Michael Donohue is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Apache Junction High School for AZPreps365.com

The Apache Junction Prospectors hope to continue the success they've had on the football field in recent years. They finished last season with a 7-3 record, marking their third consecutive winning season.

However, their success will come with new coach Bruce Binkley at the helm.

Binkley, who played at Marcos de Niza High School in the 1980s, and his family moved back to Arizona after coaching in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for 15 years.

“We enjoyed our time there, but it was time to come back,” he said in a phone interview.

The first-year coach faced more challenges this offseason than a typical one due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Prospectors practiced in groups of eight or nine players for an hour during the offseason, which meant Binkley would coach for eight hours a day in order to see all of his players. Even though the situations made training tough, Binkley thought the small groups made the team come closer together.

The AIA finalized return-to-play plans in early September. After uncertainty surrounding the season was lifted, Binkley emphasized to his team the importance of playing during a time of social unrest.

“We’re not playing for us, we are playing for the community,” he said. “We are hope for our community.”

Binkley made headlines this offseason when he brought his former player and current San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Ben Garland to practice. Garland spoke to the team and helped the defensive and offensive lines with techniques.

Binkley stressed the importance of surrounding his players with successful people.

“The more successful people I can get around them, the more successful they want to become,” Binkley said.

The Prospectors graduated 19 seniors from last season, including their starting quarterback, starting running back and most of their defensive line. However, the team did return their defensive captain from last year, Brody Bullard, and leading receiver, Cameron Garcia.

Bullard returns as the only captain from last year. In his junior season, Bullard tallied 83 tackles, which led the team, while adding 10.5 tackles for loss. Bullard was named captain for his second consecutive season and received praise from his new coach.

“He works as hard as any player I’ve been around in 20-something years of coaching,” Binkley said.

Garcia was also named a team captain for the Prospectors. The senior caught 48 passes for 836 yards and 11 touchdowns last year, all of which led the team.

While Garcia and Bullard are the current captains for the Prospectors, Binkley also mentioned center JC Taylor as a standout during offseason practices.

The future quarterback for the Prospectors will wait for his name to be called. Binkley gave no indication as to who will be under center for their first game, except that he is choosing between two players.

The Prospectors open the season against the Mesquite Wildcats, the defending 4A state champions. While the matchup will be a tough task for a new coach in a pandemic-ravaged offseason, Binkley is focused on his own team.

“The more we can get better with our team, Friday nights will take care of themselves,” he said. “We’re not going to back down to anybody, and we’ll line up and we’ll play.”

With a new coach comes a new culture, and Binkley will try to install a new culture this year with the message of being “all-in,” no matter if it’s in the classroom, at home or on the field.

“At the end of the day, if you can truly learn to be all-in, there’s just no greater feeling,” he said.