Sam Sasso

Affiliation: former Hamilton High School quarterback, class of 2014.

Interview date: Sept. 5, 2016.

FA: I’m with Sam Sasso, the starting quarterback for Hamilton in 2013 who led the team to a state title berth against Mountain Pointe. He was also the starter for Hamilton’s first-ever loss to Chandler, a 26–16 regular season defeat.

So Sam, what were some of your first impressions of the Chandler-Hamilton rivalry, and what kind of influence did that have on you?

SS: My first introduction to it was my freshman year. It was actually the Chandler-Hamilton game that was on ESPN and I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to that because it was at Chandler that year. I got to experience it up close and personal my freshman year on the sidelines and it was a nationally televised game, which was a pretty cool experience. I got my taste and saw how big of a rivalry it really was. They didn’t like each other. I would say that was my first experience of it, and it was a pretty cool one.

FA: When you’re a part of Hamilton’s program, is there a feeling almost of superiority just because of the level of success that’s been there for so long?

SS: I would say that’s just how their expectation is. [We expect] a championship every year, so if you don’t win a championship it’s kind of a failure. So they kind of instill that on you your freshman year and that just kind of sits with you and your mindset as you go through the program. It’s a good thing that they expect that of you, but it can bite you in the butt with thinking you have a failure every year just because you didn’t win a state championship.

FA: How do you think playing those games on national TV or even that trip Hamilton made to Ireland impacted the profile and status of the program?

SS: I think it was huge. I think that solidified how dominant our program has been in the past, and how it’s stayed steady and always been a championship contender. Having that nationally televised game and going to Ireland, playing these great teams in other states has been huge in our development and why we are dominant all these years.

FA: Do you think that’s something that’s a growing trend for Arizona high school programs like Chandler or Mountain Pointe, who are also going to these out of state games?

SS: Yeah, I do. I think that’s a huge trend, and I think Arizona high school football is definitely one of the most competitive high school football states in the country. It’s definitely been on the rise since I’ve been in high school, and I think it’s continuing to rise.

FA: What is life like when you’re going through that program, from your freshman year to the moment you make varsity and become a starter?

SS: It’s a change going straight into high school football when you’re that caliber of a program. You know, it’s an adjustment, but they do a very good job from freshman year on of teaching not only the on the field [lessons], but off the field. I think they do a very good job of not just building a football team, but building good young men. I think they do a very good job of that, not just on the field but off the field as well.

FA: Of course, coach Steve Belles has that Notre Dame background and they have a certain way of doing things. Is that something you’ve noticed with the Hamilton program as well?

SS: That’s definitely something I’ve picked up on, and that’s stuck with me even as I’m in my college career right now. I think the values he’s installed in that program are bar none. It’s just incredible with the expectations they put on us every year, but I think the culture he’s built, we want that. The Hamilton people who have gone through that program understand that is the expectation, and they work hard to enforce that culture they’ve built there. It’s just incredible.

FA: You were a sophomore when you had your first loss [as a student] in the state title game against Desert Vista. When your school is so accustomed to dominating opponents, how jarring is a loss like that?

SS: It was jarring, and especially the way we lost with it being in the state championship and the streak and all that. Desert Vista, who beat us in the state championship that year, was a big-time underdog in that game. It was jarring, especially with me just being a young sophomore, but I also think it helped some of the younger guys realize that we’re not invincible. We’re just a high school football team. It was kind of a blow, but I think it helped to develop the younger guys in a better way and see that we do have to work every week and prepare the same every week, or a team can beat us.

FA: The current trajectory of the Hamilton program may be stalling just a bit. Do you think it’s about these teams elevating themselves, or do you think it’s 18 years of dominance starting to teeter off?

SS: I definitely think that these teams are just growing and developing and also getting these expectations. I think they are rising towards the Hamilton expectations. I don’t think, by any means, that Chandler is in the middle of a downfall, or their dominance is depleting at all. Everyone wants to be the top dog, and when Hamilton was the top dog for so long all these other schools are building up to that expectations as well. I think it’s just these other teams picking it up a little bit.

FA: When you’re the top dog, do you feel that pressure of every school trying to take you down and not just a rival team like Chandler?

