Incoming Freshman, New Players and Parents: Start Here

On this page you will find information for players and parents new to our program. This is mainly aimed at Incoming Freshman, but has information for all new players. Scroll down for the following.

• Links: Incoming Freshman Parent Links
• Events: Five day outlook for program events
• Rules & Communication: The Basics
• Volunteers: Joining the Gridiron 
• Open Enrollment: Joining HHS
• HHS Football Map: Team Locations
• Preseason: Current 7th and 8th Grade Players
• 7vs7: Spring and Summer Passing Leagues
• Summer Travel  Camp: Team Building
• Freshman Survey: Collecting Team Information
• Clinics: Spring and Summer Clinics
• Football Academy: Football as a Class
• Registermyathlete.com: CUSD Athlete Registration System
• ECA Fees: Extracurricular Activity Fees
• Tax Credit: Direct your taxes to HHS football
• Hudl: Film, Practice, and Communication App 
• Equipment: Provided, Required, Optional and Donations
• Dress for Success: Pregame Dress Code
• Practice: What to Expect at Practice
• Games: Game Day and the Season

See Below For Upcoming Events for Var, JV and Freshman Football

Team Communication & Rules: The Basics

• The Gridiron Club: Our boosters will send out info that affects the entire program, from volunteering, sponsorships, fundraisers and specifics that effect Varsity, JV and Freshman
• The Freshman Team Parent(s): Provides communication direct from Freshman coaching staff and is generally specific to just the Freshman team
• Coaches: Important or time sensitive info may come directly from the coaches.
• HUDL: The bulk of all team communication goes through the HUDL app or website, directly to the player's phones in the group text function. 

Volunteers: Joining the Gridiron

What is the Gridiron Club?  

2020-2021 Open Enrollment Application:  https://www.cusd80.com/cms/lib/AZ01001175/Centricity/Domain/75/Open%20Enrollment%20Application%202021.pdf

2020-2021 Open Enrollment Procedures:  https://www.cusd80.com/cms/lib/AZ01001175/Centricity/Domain/75/Open%20Enrollment%20Procedures%202021.pdf

Preseason: Current 7th and 8th Graders Info

When can my player start working with HHS?  

Our clinics open up to current 8th graders in the spring and summer. See below FAQ: Clinics or visit the Calendar. Freshman are also encouraged to attend our Summer Camp at Cal Lutheran in California (see below).  Our Freshman coaches run the AZ87 Middle School 7v7 club team for 7th and 8th graders. 

Should my player be working out prior to the season?  

If the goal is to maximize their chance for success, the answer is yes.  Players who push themselves with body weight exercises, runs, stretching and cardio work in other sports, all set them up for success their freshman year. Players can succeed by beginning their season without training. However, given the competitive nature of our program, preseason work at home, in the gym and our camps and clinics, will serve all incoming freshman players well. 

• 2022 7v7 Season Info Coming Soon

7 vs 7: Spring and Summer Passing League

7v7 starts in January and lasts throughout the preseason, picking up pace and importance as summer approaches.

Dates and events change year to year. Check back here for 2022 events soon

Summer Travel Camp

What is Summer Camp?

This is the single best experience our players will have to bond as a team, while also improving their football skills and character.

What will the players do at the camp?

Coming together as a team is a big part of the process. Eating, sleeping and sweating together allows players to bond in ways that are more difficult to do during practice. On the field they will be doing positional work, installs and conditioning. Off the field they will have meetings with chalk talks that elevate their football IQ as well as character building exercises. They will also have a chance to have some fun with supervised events like a bonfire, hiking and a trip to the Magic Mountain Theme Park.

When is the camp?

2023 Details are To Be Announced

What is the cost to attend the camp?

The cost is generally around  $400 and includes meals, theme park entrance (if attending Cal Lutheran). It is all inclusive, except for spending money at the park beach and snack money on the bus trips. 

It’s important to note that we want EVERYONE to attend and that assistance may be available to help with the cost.

Where do I pay for the camp?

The Husky Store will have option to pay in full or in a two or three payment plan.

What should my player bring?

Can I chaperone my player?

Contact the Gridiron club for chaperone opportunities. 

Freshman Survey: Collecting Team Information

What is the Incoming Freshman Survey?

Each season we take a survey via a Google Doc, to collect all the contact and equipment sizing information for each player. We also want to know the football experience level and 8th grade GPA. 

