The Aztecs are back. Yes, they are and they have a plan in place that should give Southern Arizona some major respectability. The new Head Coach is an old friend to football in Arizona. Bill Laslett was the HC at Phoenix College just a few years ago. Now as the top man in Tucson he has the full support of his school led by the Athletic Director Dr. Robert Riza. We will have an in depth bio on Coach Laslett soon, so please check back as the Aztecs prepare to take the WSFL by Storm....

This is the year of change for the entire football program. They are now officially back together with the other Aztec athletic teams on the West Campus, no longer a lone program without any connection to the mainstream. Remember the Storm that was Tucson JC Football. The one with the half a million dollar Nike turf practice field on the East Campus. A field with no bleachers, locker rooms or bathrooms. The players no longer have to change in their cars for practice or try to squeeze a fully padded frame into a midget sized portable facility. Another thing they won't be doing is playing at Santa Rita High. No, their new home field is Amphi HS not far from campus.

The team is in their second year of being removed from the Storm name and logo. They are keeping the colors and logo of a proud Aztec tradition. Proud Southern Arizona tradition. This is punctuated with the addition of former UA quarterback Marc Lunsford as the offensive coordinator. Marc has 18 years of experience that spans every level including some time in Canada. He has family and grandkids here to make this a grand homecoming for Marc.

The defensive coordinator is also deep in experience with 18 years coaching at the high school level. Andy Krause most recently was the DC at Ironwood Ridge in Tucson. This is his first college job but the staff at the University of Arizona believes he is the right man for the job and recomended him. Coaching the offensive line will be Soma Helu. He is a former player at Nevada Reno and Dixie.

The job of getting the players ready to roll will fall to strength and conditioning Coach Glenn Howell. He played tight end at UA during the Larry Smith years and will be coaching the tight ends for the Aztecs. For years now he was the man that players in the area preparing for professional football tryouts would call to get them ready to meet the tough NFL standards.

Rounding out the staff is the defensive line coach Art Mata. He coached at Tucson Saguaro plus put in time coaching with California's junior college programs. He has more responsibilities on his plate as the quality control coach.

The type of offense and defense they plan to run is, for now a matter of the utmost security. After all, the team has only a handful of players returning from last season. Of course Coach Laslett would have all believe that they are going to be in for a tough, long, rebuilding season. In the WSFL the nations toughest conference, that could be true. But I do believe that the staff at Pima has its eye on a winning season in 2006. I don't expect GCC and some of the others to take that to heart but beware the boys from Southern Arizona. With the rousing support of the University of Arizona and Coach Stoops, expect some good things from the Aztecs.

There are 148 players in the mix and only 120 helmets to date. A spot on the field will be paid for in blood, sweat and tears. Report date for what may be the youngest team in the conference this season is August 7th. We promise to bring you the news, stories and photos of this team as it develops.

Oh, the players. Coach Laslett did mention a few. First the returnees of note: Big guys lead the way. From Palo Verde comes 6'5 320 Ernesto Aquirre a soph at offensive tackle. On the line with him will be from Salpointe 6'1 270 center Allen Macias. He played tough as a 17 year old freshman last season.

New faces that look to be impact players: From Tucson Mountain View is 6'3 245 ILB Del Gallego. He played some OL in high school and the coaches say that he is the strongest player they have seen at this level. Also on the defense is lineman and frosh Stephen Hopkins from Cholla. He is 6'0 275.

But the one that did not get away is a player rated by the experts as the best QB prospect in Southern Arizona. He is Cody House a 6'0 190 gunner from Cholla. He will have to look over his shoulder as another QB that is more mobile and a versatile player that can play multiple positions. From Cienega comes Michael Robertson at 5'11 and 170 bounds he plans on making an impact in some capacity for this team.

This is going to be an exciting year for football fans. First they get to watch as the UA Wildcats pass their way into prominence in the PAC-10, then they get to watch the new west coast JC program as the Aztecs find a way to rise up like (the) Phoenix from the ashes. I just hope we can Bear all the excitement.

We have the 2006 schedule, soon we will add the roster and more. Please check back: Pima Aztecs Home Page, sort of.