Cholla High School has named Tom Webb as its new football coach, giving the program a sense of direction after an off-season filled with uncertainty.
Webb, an assistant coach in the Tucson football community for 15 years, was selected to be Cholla's new leader on May 7, making him the Chargers' third head coach in the last six months. The hire brings Webb back to the West Side school for his third coaching stint, but this time, he is in charge.
"I've been planning on this for 15 years. I'm ready," said Webb, 36, who was an assistant at Cholla from 1995 to 1996 and 2000-02. "I haven't really had a chance to let it sink in, but I'm excited. There is a lot of enthusiasm within the program."
Jeff Moat resigned in early December after being with the Chargers for five seasons. During his tenure, they won the 4A Gila Region in 2005 and made the state playoffs for the first time since 1988.
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The school replaced Moat in March with 23-year-old Justin Argraves, who spent almost two months reorganizing the program before stepping down April 27 because of a disagreement with Cholla administration over a teaching position.
The Cholla players waited in limbo while other schools started spring practice. Athletic director Gus Brisco then approached Webb about the job, and Webb was sold.
"The players were getting a little discouraged because of the situation that arose with Justin Argraves," said Michael Beck, Cholla's assistant principal in charge of activities. "But seeing that Coach Webb came in with a plan and a system has turned things around quickly."
Cholla went 4-6 last season and finished on a three-game losing streak. Despite the sour end to the year and the off-season coaching turbulence, Webb said more than 40 players have shown up for spring practice this week.
"We are all excited to finally start moving forward with the spring practices," sophomore Gabriel Campuzano said.
Webb, a Sabino graduate, also coached at Palo Verde and Pima College.
"A lot of people think of Cholla as being down, but this team won a region championship in 2005," Webb said. "These kids know how to win. They just need to get back on track."