Where can my player complete the survey?

You can take the 2022 survey by clicking here. 

Incoming Freshman: Spring and Summer Clinics

What kinds of clinics do you have?  

We have positional, speed and agility and weight training clinics that run at various times throughout the spring and summer. 

When are the clinics?  

Head over to the Calendar  to see the latest dates and times. Players attending need to be registered through the CUSD site.  

Where are the clinics?  

They will be on either the Freshman, JV or Varsity practice field(s)

Are the camps and clinics mandatory?  

They are optional, but highly recommended. The more work we get as a team, the better results we will see during the season. 

Extracurricular Activity (ECA) Fee 

What is the ECA fee?  

How do I pay the ECA fee online?  

Click Here for instructions on how to pay the ECA fee online. 

How does my player pay the ECA fee at school?  

The ECA fee can be paid in person at the Bookstore. The bookstore is in a hallway just outside the cafeteria and is open during school hours.  

What happens if we are late paying the ECA fee?  

ECA fees will not be waived and can hold up graduation and other complications if not paid promptly.

What is the tax credit and how do I use it to pay my player's ECA fee?  

The tax credit is a critical tool for our successful football program. Please see the FAQ below for information about what the tax credit is and how it works. 

Tax Credit Donations

What is the AZ Tax Credit?  

The tax credit is critical to funding our football program in ways that funds donated through the Gridiron Club can not. One example is the payment of coaches stipends which allow us to continue to recruit quality coaches.

Arizona law ARS 43-1089.01 enables taxpayers a tax credit contribution of up to $400.00 per calendar year if filing status is Married, filing Joint Return; $200.00 per calendar year if filing status is Single or Head of Household; and, $200.00 per calendar year if filing status is Married filing separate return — for contributions that fund extracurricular activities in public schools. A tax credit is a full refund, not a deduction.

Contributions eligible for a tax credit are donated directly to schools, not to the state or the school district. 

• Parents donating on behalf of their child online 
  • Click Here
• Parents donating on behalf of their child through the mail
  • Click Here

Can I use the tax donation to pay for my player's Extracurricular Activity (ECA) Fee?  

Where can I find more information about the Tax Credit?  

Hudl.com: Film, Team Communication and More.

What is Hudl.com?  

Hudl allows coaches to present game film as well as coaching instruction through an app and website to the team. The website has more functionality for in depth study, but the phone will be the primary interface for players. It is their playbook and also the team group text app, allowing team wide communication from coach to player, player to coach and player to teamates. Players are allowed to join the Hamilton Hudl once they are enrolled at HHS as Freshman and are on the final roster.

What does studying film mean at Hamilton?  

Through Hudl a player can see film of a teammate, themself, our competition and even study the playbook with clips of the plays attached. Players can then use the app to text their position coach, their positional group or the whole team to ask questions. 

A successful Hamilton player must budget time each week to watch film of upcoming opponents, a positional evaluation of the previous week's game or the person(s) ahead of them in the depth chart.

How does Hudl Texting Work?  

Coaches can message the entire program, team, position group or individual player. In general Hudl group texts are top down, with coaches giving instruction with minimal responses necessary (example: Bus arriving 10 min late). If players have questions they should be directed at coaches or players individually. Otherwise information gets lost in players back and forth chatter. Team group texts by players should be extremely rare and only used for questions that affect everyone. 

Where is the rest of the playbook?  

Freshman will start with a small slice of the Freshman system. As players advance in their understanding of our system, they will have access to more and more of the offense and defense playbook. Coaches reveal portions of the playbook in increments called Installs. Receiving the entire Varsity playbook Freshman year would confuse most players. Also playbooks would too easily drift to other schools. 

Equipment: Provided, Required, Optional and Donations

What Equipment does Hamilton Provide?  

Hamilton will provide the following

• Certified helmet with a chinstrap
• Home and Away jersey
• Game pants (shells worn over girdle)
• Belt
• One set of practice knee pads (can not wear during games)
• One set of knee pad inserts for game pants

What equipment is required?  

