There was a bit of an awkward start at Jim Wall Stadium Friday night as the anticipation built in one of the most hyped games in Arizona high school football recent history.

As smoke billowed near the east entrance, the PA announcer let it rip, “And here’s the Hamilton Huskies.”

The throng of media were at the ready. The cheer squad formed a tunnel and was shaking its poms.

The former Husky coaches and players, Hamilton admin and faculty on the field started to feel the energy, and the path for the players to come trampling, and screaming through on to the field was there for the taking.

Then, nothing.

The head scratching began. What’s happening? Is it gamesmanship?

More standstill. The fervor died down a bit. Tick tock. What the?

Then the announcer said it again – “Here are the Hamilton Huskies.”

This time the players came flooding through the fence gate. Hamilton players, wearing their all white, came bounding, yelling, hopping, and revved up as they took the field.

Turns out the delay was just waiting for the national broadcast by MaxPreps on YouTube. No funny business.

Nothing to see here.

Actually, that’s not entirely true because there was definitely something to take note of once the Huskies took the field.

There is something different about this squad. Hamilton has been a top program – at one point THE program - soon after John Wrenn blew the first whistle in 1998 but there was a lull for a bit.

In 2016, Hamilton went 1-3 in region play. Two seasons later, the Huskies were 3-7, 0-4 in region play.

There was a time when the program didn’t lose seven games in a seven-year span and losing a single region game – let alone four – was unfathomable.

There were more than a few factors including three coaches – counting an interim year by the inimitable Dick Baniszewski – in three years that pushed the program to the background for the first time as programs like Chandler and Basha grew to prominence.

Last night’s 28-12 win over Basha signified something different.

The Huskies now reign supreme.

The win over nationally ranked Basha was part of it. It was just one game. The Bears lost their quarterback. There was a roughing the punter call that was still being debated long into the night on whether it was the right call or not.

It wasn’t like Hamilton destroyed Basha. Neither team managed to score in the second half. It was a good, competitive game. Chris McDonald, a former Hamilton running backs coach, and program aren’t going anywhere.

It’s more about picking up a sense of the Huskies' confidence when they take the field. 

It’s their approach – according to several coaches, the players were dialed in and scrutinized every detail at a level beyond their years this week – along with ridiculous talent and youth.

Meaning this team isn’t fully shaped yet. Hamilton is only going to get better. Think about that for a minute.

And that should put every other program back on its heels.

Hamilton has outscored opponents 430 to 116 through eight games. The Huskies are young and want to end the state championship drought, dating to 2012.

Up to this point most of the talk has been about the sensational sophomores Roye Oliver III and Jax Sculley and their dynamic connection. They must have been twins in another universe or timeline.

https://x.com/AZPreps365Skoda/status/1982172194307268696

It was on full display with two ridiculous broken play connections and a 90-yard score on the way to Oliver III setting a new 6A season record for touchdown catches at 25.

But I walked away thinking about the defense led by junior defensive end Derrick Leblanc Jr., who had a hand in at least three sacks, adding to his total of 21 tackles for a loss coming into the game.

The defense slowed an impressive Basha offense in the first half. The second half was a different story once the backup quarterback came in as the Hamilton defense just went into attack mode. In the first half, though, Basha’s running backs were losing yardage just as much as it was moving the sticks.

There were no answers to the Hamilton front seven. The Huskies defense, which played without Oklahoma-bound safety Beau Jandreau, came into the game with 119 tackles for a loss, 28 sacks, 42 quarterback hurries, eight interceptions, 33 passes defended, 15 fumbles caused, and nine fumbles recovered.

“I know when we (the offense) go to the sidelines we’re not going to be there long,” Sculley said. “They’re going to force something to happen, and we’ll be right back out there.”

Oliver III said the practices are primal.

“That’s the best defense in the state, maybe the country,” he said. “We go against them every day. They push us all the time. It’s competitive, but we know we are getting each other better. We haven’t played anyone like that.”

And there's an intriguing part that links Hamiton back to its lineage of domination. The guy leading this push to elite? The one who was in front of the players last night during that awkward moment before the Huskies took over the field.

He, being head coach Travis Dixon, is the guy who was running the offense at quarterback in 2003 when Hamilton won its first state title and set the standard.

As calm and steady as he was behind the center, he is intense and fiery as the man at the front of the program.

“We’re here, and we’re one step closer to being where we want to be,” Dixon said. “I don’t think Hamilton ever left. We got pushed to the side a bit. I just want to see these guys be relentless Monday through Friday.”

And they were last night. Impressively, so.

It might have been delayed for minute, but it was the only time the Huskies hesitated all evening.

It just might be the last bit of hesitancy for an exceptionally long time.