The moment Adan Mendoza decided to become a football coach, he knew there was no place he would rather be than his own alma mater, North High School.

This year, at age 27, Mendoza made that dream a reality, as he finished his first year as North High's varsity coach. From playing to coaching, he has truly studied this program from the inside out.

“I loved my experience as a student here and took pride in being a Mustang,” Mendoza said. “North was successful in both sports and academics when I was there, so I wanted to do all that I could to get back to how it was then so that these students can take as much pride in their school as I did.”

Since Mendoza graduated in 2009, he has worked relentlessly toward his goal of becoming the Mustangs’ coach.

He attended Arizona State University for his undergraduate degree in secondary education and went on to Grand Canyon University to complete his master's degree.

Mendoza was working as an assistant coach at Scottsdale Christian Academy when he heard rumors that North High’s coach, Bernie Busken, would retire. He knew right away that this was a dream position, and did all he could to be considered as the new coach.

Although he specialized in history, he knew the school needed a physical education teacher. He quickly completed the physical education certification and took a job as the assistant coach for the team.

After three years of serving as their varsity defensive line coach, the school promoted him and had their next head coach in Mendoza.

“It has been an easy change for us because we already played for him and know him,” lineman Aldo Dominguez said. “He is a good guy, and I think he will still be the best fit even when we’re gone.”

Although the players were already accustomed to playing for Mendoza, they had to adjust to some new modifications that were made to the team.

The most substantial changes Mendoza has enforced with the team have been learning a larger variety of plays, and changing to an earlier practice schedule.

The hardest adjustment for the players, surprisingly, was not learning all the new plays but switching the 6 a.m. practices to 5:30 a.m. It might only be 30 minutes, but it can make a significant difference in motivation for some players.

The team used to primarily be a running team but worked on its passing game. The players understood to get the wins, they needed to be able to throw the ball as well as they run it.

“We were a very run-heavy team before coach Mendoza," lineman Maxims Valdez said. “But ever since he started as head coach, we’ve ended up doing a lot more pass-protection and passing the ball more.”

North finished the season 3-7.

Mendoza worked hard with the players, both on and off the field, to guide them to be the best they can be.

Many athletes look up to their coaches for more than just sports advice. Often times, in high schools including North, coaches can have a strong impact, a father figure presence for the players.

Mendoza makes sure the players understand the importance of their education by letting them know that if they aren't getting it done in the classroom, it doesn't matter how good they are on the field, the two go hand in hand.

He wants them to have the tools needed to take their next steps in the world, and be successful.