SS: Yeah, definitely. I felt like very game we would go into, teams just didn’t like us for whatever reason. Maybe it was our past of being that good. When you’re in that program, it feels like everyone [who isn’t in the program] doesn’t like you. I think that every week, each program wants to beat us because we are Hamilton.

FA: How much did you hear about Hamilton’s program and some of the names who have gone through there?

SS: I think they do a very good job of making sure you know the history. They really tell us about the history, and do a really good job of it moving from year to year. Every year is a new year. You have new guys, so when those big guys are gone they’re huge names and it’s time to fill those gaps. They do a really good job of that, and I think it’s almost instinctive in teaching us that when these guys leave, someone has got to step up and find new guys to replace them and try to get back to that championship level.

FA: Steve Belles I very particular with his quarterbacks. How was he with you, and how did he help your progression?

SS: I think that quarterback position is so vital to a team, and especially a championship-level team. I don’t think he’s planned on doing just seniors [until this year], but I just think that’s kind of how it’s played out. The seniors start, but as a junior I played a little bit. I think they just want to build you up and prepare you, and I feel like the senior every year for him has been the most prepared and understands what Hamilton is about. I think that’s just how it’s played out. I don’t think that’s been his plan, but that’s just how it’s gone. The senior is just the most prepared guy, and understands the expectations every year.

FA: When you are named as the starting quarterback, what kind of pressure is there and does it feel like you’re essentially given the keys to a car and told not to crash it?

SS: Of course, you personally always feel like there’s pressure in playing in that stage, but I think the coaches do a very good job of keeping you under your cool and just playing to your strengths and not putting that pressure on you even though is there. That’s just the expectation with being at Hamilton, but the coaches do a good job of not hyping it up and just going week to week and one by one.

FA: Do you feel like in some ways Hamilton is known for its old-school power option offense?

SS: Yeah, I think that’s really a reason why we’ve always been successful. We’ve just stayed with who we are. Hamilton has a huge, big tradition of great [offensive] lines and we play to that strength. It’s an old-fashioned, smash mouth football style and I think that’s helped us solidify our dominance. We’ve stuck to this and not gone with these pretty spread offenses. I really think that’s been big to our success these past few years.

FA: That night when Chandler finally did beat you guys, it seemed like those first three quarters were just a defensive struggle. What do you remember about the early part of that game?

SS: That game, I was actually the starter the first game Chandler beat us. It was exactly what you said, just with the defense going back and no offense could really break through. In the fourth quarter, both offenses kind of got going a little bit. It just kind of came down to who had the ball last, and Chandler did and that’s why they won. They had the ball last. They scored within the last minute. It was definitely an experience to play in that — probably not the best experience of my high school career being that first team to lose to Chandler — but then we were focused on playoffs. We realize it was a regular season game and we did lose to Chandler first, but we had the playoffs coming. We got back to that, and we beat them in the state playoffs to get to the state championship.

FA: In the loss though, Chandler takes the lead with about two minutes to go, but you do drive them down the field and there’s a tipped pass touchdown to Elijah Williams. Was there any sense of relief or confidence in securing a victory at that point?

SS: Yeah, sure, of course. Once we had that touchdown, it was awesome, we thought, because our defense was the tops in the state at that point. I also understood that Chandler’s offense was very talented and very explosive. After that touchdown, I was feeling great and feeling like we had a chance to win, but I also knew there was still a minute and a half left on that clock. I was still on edge on the sideline, even though I was happy to put us in a chance to win that game.

FA: Did coach Belles or anyone say anything to you before that drive?

SS: I understood the situation, and I knew that we had to score. We needed to put the ball in the end zone. [Belles] didn’t say much, just, ‘Let’s go. This is what we live for. Rivalry game, last-minute drive, this is what you want.’ Not much was said. Him and me both kind of knew what had to be done, and we ended up scoring on that drive.

FA: Chandler goes down the field and scores with 30 seconds left, and then score again on that pick-six. Is that something you still think about at this point?

SS: It definitely left a sore spot in my mouth, especially with them sealing the game with that interception I threw. It definitely left a sore spot in my mouth. In the back of my head, I figured — and I wanted — the chance at them again in the playoffs. If definitely left something in the back of my head for the rest of the season to try and get back at that and do better, prepare better and play better. That definitely had a play in how I played for the rest of that season.

