Alexander Bumb is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication student assigned to cover Chaparral High School for AZPreps365.com.

Student-athletes at Chaparral High School spend their nights under stadium lights. But for many, their toughest moments take place far from the field. 

Between late practices, weight training and a schedule filled with offseason activities, balancing sports with academics has become one of the biggest challenges for today’s student athletes.

What's changed is scope and stakes because what used to be a seasonal commitment has turned into a year-round grind.

Students are learning to adapt to a new level of pressure that is growing every year. College recruiting starts freshman or sophomore year. In fact, those who don’t have a college offer before becoming a senior, the likelihood of playing beyond high school is low. This is also due to the advancement in technology and the heavy use of the social media platform X for recruiting. Athletic Director Jack Bagley has seen the changes occurring up close. 

“There’s such a commitment for athletes nowadays," Bagley said. "The time, it’s year-round. That intensity has consequences. It’s really tough to balance their academics. I mean, going to practices in the weight room. There’s just not too much time for homework but it takes a big emphasis on it.” 

With increased time commitment, year-round sport specialization, performance and visibility pressure, added to simultaneous academic performance, expectations around sports have grown, and the school has worked to strengthen the academic support behind the scenes. From weekly grade checks to tutoring sessions, the school tries to make sure athletes can handle both sides of their lives. 

Arizona has a state No Pass-No Play rule. These eligibility standards apply across all athletic programs and are enforced throughout the season to ensure students remain academically eligible. Student-athletes must have a 2.0 minimum GPA and no Fs as well as taking a minimum number of classes that equal six credits. 

Bagley said Chaparral is fortunate that it has a community that helps students who fall behind. 

“We are really fortunate to have a great community that helps us with sponsorships and stuff like that. “I know there’s specific tutoring sessions here at Chap. Extra help and mentors like that as well. Just a lot of resources here that allow students to be successful academically.” 

But even with support available, the day-to-day challenge of time management falls onto the student-athletes themselves. Practices run long until the night. Recovery takes time - not just physically draining but emotionally. Games run late into school nights and that cuts into time students could use to study. 

Late practices, evening games, late bus rides and early school start times can limit how much rest student-athletes get during the week. In some cases, staying up late to complete homework after returning home from practices or games. Research has shown that sleep plays a critical role in memory, focus and academic performance, making rest a big factor in being successful in the classroom.

While recovery is often discussed in terms of physical health, mental fatigue can also affect concentration and motivation to do schoolwork. As training schedules extend beyond traditional seasons, managing sleep becomes another challenge student-athletes must navigate alongside their academic responsibilities.

One of the clearest examples is that the football program pushes their athletes to be competitive on the field and in the classroom. This is above and beyond the school district requirement of keeping grades high enough to play.

Football coach Trace Carroll said he has seen how much commitment his players give, so he has adjusted his approach since joining the team in 2025, to help them stay on track. “Especially here, they used to practice in the morning, so they would have the afternoons off, and I’ve kind of flipped the script of that and went back to nighttime practices,” he said. 

He knows it’s a demanding schedule. 

“It’s pretty tough here, pretty grueling,” he said. “It’s one of the best in the state academically. But we preach time management.”

Carroll said he makes sure academics remain a priority, even as the pressure in sports rises.

“That’s why it’s my job to keep them in line, and we do grade checks every week. Once a month the school shares updated grades with the coaching staff, for all student-athletes, so we know where they stand, in every single one of their classes. I can also go back and check in their gradebook to see what they really have. So if anyone’s lying, I would know. But kids are great when it comes to academics. It keeps them on the field and that’s where they want to be.”

According to quarterback Ryan Trocki, downtime is not really downtime when a sport is treated like a year-round commitment. Teammate Luke Lang said he gets through his piles of schoolwork when he finds the time.

“It’s a lot of work, but I just study when I can.”But some players don’t always have a block of time dedicated to homework or projects.

“So they grab time when they can during lunch, between classes, in their cars or buses, just fitting in time between practices and training,” Lang said

Despite these challenges, Chaparral encourages students to participate in athletics to build discipline, community and academic strength.

“The department meets with students at the start of each school year to outline expectations, including eligibility requirements and available sports programs. For many student-athletes, maintaining participation goals include attendance, grades and behavioral standards. The built in accountability is there to support each student-athlete and the result is academic strength.”

The tension between athletic expectations and academic responsibilities is not unique to Chaparral. Across the country, high school sports have become more competitive  because of year-round training expectations, as well as becoming more specialized. 

For football there are now more specialized position training whereas before offense and defense would split up to practice. Quarterbacks also have their own coaches. Training programs now mirror small college programs. Offseason schedules rarely allow for breaks. Athletes move directly from one obligation to the next, so offseason still includes strongly expected activity. Chaparral’s students represent a growing trend that sports no longer fit in a season. 

With offseason training and schedules rarely slowing down, the work never fully stops. As quarterback Ryan Trocki explained, “You just have to work hard, because in the offseason, you don’t have time to just mainly focus on school.” 

Increased specialization has also changed who is able to keep up with competitive expectations. Many athletes participate in private training, offseason camps or position-specific coaching outside of school-sponsored programs. While these opportunities can enhance development, they also require additional time and in some cases financial resources. 

At Chaparral, administrators, coaches, and players recognize that the only way to survive this new reality is through structure and support. The students continue to push through long practices and long nights of studying because they know their eligibility depends on it.

The result is a demanding lifestyle that requires commitment far beyond practice fields or game days. Balancing academics with sports to some it’s very easy, but for many athletes at Chaparral, the challenge is part of what makes the experience meaningful. And the perks aren’t bad-either. 

With the help of the parents, school and booster club, athletes are outfitted, tutored or fed team dinners, snacks and meals on the road.

“Enjoying the unexpected perks, running back Jayce Wilson said. “They give us a lot of stuff and it’s pretty cool!”