Tyler Shank
Affiliation: former Chandler High School offensive lineman, class of 2013
Interview date: May 6, 2016.
FA: I’m on the line with former Chandler High offensive lineman, who graduated the year before the Wolves finally broke through against Hamilton.
Growing up, what was your first real exposure to the Chandler-Hamilton rivalry?
TS: For me, since I actually live a couple miles from Chandler, that was always what everyone was talking about. It was always in the paper. All my other cousins always talked about the Chandler-Hamilton rivalry, and I was always at [the games] and always willing to go to them, so I was exposed pretty early to it.
FA: How important is the rivalry to the community?
TS: I think it’s had a huge impact on it, because the community really gets around it and it’s about way more than just the two schools. It’s just that Chandler was divided in half and it’s really brought it up to more than it should be. It is just a game, but not to people from Chandler.
FA: Did you find people who you played with growing up winding up on those Hamilton teams?
TS: I actually did not.
FA: How much of the rivalry was created due to the proximity between the two schools?
TS: Chandler and Hamilton being so close was just profound. It’s literally right down the road and even on the same road on Arizona Avenue. That really heightened it up, and made it into what it is now.
FA: Where do you think this rivalry is at compared to others in the state?
TS: I always thought of it as a national event, and it should be recognized as that. Even though the history of it doesn’t dictate that with Hamilton winning a lot more of the games, but I feel like any time that game gets turned on, it’s a battle until the end. There’s just so much hype around it, and that whole week leading up to the game is crazy and that’s all anybody thinks about. I think it’s very, very profound.
FA: As a player, what is the preparation for Hamilton week like?
TS: Even playing in college, nothing is like playing and getting ready for that week. In your mind, there’s just this pressure, because everybody wants to talk about it. Everybody knows. Everybody at both schools, everyone around the state knows that this game is coming up and, it’s hard to explain but just all you do is think. For me, all I did is think about not messing up, because you’re going to be in front of 10,000 people, which is insane to think about for a high school game. Being in front of that many people, all just going crazy wanting to see this game.
FA: What is that added pressure like, especially since you guys hadn’t beat Hamilton yet when you were still a student there?
TS: The pressure is just — I can’t compare it to anything else. All you wanted to do was win that game. It felt like everybody in your city was counting on you to win this game, and you had everybody on your back. The pressure was just immense. Your family members, you don’t want to let them down. It’s a nationally-televised game. You don’t want to let anybody down, and you want to do it for your teammates. It was very difficult.
FA: Once you’re at the game and playing, how difficult is it to block out those distractions?
TS: For me, it wasn’t too bad because once I get into game mode, I always kind of block everything out. But there’s just something about running out onto the field and seeing that one section of Chandler blue and that one section of Hamilton black or white, and they’re just all screaming so loud. That’s definitely a bit of a distraction, and then all the signs, the history of the signs and all the cameras that you don’t usually see around when you’re at a game. All those distractions, they do get in your head a little bit, but I think for me it wasn’t bad because I’m pretty good at blocking things out.
FA: What were the biggest challenges to playing those Hamilton teams?
TS: For me, it was just the [desire] to win and knowing just how good of a coach Steve Belles was and how good of players they have. They were just as ready and prepared as we were, but they had this confidence about them with winning that they were going to win and knew they were going to win each game. It’s hard to come out and try to beat them, knowing that we have our backs against the wall because they have the screws on us.
FA: I know you didn’t play varsity under coach Ewan, but did you notice any differences in the program when Aguano took over?
TS: I think Aguano really intensified everything, just with his willingness to win and his drive. It really made everything mean so much more every time I strapped on the pads. Especially for the Hamilton game, that was — especially his pregame talks — he’d really get in your head. He wants the best for this team.
FA: Aguano’s received much praise not just for his coaching ability, but also his ability to get kids recruited. How did he help you?
TS: Aguano did everything he possibly could to get me a scholarship and to get me noticed by recruiters. He would go out on the edge or the smallest limb for each player on this team. On my team, he got seven of us to go [Division I], which is amazing. Just the way he conducted himself, he was just so professional and he went to bat for us every single day. Of the 100 or something schools that came in, he tried to sell us to every single one of them, which is amazing still to me to this day. He cared so much about us.
FA: What changes do you think have been made in the Chandler program that allowed you to not only be competitive with Hamilton, but eventually beat them?
TS: I think it was just a long time coming. I knew it would happen. I knew it would, and I just think that the way Aguano was maturing as a head coach, I knew he would eventually do it. That man’s willingness to win is incomparable, and the staff he has around him, he has great coaches in there. I just knew that it would eventually happen, but I’m glad it happened sooner rather than later.
FA: Where do you think the rivalry is at now, and where do you think it’s headed in the next couple years?
TS: I think that, right now, Hamilton still leads it, but I think Chandler is starting to come onto it and I think Chandler is starting to take a little bit of an edge over it. Maybe I’m biased because I’m a Chandler guy, but I think we kind of got the edge now and their backs are kind of being pushed against the wall. I think this will always be a great rivalry every year. Everyone’s always going to come out to the games, and it should always be on national TV because I think it is one of the best rivalries I have ever been a part of and seen.
FA: How important was the history of a school like Chandler to you?
TS: It was amazing [to win our first title since 1949], if you think about it. It was just a long time coming, and the pressure was always on us to do it. We had that sign up there that said we hadn’t won in 60 years, and now we have. It was just, it was kind of like a breath of fresh air knowing that we finally reached the highest level that we could. All of our shortcomings were finally kind of overmatched by this win. Us going deep into the playoffs every year, we never really felt like we actually got there. To finally see a Chandler team do it was amazing.
FA: What makes Chandler such a hotbed for prep athletics?
TS: I think Chandler’s just a great place to be, and I think it all started with the Chandler-Hamilton rivalry. Everyone I knew either wanted to go to Hamilton or Chandler growing up and going to middle school. Now I think Perry and Basha are coming into their own, too. I think Chandler’s going to be a great source of recruits for college programs.
FA: What games stick out to you when you think about this rivalry?
TS: One was my junior year, when they came to our house. I just had to block Jaxon Hood, knowing the hype that was going to be around him and that he was going to play at [Arizona State]. He was just a great athlete, and that’s what stuck in my mind. Another one was my senior year, when I had to play against Calvin Thomas, who had played at Chandler and then he went to Hamilton. That was a really crazy event. Everything about those games, I still hold near and dear to my heart because I’ve never experienced anything like that, even at NAU, and I’ll cherish those memories forever.
FA: Why do you think Chandler has been so successful at the quarterback position despite roster and personnel shake-ups.
TS: I think part of it is the quarterbacks coach, [Rick] Garretson. I think he does an amazing job with them, especially the latest guys. Brett was a great athlete, and obviously he was a great player who is now out of the NFL. Going down to Darrel, I think Darrel really game into his own. The quarterbacks that we get into this program really flourish and bring out the light spots in the kind of offense we run. I think having to run a no-huddle offense makes players because it makes you think more than the average quarterback that just read off of a playcard. I just think that from now on, Chandler’s always going to have a great quarterback coming in, because everyone wants to be a part of [a winner]. That’s why I picked Chandler over Perry or Basha or even Hamilton.
