Tevin Rutherford stood at the edge of the field longer than usual after Maricopa’s season-ending loss to Notre Dame Prep. The scoreboard said the Rams had fallen short. Everything else about the night said they’d arrived.

For the first time since 2017, Maricopa closed the fall with a winning record. The Rams finished with something more important than numbers, though: a belief that the program has finally turned a corner.

And then came the news.

In the quiet after the game, Tevin Rutherford told his players he was stepping away from football, resigning as head coach.

He first joined the Rams in February 2022 and has coached high school football since 2015.

“It’s a huge wave of emotions,” he said to InMaricopa . “I’m incredibly grateful to our team, our families, and

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