 conquest of St. Johns in the 2000 2A title game.
The 2025 championship showdown between Scottsdale Christian and St. Johns – a rematch of sorts from that ancient rivalry – provided the perfect stage for reflection. St. Johns, the No. 4 seed entering with an 11-1 regular-season mark and dreams of reviving their glory days from the early 1990s, mounted a furious late rally. Senior two-way star Sam Winters electrified the crowd with a 68-yard touchdown scamper in the first quarter and a 23-yard reception from junior quarterback Kaden Waite in the fourth, pulling the Redskins within 27-22 with under three minutes to play. But on fourth-and-goal at the Eagles’ 1-yard line, Waite’s desperation pass fell incomplete, sealing Scottsdale Christian’s three-peat and sending their sideline into euphoric chaos.
On Nov. 22, 2000, at McClintock High School, a contest took place that embodied the grit of Arizona’s rural football heartland. The Thatcher Eagles entered as the 2A Copper Region champions with an unblemished 10-0 record. Under the steady hand of head coach Don Conrad, a tactician whose innovative veer-option schemes would propel Thatcher to back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001, the Eagles faced a battle-hardened St. Johns squad that boasted three state crowns from the early ’90s.
What ensued was a defensive masterpiece, a 48-minute slugfest where every yard felt like a mile. The victory wasn’t just a trophy; it was redemption for a program that had tasted heartbreak in prior seasons and had lost to St. Johns in the playoffs the previous year. The roster, a tight-knit group of 38 players – many multi-sport warriors from Thatcher’s farms and fields – finished 11-0, a feat that ranked them No. 28 in the state and No. 1,785 nationally.
Fast-forward 25 years, and the AIA’s tribute brought tears and cheers in equal measure. Amid the pomp of the 2025 halftime – with Scottsdale Christian leading 20-15 – a contingent of 2000 Eagles alumni, led by Conrad, now 72 and a revered figure in Arizona coaching circles, took the field. Fellow coaches Ramon Morales, Danny Battraw, and Adam Estrada were joined by surviving players like Michael Romney, Mark Palmer, Gene Mattice, Randy Conrad, Tyrel Ajeman, Jathan Castaneda, and Justin Burrell. They were presented with the trophy from that year.
Ironically, during halftime of the Thatcher Eagles’ 2A State Championship three-peat in 2018, the 1993 St. Johns Redskins were recognized for their 25th-anniversary championship.
