JP Rosales is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Copper Canyon High School for AZPreps365.com

GLENDALE — Putting 11 players on the field is only part of what it takes to keep Copper Canyon’s football program running.

Behind the team is a network of district funding, team fundraising, business partnerships and community support that helps provide everything from helmets and uniforms to apparel and road-trip snacks.

The football program's Touchdown Club raised more than $10,000 this fall through fundraisers, according to head coach Rodger Schenks. Players participate in two fundraisers each year, with the money helping provide gear for the team.

“We don't ask them to pay for anything,” Schenks said. “They come and they get all their gear for free.”

Schenks said players receive three or four shirts during the football season, another two or three during the offseason and additional uniforms in the spring.

Some of that gear comes from Get It In Apparel, an Arizona-based company that has worked with Schenks for about six years. Owner Donnie Bunyon said the company provides Copper Canyon with seven-on-seven uniforms, compression gear, team shirts and other off-the-field apparel.

Bunyon said the relationship began after Schenks learned about Get It In through other Valley coaches. Schenks approached the company and continued working with Bunyon as he moved between programs, eventually bringing the relationship to Copper Canyon.

This month, Get It In is working with Copper Canyon on a new Breast Cancer Awareness Month apparel collection.

Get It In is an approved Tolleson Union High School District vendor, and Bunyon said most purchases are processed through district purchase orders. 

Nike supplies Copper Canyon's primary football uniforms. 

However, Get It In and Nike aren't the only businesses connected to Copper Canyon football.

Barro's Pizza provides pregame meals, while Rockin' Protein supplies breakfast and protein drinks. Sancho Tacos and Kona Ice have a game-day presence, and Westside Sports Arizona created the team's senior banners.

Copper Canyon also receives support from the Aztec Parent Posse, a group of parents that provides snacks, fruit and other items for players on road trips. The group is separate from the school and the Touchdown Club.

“They support the team, but they're not part of the school,” athletic director Christopher Williams said.

The largest investment, however, comes at the district level.

The Tolleson Union High School District spent approximately $500,000 from a previous bond to purchase roughly 700 Riddell Axiom football helmets for schools across the district, according to an April report by ABC15 reporter Elenee Dao.

According to Riddell, Axiom helmets come standard with technology capable of collecting head-impact data, including impact location and intensity. The helmets also use a personalized fitting system based on a 3D scan of each player's head.

For the businesses involved, however, the relationship can go beyond a purchase order.

Bunyon said his connection to Arizona high school sports makes his work with programs such as Copper Canyon personal.

“I'm a local Arizona guy, so I grew up in Arizona,” he said. “I played high school sports in Arizona, so to be able to just put that energy back into the youth programs here in Arizona means everything to me.”