Basha football taking center stage in 2023 season in azcentral's Beyond the Gridiron

Chandler Basha's football program no longer takes a back seat in the Southeast Valley to Chandler and Hamilton. The Bears took center stage at Sun Devil Stadium last December, holding off reigning champion Scottsdale Saguaro for its first state football championship.

And, now, as teams take aim at knocking off the Bears, they'll be documented in azcentral sports' Beyond the Gridiron series during the 2023 season.

This will be the third time The Arizona Republic follows a high school football team during the season. In 2019, we followed Phoenix South Mountain and the Carter twins, co-head coaches Marcus and Mark with six episodes.

In 2021, we chronicled Tolleson's season under fiery, outspoken coach Rich Wellbrock and how the Wolverines came out of the pandemic without playing in 2020 due to district policies.

Now, Beyond the Gridiron is back, shining the spotlight on Basha, a team deeply rooted in family, drawing from coach Chris McDonald's passion and how he and his staff get the most out of the Bears, from the star players to the last guys on the roster and everybody in between.

Our videographers will follow them through spring practices, team-building at Camp Tontozona in the summer, and preseason workouts, heading into a season that will feature a lineup of great challenges, including a Sept. 8 rematch with Saguaro, as they try to defend their championship.

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert atrichard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter@azc_obert

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Basha football taking center stage in azcentral's Beyond the Gridiron