Colgin Hirschel is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Queen Creek High School for AZPreps365.com.

QUEEN CREEK — Sawyer Hales was thrown into the starting quarterback position in the first game of the season for Queen Creek, but he has proved to his family and coaches that he is much more than just a good quarterback. 

The sophomore has gone through an up-and-down season with the Bulldogs. While his stats are not going to make headlines, his maturity on and off the field is what he’ll be known for. 

His dad, Jordan, and mom, Chelsea, understand this level of maturation like no one else.

“I felt like he was a leader not only on the field but also in our home,” 

 

This revelation of leadership came after the 41-8 upset loss against ALA-Queen Creek, where Sawyer threw for six interceptions and no touchdowns. His parents broke down the next day from their vantage point.

After Sawyer returned home, he immediately took it upon himself to clear his mind and process the events that unfolded. He took a walk for quite a while in order to be alone. 

Chelsea, an assistant in the special education school at Benjamin Franklin Charter School, had to go to bed before Sawyer returned from his walk. She had an early morning and left before her son woke up.

“I actually didn’t see or talk to Sawyer for 24 hours,” Chelsea said. “That was gut-wrenching as a mom.”

She described the following day as gloomy and sad, but when she and her son returned to the Hales’ household, that changed. 

“He was able to show me what it means to learn from our lows and process that,” Chelsea said. “That was, for me, a proud moment seeing my child, my 16-year-old child, in that leadership role.”

“Move on from the highs and enjoy them, but the lows are definitely what you learn from,” Sawyer said.

That ability to bounce back all stems from how Sawyer was raised. Jordan said his role has changed over the years. 

When Jordan’s son was younger, his parenting strategy was to teach, to show him the ways of football. Now, he is a supporter, understanding that Sawyer knows the game at a different level than himself.

“I just know he’s going to be successful,” Jordan said. “From a parent standpoint, I don’t know what he’s going to do, but I know he’ll be successful.” 

Even Sawyer’s head coach, Travis Schureman, agrees that anything is possible when it comes to his young quarterback. 

“I really think that when all is said and done, he’s going to be a big-time football player,” Schureman said. “He’s going to have lots of opportunities to continue to play past Friday nights.”

Every success in Sawyer’s career has related to his preparation for his next challenge, whether he sees it coming or not. When he was placed into his first game of the season against Mojave, after senior quarterback Tait Reynolds was sidelined, his preparation allowed him to prevail.

“Preparing for an opportunity even though you don’t know if it comes or not can help you out even if the opportunity doesn’t come,” Sawyer said.

However, it wasn’t all easy for the Hales family. His parents might not have been as prepared for Sawyer to play as their son was.

“We were like, ‘Oh crap, don’t screw up,’” Jordan said. “Before games, we’re more of a wreck than he is. He sleeps better than I do the night before a game.”

It’s been a journey of peaks and valleys for Sawyer Hales and his family to make it to where he is now, but this is only the beginning of the sophomore’s football story.

Coach Schureman put it best: “He’s the ultimate competitor, and the sky’s the limit.”