CHANDLER — Hitting the field amid recent controversy, Hamilton High School's football team played their first game of the season.
The season opener came just after the AIA decided the team would no longer be on probation.
The team took the field Friday with new motivation.
“These boys are really going to come out even harder than they do, because I think they feel like they have something to prove,” said Stephanie Gilstrap.
Her son Jaden is a junior outside linebacker.
Just before the season started the AIA put the team on probation, stripping their post-season eligibility.
The decision came after AIA the determined that in June Hamilton Assistant Coach and Defensive Coordinator Tim Dougherty sent a direct message through social media to a player at another high school.
But just days before the Huskies first game, the AIA decided to lift the Huskies probation.
“We prepare and we play to get to a championship game, and if that championship game isn’t what’s available to us then what are our other options,” said Glenn Switzer.
His son Nicholas is a senior running back for Hamilton.
Switzer feels like the AIA made the right decision.
“I was extremely excited,” said Switzer. “I feel like the punishment didn’t fit the crime the kids weren’t part of what had happened here, and they’ve worked extremely hard.”
“He’s super excited for sure,” said Gilstrap.
She’s excited for the team, but also another opportunity for her son.
“I mean that was a huge weight to be lifted,” said Gilstrap. “Also, for him to get that additional exposure for possible college opportunities is a really big deal.”
The Chandler Unified School District originally suspended Dougherty for three games. Friday the district wouldn’t answer questions about his future with the team.
ABC15 didn’t see the coach on the sidelines, and he’s not listed on the Huskies website as a coach.
