The Mesa High School Jackrabbits are in the midst of a football rebuild. The team went 3-7 in 2018 and head coach and famed alum Kapi Sikahema was fired on Tuesday.

The team does, however, feature building blocks for future success. One of those key building blocks came in the form of quarterback Gabby Mendoza. The talented sophomore emerged into a player that Mesa can find stability behind for the next two years. He may only stand at a generously listed 5-foot-11, but he has the arm talent, mobility and mindset to be a premier player in Arizona.

Not many high school quarterbacks have their first varsity start come against the top team in the state. It’s also rare that a quarterback finds out he'll be the starter just one day before a game. Mendoza falls into both categories.

Mendoza was thrown into the fire and asked to lead the Jackrabbits in an away matchup against the top-ranked Chandler Wolves in the third week of the season. Mesa sat at 0-2 and an unforeseen transfer situation thrust Mendoza into the spotlight with almost no time to prepare.

The game went as expected with Mesa getting trounced 62-0. The one positive that came from that game was that Mesa High had found its quarterback of the future.

During his first year at Mesa, Mendoza started at quarterback on the freshman team. He then spent this past offseason as the backup, waiting for his opportunity. He credits being in that position as a major motivating factor.

“I just tried to stay humble and keep grinding,” Mendoza said. “I thought ‘my time will come, and when it comes I’ll make it perfect.’”

He made the most of his opportunity, doing everything the coaches asked for in the Chandler defeat and showing flashes of what was to come.

Mendoza has been playing football since he was little, throwing the ball with his step-dad in the yard. Initially, he didn't want to play quarterback. He fancied himself to be more of a receiver, but when his mom noticed her son's talented arm, she pushed him to play quarterback. His primary youth coach, Tremain Morgan, agreed after getting him a few quarterback reps in practice. He’s been slinging footballs ever since.

Morgan has been an important figure in Mendoza’s development as a football player and as a person. He has coached him from age five through freshman football and helped him every step of the way.

“He’s the one that pushes me and won’t let me give up,” Mendoza said. “He's like another dad to me.”

Mendoza is in the process of making a name for himself across the state, but for Sikahema, he's been on the radar for a few years now. Sikahema saw him play in a Middle School game during Mendoza’s eighth-grade season and came away from the game impressed. He saw the young quarterback “pick apart” one of the best middle school teams in the state.

It’s because of this that his newfound success at the varsity level didn’t come as a shock for Sikahema.

“I’m proud of the kid, but it doesn’t surprise me,” Sikahema said.

Mendoza knew Mesa was “the place to be” after meeting Sikahema during his eighth-grade year and going to the Mesa High football camp that summer.

After the loss to Chandler, Mendoza knew that he had to step up and give it his everything in practice in order to help turn the season around for Mesa.

It wasn’t until the next week when he threw for five touchdowns against Browne that he knew the quarterback spot was truly his.

“That’s when I knew ‘this is my spot, my time to shine,’” Mendoza said.

The Jackrabbits went 3-4 with Mendoza as the starter. The dual-threat sophomore completed nearly 70 percent of his passes and threw for 1,886 yards and 21 touchdowns. He threw for an average of 270 yards per game, and only threw four interceptions all season. He added an additional 190 rushing yards and one touchdown on the ground, good for second best on the team, according to maxpreps.com.

Sikahema said his quarterback was like a “watered down version of Russell Wilson” because of athleticism, size, and character. He thinks of Mendoza as a “silent assassin” on the football field.

He highlighted Mendoza’s football IQ as one of his best assets. Despite having running capabilities, Mendoza tries to look for his receivers one last time before crossing the line of scrimmage on broken plays. This is a trait that Sikahema considers rare in a quarterback.

Sikahema came away impressed following Mendoza’s first season.

“He took the helm and took off with it,” Sikahema said. “I'm just so proud of him. He is doing so well at such a young age.”

Sikahema was fired by Mesa as of Tuesday morning, and won’t be with Mendoza for the remaining two years.

Mendoza’s leading receiver this season was playmaker Eddie Mcclendon. The senior who finished with 12 touchdowns and 1,131 receiving yards, according to maxpreps.com, developed quite the chemistry with Mendoza. Their dynamic connection gave defenses fits all season long, but one game stood out.

This game occurred on Sept. 28 and brought the pair into the state spotlight. The duo connected on seven passing touchdowns against Dobson in a 55-13 victory. It was Mcclendon who etched his name into the Arizona record books, scoring eight total touchdowns, but he is the first to tell you that he couldn’t have done it without Mendoza.

Mendoza knew that he and Mcclendon could do something special from the first fade route they completed in 7-v-7 passing league over the summer.

“After the first fade route I threw to him, I knew it was going to transfer well into the season,” Mendoza said. “I don’t think anybody can guard him.”

The pair hangs out quite a bit outside of football, and Mcclendon credits that friendship as the catalyst for their chemistry.

Their connection was so strong that Mcclendon admitted some of the deep balls they completed, were simply Mendoza throwing the ball to a spot because he couldn’t see over the line and trusting that Mcclendon would be there to catch it.

Despite his age, Mendoza has developed into a leader on the Jackrabbits team.

“I’m really proud of him because of how young he is,” Mcclendon said. “I’m excited about his future.”

It didn’t take long for his older teammates to rally behind him. After he was named the new starting quarterback the day before the game against Chandler his teammates gave him a standing ovation in the locker room, to show their support for the young player.

Mcclendon remembers when the young quarterback earned his respect. It was during that game against Chandler.

“He just stepped up,” Mclendon said. “He was getting hit against Chandler and he’d just get up and be excited about it. Since then I knew that he would lead the team the rest of the way.”

Mendoza is quiet and humble to a fault. He is not the most vocal player but sets an example for those around him.

“He's a humble kid, he doesn't get rattled", Sikahema said. "He's very even-keeled regardless of the situation.”

Mendoza may have found success this season, but his future as the Mesa High starter isn’t guaranteed. Behind him sits junior quarterback Andrew Taylor, who transferred from Central High School before the season. Taylor had to sit out much of the year because of eligibility but has shown flashes in limited playing time. He will look to unseat Mendoza as the starter next season.

Mendoza thinks highly of Taylor and welcomes the competition.

“I need to keep playing as if I'm still the backup, and keep grinding,” Mendoza said.

A whole offseason stands between Mendoza and the next time he suits up on a Friday night. He plans to use that time to get to work and build for the future. He also plans to compete in track and field.

The Jackrabbits are on the rise, but the firing of Sikahema puts the Jackrabbits in an uncertain position. It’s unclear who will step into that coaching role, or who might transfer, but one thing is certain; with Mendoza at the helm, Mesa fans have something to be excited about for the years to come.