FA: How much did you guys think about the streak before it ended, or do you think it was more fan-driven?

SS: I really believe it was fan-driven. Inside of our program and among the team, we didn’t talk about the streak. We weren’t big on streaks and all that. It was definitely fan-driven. We were just in the program focusing on the next game, going 1–0 every week and that was kind of our mentality every week.

FA: When you did meet Chandler again, there were some odd circumstances with the rain moving the game to Monday. How difficult was it to stay focused?

SS: It was a rough situation because obviously we were ready, especially me personally ready to play in that game. We wanted to play them and beat them just like they beat us earlier in the year. We were hyped up and ready to go, and having that delay kind of sucked a little bit. But it didn’t steer us away from what we had to do. We stayed focused, and come Monday we were ready to go.

FA: Those field conditions were pretty slippery. How do you think that played in to what you guys were doing?

SS: It played into our strengths a little bit, but we still knew how talented and explosive they were. We weren’t really worried about the field conditions, and we weren’t going to veer off of any game plans. Technically, yeah, it did play into our strengths a little more but it was still a great game that went down to the wire again.

FA: With it being a defensive struggle until the end yet again, did that bring back any flashbacks of the regular season matchup?

SS: Yeah, a little bit. That was just how it ended up playing out again, but with our defense we had, we were confident. In the regular season, they drove down and had that game-winning drive on our defense, but I think nine out of 10 times our defense would stop them and it was just that one time during the regular season that they didn’t. I was completely confident in the playoff game that we would come away with that win when Chandler had the ball in that last minute again.

FA: Did coach Belles say anything to the offense before that last drive, because it seemed like his plan was to just run it down their throats and it worked.

SS: He just told us let’s go and that it was time to win and get to the state championship. We just knew we had to score, and ended up just pounding the ball all the way up the field and just didn’t veer away from that plan once the drive started because it was working so well. We thought we could take the time off the clock and keep pounding the ball before we got it all the way down and scored.

FA: You get it down to fourth down and goal from the 1-yard line. How nice was it to see Tyrell Smith be the one to punch it in after his fumble in the regular season kind of opened that game back up?

SS: Yeah, it was awesome. I think that was a great way to cap off that game with just a Tyrell being our go-to back and just our workhorse. Him carrying the ball and then punching it in, I think that was the icing on the cake for him.

FA: What was your view of that play, because it did look like he was stuffed at first?

SS: It was just our line giving a great push, and [Tyrell] not quitting on the play and keeping those legs churning until he got across the goal line. Once I handed it off, I just kind of watched him and once I saw him break that goal line we were just going crazy. It was an awesome feeling.

FA: How important was it to get that win to vindicate yourselves against Chandler?

SS: It was huge. Obviously, we wanted that game and we wanted a rematch. But we also knew that this playoff game is really what matters, getting to that state championship. We knew we were the first team to lose to Chandler, but we realized that in the long run, that doesn’t really matter. It’s what you do in the playoffs, and trying to get to that state championship. Even though we wanted to get revenge and play them again, it was more about getting the state championship. That’s where our mind was.

FA: Where do you think this rivalry is at right now?

SS: I think now it’s a real, legit rivalry. It’s anyone’s game, any year, and not like it used to be when it was just Hamilton, Hamilton, Hamilton every single year. I really think it’s a true rivalry where these teams just don’t like each other and any given year, any team can win. It’s pretty cool.

FA: Do you think Chandler finally breaking through almost helped the rivalry in general?

SS: Yeah, I actually do. Although being a Hamilton alum and being on that first team to lose to Chandler, you don’t like it. But I do think it’s kind of helped build rivalry up to where now it’s anyone’s game, any year.

FA: Where do you think this rivalry’s place is within the state and nation?

SS: Obviously I’m a little biased, but I definitely think it’s the best rivalry in the state and, to me, one of the great rivalries across the country. Just given how talented and how dominant bot of those teams can be any given year, I definitely think it’s a top-notch rivalry in the country.

FA: What does “Restore The Order” mean to you in the Hamilton program?

SS: I do think it’s important to get back on top as a program, and if that is their motto I think that’s a great motto for that team. Just trying to restore the dominance Hamilton had in the past and get back to that championship-level team. I think that’s a great motto for the team this year.