Andrew Knierim is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover North CanyonHigh School for AZPreps365.com.

Walking into his coaches office, North Canyon Varsity Football Head Coach Anthony Johns says goodbye with a smile to various players as they walk off the field and head home after a long day of high school.

“I got something special planned tomorrow for practice, you’ll just have to wait and see though,” Johns says with a knowing smile. He then whispers, “I’m going to let them have aux for the music tomorrow; they’ve earned it.”

In his first year at North Canyon High School in north Phoenix, Johns is no stranger to coaching: 2024 is his 18th year as a coach, and his fourth year as a varsity head coach. As the 2022 Agua Fria Region Coach of the Year at Heritage Academy Laveen, his main priority isn’t winning. It’s building relationships with students. 

The North Canyon Rattlers started winless this season, with a record of 0-8, and the Rattlers haven’t had a winning season since 2017. Johns doesn’t get demoralized by these losses, but he knows that sometimes the students do.

“We’re 0-7 right now, but we haven’t had 30 kids quit. We do our best to have good relationships with our guys,” Johns said. “We openly tell our guys, ‘We love you,’ because they might not hear that at home.”

When Johns took over as head coach at Heritage Academy, it was right after the COVID-19 lockdowns, and eight players showed up to the first team meeting. The team finished 2-8 that year, but Johns didn’t lose hope.

By the following season, 42 players joined the team, and Heritage went 8-2.

Johns credits the turnaround to steady growth over the summer, from spring football to summer exhibitions to camp. Confidence skyrocketed when the team beat a 4A school and narrowly lost to a 6A school by one touchdown.

“That was our selling point to the guys, we just beat a 4A school,” Johns said. "Just building the confidence from spring football, to summer, to camp, was everything."

Heritage, a 2A school, proved it could compete with much larger programs.

Johns returned to a larger school for the first year at North Canyon, a 5A school, the second-largest divisions in Arizona high school sports, in the midst of a struggle. 

“I just had this urge to return to big school football,” Johns said with a chuckle. “The specialty of Friday nights at a big school, they can be electric.”

Johns said he felt confident to turn the program around, bringing his coaching mentality and staff with him as he moved schools. 

Coach Alex Centa, who played under Johns in high school and now coaches alongside him, says Johns’ approach hasn’t changed.

"He’s been an amazing mentor, to me and to a lot of other people,” Centa said. While Centa’s role shifted from player to coach, he said the experience of being coached by Johns remains the same — only his perspective has changed.

Coaching started early for Johns.

“Basically, I graduated high school in May, had a son in September and then the next year I started coaching,” he said. He’s been balancing football and family life ever since.

Hunter Perkins, a former player who also now coaches alongside Johns, said balance is part of what makes Johns special.

“He’s able to manage everything really well,” Perkins said. “Football is the three hours where he can just disconnect from everything and focus. It's cool to watch.”