ASU coach takes over Desert Sunrise gridiron, with a 110-pound twist

Steven Beard is Desert Sunrise High School’s new head football coach, and he hopes to turn around a young program in need of an upgrade.

Beard, who also teaches world history at the school, came to the Golden Hawks after a four-year stint with the Arizona State University football squad. There, he was an assistant coach for the Sun Devils’ D-line for three years.

Beard said he left ASU for family reasons.

“My kids were young when I started there,” he said. “Coaching in college requires a lot of time and a lot of time away from home. I really wanted to be a part of my children’s lives. And I found it was a better fit for me.”

He said he hopes to bring some of that winning D-I spirit to Desert Sunrise.

“If the culture’s right, the wins will follow,” Beard told InMaricopa. “We’re just shifting the culture and the mindset of the players that are here. We want to keep the local kids here. We are building a program that the whole city can get behind.”

Hailing from Vallejo, Calif., Beard earned a bachelor’s degree in criminology and criminal justice, plus a master’s degree in communications at ASU.

“I am excited to be a part of the [DSHS] staff and look forward to improving the lives of our youth through education and mentoring,” he said.

DSHS Athletic Director James Bradford said it was experience that led to Beard’s hiring.

“Coach Beard brings a wealth of knowledge of how to build relationships, both from the perspective of a high school and college player, as well as experience coaching at both the high school and college levels,” Bradford said. “Coach Beard understands the connection between academics and athletics. He has the unique experience of what it takes to get to the next level from the perspective of both a collegiate player and collegiate coach.”

Not his first rodeo
Beard started his football coaching career in 2013 at Canyon State Academy in Queen Creek, where he managed the offensive coaches and was responsible for daily practices and game-day operations.

He went on to Northwest High School in Omaha, Neb., and returned to Canyon State Academy in two similar offensive coaching stints before he was tapped by ASU as an advance opponent scout and recruiter in 2018.

He then moved out of the office and onto the field as an assistant coach from 2019 to 2022 before taking on a teaching and assistant coaching job at DSHS last year.

Beard faced a difficult situation last season with no seniors on the team. Consequently, the team was hammered on the grid, losing one game by nearly 50 points.

While he wanted to emphasize teambuilding over winning in his first season as the Golden Hawks’ head coach, Beard said the narrative is already turning toward winning football games now during summer workouts.

“We’re averaging about 58 to 60 players per day,” he said. “We’re spending the majority of our time in the classroom, where we’re teaching the game. We’re on the field for about half the day.”

During his football coaching career, Beard was mentored by some heavyweights in the college and professional football ranks — Antonio Pierce, head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, and Marvin Lewis, Raiders assistant head coach, both of whom he coached alongside.

“They’ve all pledged support in any way they can,” he said.

Excitement at the prospect of a better Golden Hawks football team is contagious among the 2-year-old high school’s football boosters.

Said booster club board member Kellie Droste: “We are super excited for big changes in our program and for our upcoming season to get started.”

Unicorn in uniform
Hailey Mattson may be lithe in stature, but she’s fierce in spirit.

Mattson is a 110-pound rising sophomore girl competing on a team of burly boys bashing helmets for the Golden Hawks.

As one might expect of a student with a 4.0 grade point average — “the only one on the entire team,” she proudly proclaimed — Mattson looks at football through a scholarly prism. Her drive is to perfect her tackling skills.

“Last season I tackled one of our running backs,” said Hailey, who is finding her place on defense as a Golden Hawks free safety. “He was one of the biggest guys on
my team. I did not shy away, however; some of my teammates did.”

Her head coach, Beard, attested to Mattson’s unbridled tenacity on the field.

“She definitely works hard,” he said. “She’s probably one of the hardest working players on the team.”

Beard said he and his staff are open to accepting more girls to the team. But for now, Mattson is a unicorn in uniform among much larger gridiron bruisers.

DSHS freshman Defensive Coordinator Daniel Wehle called Mattson “a phenomenal human being.”

He praised her as “being the definition of coachable,” and cited her “determination on the football field.”

“I had the pleasure of coaching her this school year as the frosh defensive coordinator and defensive back coach at Desert Sunrise High School,” Wehle said. “She already has perfect attendance so far at our spring ball practices, which doesn’t surprise me.”

Wehle said last season Hailey started most of the year on special teams, and then as a safety against Arizona Christian Prep, tallying six tackles.

“She was nominated as one of our three captains for that game as well,” he said. “I can see her improvement already since last season as far as speed, agility, catching and knowing where to be on the field, and in coverage.”

Drowning out the doubters
Mattson said she dreams of becoming a sports broadcaster, and part of her love of playing football is to know the game from the inside out.

On Friday nights, she volunteers as a referee for Maricopa Super Elite Flag Football.

“I am firm and stick to my calls because after playing flag football for five seasons, I know the rules very well,” she said.

She also pitches and plays third base for the Golden Hawks softball squad.

“I wanted to play some kind of sport during off-season, so I thought I’d give softball a try again,” she said. “I absolutely loved it.”

She was the starting pitcher for seven of 12 games last season.

As an eighth grader at Heritage Academy in Maricopa, Hailey played on the junior high tackle football team. She started her athletic career in Heritage’s Powder Puff flag–football tournament, an all-girl rivalry between classes.

She shrugged off any doubters she faced in past boys’ football seasons.

“They think I can’t do it because I’m a girl,” Hailey said. “But I show them I can do it.”

Her mother, Deidre Mattson, is unsurprisingly her daughter’s biggest fan.

I am so proud of Hailey and everything she has accomplished,” she said. “She is self-motivated and her drive to always try her best is amazing.”

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