Markos Tsegaye is a Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Shadow Ridge High School for AZPreps365.com

SURPRISE – When Michael Zdebski signed up to be the next football coach at Shadow Ridge High School last year, he knew it would take some time before results would go in their favor. But after a few months of offseason workouts, he knows his team is heading in the right direction.

The Stallions lost their first eight games in Zdebski’s first season. Regardless of the results, he wanted his team to compete in practice every day, and that’s what they did. 

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been prouder of a group of kids,” Zdebski said after the season ended. “If you showed up in Week 8 to watch practice, anybody would be like ‘Coach, you’ve got a good-looking, undefeated team right there.’” 

Their hard work in practice eventually translated to more on-field success as the Stallions finished the season winning their final two games against Boulder Creek and Valley Vista, their crosstown rival, in the “Battle of the 303.” 

“I’ve told people that’s one of the most fun years I’ve had coaching,” said Zdebski, who's entering his 37th year of coaching. “It didn’t show on the record, but that’s just the end result. The kids we have right now will be very successful.” 

Just weeks after their final game, the Stallions started their offseason training activities. Zdebski said his team can gain an advantage this way knowing his team is working twice as hard as the competition. He wants his players to get faster and stronger. More than 50 of them are on the track team and everyone’s been involved in weight training. 

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They’ve also been attending afternoon practices. Zdebski is trying to do everything in his power to give his team an edge. After all, he knows what it takes to turn a program’s culture around. 

Zdebski is part of the Michigan High School Coaches Hall of Fame’s class of 2017 as a result of the success he brought to Walled Lake Western during his time there from 1994 to 2016. His accolades include two state championships and eight division championships.

Zdebski brought the same type of success to Hamilton High School in Chandler as he turned a losing program  into one that made five consecutive Open playoff appearances. This is what made Zdebski an attractive hire for Shadow Ridge – a program that has experienced its fair share of struggles. 

While year one didn’t bring instant success, Zdebski has had a positive effect on his players. Rex Smith and Myles Childs, two seniors who played their final high school seasons under Zdebski, said Zdebski was unlike any other coach they’ve had. 

“There’s not even a comparison, it’s crazy,” Smith said. “He brought life back to anyone who wanted to be here footballwise.”

Zdebski is also a math teacher at the school and still sees the two regularly in class. Smith, a wide receiver, and Childs, an offensive lineman, know Zdebski is poised to bring the program continued success. Because of that, they wish they had some more time with their coach before leaving Shadow Ridge.

“If he was here our freshman year everyone would’ve grown a lot stronger,” Childs said. “This program would’ve been a lot bigger in Arizona than it is right now.” 

Zdebski’s wife, Wendy, has been along for the ride ever since they met in Michigan after Zdebski’s mom set them up on a blind date. As any partner of a coach experiences, Zdebski spends a lot of time away from home working on his craft. Wendy said they could only meet on Wednesdays when they first started dating. 

“I didn’t know what I was getting into, we’ll say that,” Wendy said. “I knew nothing about football but I had a roommate who was a huge Indianapolis Colts fan so she would go to the games with me and explain how everything worked.” 

Wendy said she felt like a single parent at times as things got even tougher when they had kids. Over time they each had to figure out what their strengths were and show an undying commitment to the relationship. Wendy called Zdebski her No. 1 fan. 

“We get here at 6 a.m.and we’re here pretty late most days,” Zdebski said. “You can’t do this without a wife that’s understanding.” 

Wendy is a business owner who works in taxes. Her passion for it derived from wanting to build real relationships with people and not transactional ones. Zdebski is the same way and has embodied that approach throughout his career in coaching. 

“Seeing kids become better people and change their views toward academics, the parents that you get to know in the community,” Zdebski said. “They really become your friends for a lifetime.”

Zdebski made sure his coaching staff would consist of people who shared a similar mindset to his. Defensive backs coach Henry Poullard, a former Division I  football player at Iowa State, is one of those coaches. 

Poullard is also Shadow Ridge’s track coach. Their first meet took place last week at Chandler High School but Poullard started the following practice by holding the kids accountable. Because they didn’t clean up their area after the meet, he had them run up and down the stairs of the stadium bleachers at Shadow Ridge.

Poullard’s enjoyed his time coaching alongside Zdebski because of how aligned they are. He said it’s been “crazy amazing” to have the opportunity. 

“He has a lot of things philosophy-wise that I’ve always agreed with,” Poullard said. “The way he runs the program makes people want to be a part of it. It's very contagious.” 

Speaking of things being contagious, Zdebski’s son, Brent, is also a football coach. He  recently joined Penn State as a defensive analyst and analytics coordinator. Before that, he worked as a quality control defensive coach for Ohio State – the 2024 CFP national champions. 

Growing up around the game, Zdebski inspired Brent to pursue coaching after his playing days were over. 

“I haven’t really known life without football yet,” Brent said. “I give credit to my father for giving me a chance to have a chance.”

For years, Zdebski and Brent have bounced football ideas off one another. Whether it’s regarding different techniques or schemes, the two are able to become better coaches as a result of these daily discussions. The dialogue becomes even more extensive when the offseason rolls around. Zdebski called his son a “great resource.” 

“We always have something to talk about,” Zdebski said. 

Zdebski and his coaching staff have done some growing of their own this offseason. Last week, he went to a coaching conference in Las Vegas with members of his coaching staff. This week, he and some defensive coaches are going to visit the Kansas State football program and observe how they do things defensively. 

Above all, Zdebski values relationship-building more than anything else. In just one year, he’s already established great rapport within the Shadow Ridge community. 

Wendy shared a story showcasing who Zdebski is in his simplest form. Last year, one of his former players was coming into Phoenix with some friends to see a Detroit Lions game and called her to arrange a birthday surprise for Zdebski by coming to a game. This former player was from the class of 2016. 

That’s who Zdebski is, and his commitment hasn’t gone unnoticed. For years, some of Surprise’s most talented football players opted to attend other high schools as Shadow Ridge struggled to build a successful football program. But considering the effect Zdebski has had on the Stallions’ culture in such a short time, Shadow Ridge looks like the place to be moving forward.