Charlie Goldring is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Red Mountain High School for AZPreps365.com.

MESA -- Red Mountain quarterback Caleb Joe pursues excellence. 

He blossoms robustly as he stays grounded in his roots. 

Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Caleb, 16, has lived in Virginia, North Carolina, Texas and Arizona. 

Donovan Joe, Caleb’s father, spent 22 years in the Marine Corps, relocating with his wife Teri, and three boys, Gregory, Caleb and Lucas, every three years or so. 

“The biggest struggle they had, was learning who their family was back here,” Donovan reminisced. “Learning their background as far as their ethnic upbringing, ethnic status, and not being able to participate in that.”

Despite the constant moves, Navajo culture persisted in Caleb and his brothers’ upbringings. Visits from their grandparents aided in their development. 

“We asked them questions, ‘Grandma, how do you say this?’” Gregory, the eldest, said. “Testing them on their knowledge.”

“The disciplines I learned growing up,” Donovan explained, “things like: greeting the sun in the morning or not misusing water, because water is everything to us as human beings. Those lessons that are taught, they're all based on discipline.”

Curiosity and discipline are virtues Caleb embraces. 

“He’s very knowledgeable about his roots,” CJ Queen said. “His parents taught him well, and it has only benefited him as he moves forward.”

Queen taught and coached Caleb at Shirley Hall Middle School in Weatherford, Texas, in 2021 and 2022. 

“He’s tactful,” Queen said. “It goes back to him moving so much. He’s learned how to read situations and people and how to approach them.”

From his background, Caleb expresses unmatched elasticity. 

“We learned how to adapt to certain situations,” Gregory said. “To our environment, building resilience. We realized from a very young age, everything is a blessing to us, we can't take that for granted.” 

“He outperformed everybody,” Queen remembered. “With teaching, you want to call on the people who don’t know the answers.

“I never called on Caleb because I already knew he knew.”

That’s just Caleb Joe. 

“There’s so many times where people can put in just a little bit more effort or discipline,” Caleb said, “and it’s going to separate you. It makes the difference in the long run.

“If you’re going at it, practicing, doing all the right things, doing your homework, doing the stuff you don’t want to do, 

“That’s the stuff right there that’s going to make you great.”

Even with a preseason coaching decision to promote senior transfer Dominic Carmigiano to starter, once eligible after the first five games of the season, Caleb’s discipline and adaptability stand out.

“He deserves more credit for how he handled those first five games,” teammate Derek Wilson insisted.

“We’ve been very transparent,” Red Mountain football coach Kyle Enders explained. “He’s [Caleb] just kind of known that.” 

Regardless, Caleb makes the most of his opportunities. 

“A lot of people on this team," Derek said, "wrote him off when they heard Dom was coming over here, like, ‘Hey, we won’t be good for these first five games. We're going to lose games because Caleb's the quarterback.'

“I always believed in him. I always stood by his side. He's a great quarterback.”

Red Mountain went 4-1 in those first five games.

“It’s humbling and motivating,” Caleb said after a long pause. “Going into this year, I knew I had to do big things for my team. 

“When Dom transferred, it was just a shift in perspective. Obviously, the same goal, and it didn’t really affect me. I didn’t let the noise get to me.” 

His father reminds him.

“Just do what you have to do,” Donovan said, “and your character is going to shine regardless. Who you are is going to be a lot, in some ways, a lot brighter than what your record is going to be.

“There are certain rules you have to abide by that require things that are not fun to do,” Donovan added. “Getting up early, going out there, thrashing yourself physically, exercising, hard things to do. 

“I always tell them, ‘Good things that you want in life are freaking hard, and everything that you want to have is right on the other side of hard.’”

Caleb consistently acts on this advice, and those around him notice.

“If he’s not playing football, he's doing schoolwork,” Wilson laughed. “If he’s not playing baseball, not playing basketball, he's doing more schoolwork, then his clubs. 

“I was like, ‘Dude, your life is hectic,’ but he loves it. He loves it. He wouldn't trade it for the world. 

"I tell him every day, I say, 'You're the best,’ Wilson continued. 

“He just shrugs his shoulders.”

And it holds true for everyone Caleb interacts with. 

“He’s going to be famous in his own house,” Queen said. “That’s the best compliment I can give to a man. 

“He’s going to be a trailblazer in whatever he wants and be successful. If my kid comes out half as good as Caleb Joe, I will be very, very proud of my son.”