Parents are expected to provide the following 

• At least one mouthpiece (mandatory for practice)
• Black or White Nike Cleats (We are a sponsored Nike Elite Academy)
• Black practice shirts and black practice shorts (HHS gear or minimal logo and colors).  More than one set is optimal to keep from nightly laundry. 
• A water jug minimum of 64oz in size. Filled with water for each practice. 
• A padded girdle 

A player must have thigh, hip, and knees covered by pads or they will not be able to practice or play in games. The best solution is a girdle that is worn under practice shorts and game shell pants. Due to hygiene and laundry concerns, parents may want to invest in more than one. 

What equipment is optional?  

The following items are allowed but not required. Receiver or Lineman gloves. Additional pads such as neck rolls, lower back pads, rib protector shirts, knee braces or QB towels. 

It is highly advised to write your player's name in sharpie on all personal gear not provided by Hamilton.

What equipment is not allowed?  

Sleeves must be attached to the shirt worn under the pads. They can not be detachable (like in the picture above). Jewelry. Helmet visors, unless prescribed by a doctor.

Can my player buy his own pads and helmet?  

Yes. If you would like to donate a helmet and/or shoulder pads, you can find the form and more details by Clicking Here.  

Due to the certification process, no used equipment can be accepted. All donated equipment must be brand new, unused and presented to the HHS Equipment manager with an unsealed envelope with the player's full name on the outside, with a copy of the receipt of purchase and the signed and filled out donation form inside.

Helmets: Must be an Adult Size and painted "Raider Silver" , have a black facemask and we recommend the Riddel Speed Flex for safety. Properly fitted helmets requires training and practice. We highly recommend visiting a retailer such as Sunvalco in Tempe to ensure proper fitting.

Shoulder Pads: sizing and fitting are subjective and vary from player to player and manufacturer. Some players and positions want less restrictive movement while others want maximum protection.

Click Here or Here for links regarding Shoulder Pad and Helmet sizing. 

When will I know what my player's jersey number is?  

The short answer is around two weeks before the first game. With no guarantees made in regards to number requests. 

The long answer is that there are a number of considerations to be made before assigning jersey numbers. This usually brings us close to the date of our first game, and past the time some items (like soft helmets) are needed.

1) Numbers are position specific in High School tackle football. Some numbers make a player ineligible to catch passes. It is impossible for Freshman coaches to know who is going to be in a position until players have demonstrated their abilities with their pads on.

2) The school can not carry all sizes of all uniforms with every number. The number your player wants, might be okay for his position, but the jersey with that number is the wrong size for your player. 

3) Your players number may be claimed by a upperclassmen when moving up to JV and Varsity

If possible, do not buy any gear with your child's number on it until after numbers are official, or leave the number field blank when ordering. Or simply understand their number is likely to change.

Dress for Success: Pregame Dress Code

What is Dress for Success?  

As a program we want to instill pride and a sense of professionalism in what we do, and who we are as football players. To aid in this, we dress professionally as a team prior to our games.

The day PRIOR to our games (for Freshman, usually Tuesdays) players are required to Dress for Success. They must wear a button up all white long sleeve dress shirt, black dress slacks, black tie, black belt, dress socks and black dress shoes.

What do they wear on game days?  

The day of the game, players are allowed to wear their game jersey to school. Home games are black, away games are white.

Practice: What to Expect

Where do Freshman Practice?  

Generally we practice in the NW corner of the school on the Freshman Practice Fields, located directly behind the Tennis Courts. Occasionally this will change due to flooded fields or other unusual circumstances. 

What time are practices?  

The Freshman locker room opens at 6:10 am. Players are expected to be in full uniform and on the field by 6:30 am. Practice lasts until around 8:00 and then players are rotated through the locker room to shower and study while waiting for third period to begin.

How should my player prepare for practice?  

Before worrying about football, please ensure your player has completed all school work. 

Secondly, encourage hydration! The number one cause of missed or shortened practices early in the season is dehydration. Hydration must start the night before practice, not the morning of. It is still around 80-90 degrees out at daybreak when our season begins.

With schoolwork and hydration out of the way, focus on healthy nutrition, getting eight hours of sleep and then some time looking at Hudl for plays and film analysis. 

What is the schedule for the weight room?  

Incoming Freshman start in the weight room during summer clinics, usually beginning in March. Check the Calendar for times.  In season weight training is usually about maintaining gains in strength and flexibility made during the preseason.

The schedule will be announced through Hudl and can vary depending on availability with other sports. After the season is over, Freshman who remain in Football Academy first and second period will to weight train and do speed work on the track. 

Games: Gameday and the Season