Claire Cornelius is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Dobson High School for AZPreps365.com

Dobson High School is up against obstacles unfamiliar to other football teams in the Mesa area. No local youth football program. A decade-long history of tough losses. Players whose first priority must be taking care of their family, not school or football. 

Those obstacles are reflected in Dobson’s record the last 13 seasons. The team hasn’t had a winning season since 2007 and the last time it had a .500 record was in 2016.

Second-year coach Bill Godsil is doing everything in his power to “change the culture” of the program. He instilled the “brick by brick” and “we over me” mottos into his players. Designed new uniforms. Brought back the traditional white helmets the late 80’s players wore when Dobson was considered an athletic powerhouse. Invited former NFL safety and Dobson alumnus Toby Wright to speak with current players. 

“We did add quite a few seniors this year that were not out for football last year. And that's because they've heard about how the culture has changed out here in the football program,” Godsil said. “I have a feeling we're gonna get even more kids coming out next year. That's the biggest thing about coming into a new school is changing the culture, especially one that is not as affluent as some of the other schools in the area.”

Over time, the more affluent families from the Dobson Ranch area moved to other parts of Maricopa County when the Valley experienced growth, AIA executive director David Hines said.

“The power has moved to different areas of the county,” Hines said. “When you have lower-economic areas, a lot of times those kids are not involved in some type of club activity. In this day and age parents will put their kids in sports early on, so by the time they get to high school some of these kids have played for 10 years.” 

Dobson doesn't have the luxury of receiving incoming freshmen with 10 years of experience due to the area’s lack of a youth football program that feeds directly into the high school; however it does compete against teams with those types of players.

Last season Dobson lost 63-6 to Salpointe Catholic High School, which had the No. 1 running back in the nation at the time, Bijan Robinson, in its backfield.

“We knew who they were and they got some big names,” Dobson senior quarterback Damyian Duarte said. “We didn’t just want to turn over and show our bellies. We fought. We lost by a lot, but nobody really gave up. We fought all the way until the fourth quarter.”

Godsil relies on his seniors to motivate and rally the team in tough situations when hearing the same speech from their coaches gets old, he said. Duarte fulfills one of the leadership roles for the team by constantly pushing his teammates to fight until the end of each game.

“You may not start, you may stand on the sidelines, but I need you,” Duarte said. “If you’re on special teams, I need you to block somebody. I need you to get an onside kick. I tried to make them feel wanted, to make them feel like they're not just standing on the sideline. And that they're needed on the team and make them want to come back next year.” 

Some of Dobson’s players work year-round to support their families. During football season, some players cut down their hours to just the weekends in order to be present for practice during the week, Duarte included. Their sacrifice reveals how important the Dobson football program’s long-term success is to them. 

Wright spoke to the school’s current football players recently. Wright played for Dobson during its “glory days” in 1987 when the team won its last state title under coach Mike Clark. Wright's words allowed players to easily relate to him and his experiences, Duarte said. 

Junior linebacker and running back Mekhi Steuber transferred from Corona del Sol High School to Dobson this year because he didn’t feel wanted by his teammates or coaches. He noticed that playing for Dobson meant the coaches connected with their players on a personal level.

“It makes me want to perform. It just makes me feel more confident in my playing ability and just myself in general,” Steuber said. “At Dobson people look up to me, and at Corona they just took me as a joke.” 

Duarte and Steuber’s mindsets reflect the “we before me” concept Godsil is drilling into his players. Although not every player has adopted that mindset yet, all the “hotheads” are gone and Godsil is bringing the Dobson football team to the next level, a team where no one is there for just their personal gain, Duarte said. 

“I’m just a brick,” Duarte said. “I’m just helping build this foundation because Dobson is going to be here long after I’m gone. Brick by brick, we have to build it into the castle we know it should be.”