Trace Carroll, close friend of ASU's Dillingham, takes over as Chaparral football coach
Trace Carroll, who was teammates and best friends with Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham in high school, is returning to Scottsdale Chaparral to lead the football program.
Carroll played for two of the greatest high school coaches in Arizona history, Ron Estabrook and Charlie Ragle. He played at the tail end of Estabrook's career and the start of Ragle's tenure at the school.
He was an offensive lineman, next to future NFL tackle Taylor Lewan, on the 2008 team that reached the state final, before losing to Scottsdale Saguaro. The quarterback of that team, Spencer Stone, is actress Emma Stone's brother.
"As a proud alumni and as a former football player at Chaparral for Ron Estabrook and Charlie Ragle, I look forward to continuing the program’s great success," Carroll said.
Carroll, like Dillingham, got into coaching almost immediately after graduating from high school, helping Ragle out at Chaparral. He spent the past six years as a quarterbacks coach at Phoenix Pinnacle, which produced Spencer Rattler, and had Devon Dampier in his first two years before he transferred to Saguaro.
"We were high school best friends," Carroll said of Dillingham. "My freshman year, in computer lab, we hit it off. Our families got Arizona Cardinals season tickets together. We'd tailgate together. He's still one of my best friends to this day."
Chaparral posted the job twice after Doug Nisenson stepped down, before hiring Carroll. Nisenson left Colorado to lead Chaparral the past two seasons, when the Firebirds went 2-8 in 2023 and 3-7 last season.
Ragle followed Estabrook at Chaparral in 2007, and led the Firebirds to four straight state championship game appearances from 2008-11, winning titles in 2009, 2010, and 2011, before moving onto the college ranks at Arizona. He is now an assistant coach at Arizona State.
"I went to Chaparral to play for Ron Estabrook," Carroll said. "He was the man."
When Ragle took over, Carroll said, he was a "player's coach."
"They're similar but very different," Carroll said. "They both had that dynamic personality. I was really scared of Coach Estabrook as a young player. With Coach Ragle, he was the ultimate player's coach. He would motivate us. Any time it got bad, we weren't mad at him. We were more mad at ourselves that we let him down."
Carroll calls Ragle a coaching model, "a big influence and part of my life."
Carroll hopes to build Chaparral back into an elite program, retaining top players already there and supporting local youth programs that feed into the high school.
"They're just like me, they're regular neighborhood kids," Carroll said. "They work their asses off for their coach. That's what I see. We're going to connect with the youth program a little bit better. We're going to get this thing back for sure."
To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert atrichard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Trace Carroll returning to his roots to lead Chaparral football
-
PHOTO GALLERY | 'Build on it for next year': Bishop Carroll girls' milestone season ends in PIAA semifinal
ALTOONA, Pa. – The Bishop Carroll Catholic High School girls basketball team’s memorable season ended against defending state champion Bishop Guilfoyle Academy Saturday afternoon. But coach John ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
PHOTO GALLERY | 'It's amazing': Bishop Carroll girls beat Williamsburg to reach PIAA Class 1A semifinal opposite Bishop Guilfoyle
ALTOONA, Pa. – The Bishop Carroll Catholic girls basketball team earned its first PIAA final four appearance in seven years via its 60-47 victory over Williamsburg in an all-District 6 quarterfinal ...Yahoo Sports - Mar. 16 -
Brooklyn Nets jersey history No. 11 - Joe Barry Carroll (1988-90)
During his time suiting up for the Nets, Carroll wore only jersey No. 11 and put up 11.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game.Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Zane Trace boys powerlifting places third at state meet; Johnson earns champion
Zane Trace boys and girls and Adena girls competed at the 37th annual Bill McClain Ohio High School State Powerlifting meet.Yahoo Sports - Mar. 17 -
Alien hopes crash to earth as glowing spiral over UK traced to SpaceX rocket
Swirl visible for several minutes is thought to have been caused by frozen exhaust plume from Falcon 9. The truth is out there … it is just not quite as exciting as was hoped.. A large, glowing ...The Guardian - 20h -
Cal hires former NFL head coach Ron Rivera to be GM of football program
Ron Rivera spent more than three decades in the NFL and had opportunities to return to the sideline as an assistant when a more intriguing option came his way.Yahoo Sports - 4d -
Photos trace George Foreman's 'extraordinary life'
George Foreman, one of boxing's most iconic figures, died Friday night at the age of 76. Photos show the television star and ordained minister's life.Yahoo Sports - 3d -
Bishop Carroll girls, Forest Hills boys set for PIAA quarterfinal contests Saturday
The Bishop Carroll girls and Forest Hills boys each earned spots in the PIAA basketball quarterfinals Saturday with victories Wednesday. Trips to the semifinals will be at stake Saturday. High ...Yahoo Sports - Mar. 15 -
State title game appearance at stake as Bishop Carroll, Bishop Guilfoyle meet Saturday in Altoona
The stakes continue to rise each time the Bishop Carroll Catholic and defending state champion Bishop Guilfoyle Academy girls basketball teams meet this season. Chapter 3 will end with the winner ...Yahoo Sports - 3d
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Liam Lawson set to be dropped by Red Bull in shock F1 move – with Yuki Tsunoda to replace him
Lawson has endured a miserable start and it seems Red Bull have already decided to make a changeYahoo Sports - 25m -
Lauren Macuga is skiing fast and having a blast doing it
Lauren Macuga from Park City, Utah, finished the World Cup season fourth in downhill rankings. She's a medal contender for the 2026 Olympics.Yahoo Sports - 11h -
Swiatek gets extra security after harassment
World number two Iga Swiatek is receiving additional security at the Miami Open after she was harassed by a spectator during her practice.Media reports said that Swiatek was verbally harassed by a ...Yahoo Sports - 12h -
Raiders sign former Panthers veteran starting TE
Tuesday the Raiders added some depth to the tight end room with the addition of longtime Panthers TE Ian Thomas.Yahoo Sports - 16h -
Bengals show more pre-draft interest in notable name
More updates on the Bengals working ahead of the 2025 NFL draft.Yahoo Sports - 23h
More in Sports
-
Heat cruise to a win over Warriors in Butler's return to Miami
With Jimmy Butler back in the building, the Miami Heat handled the Golden State Warriors to get the win.ESPN - 2h -
March Madness 2025: Ranking every coach in the Sweet 16 as NCAA Tournament rolls on to regional semifinals
From 1-16, Kyle Boone ranks the coaches still standing in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 fieldCBS Sports - 2h -
Sources: QB Wilson, Giants agree to 1-year deal
The Giants and free agent QB Russell Wilson reached agreement on a one-year deal worth up to $21 million, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. The deal eliminates New York as a potential option this ...ESPN - 3h -
Sources: Diggs, Pats agree on 3-year, $69M deal
Stefon Diggs and the New England Patriots reached an agreement on a three-year, $69 million deal that includes $26 million guaranteed.ESPN - 3h -
Lillard out indefinitely due to blood clot in calf
Bucks guard Damian Lillard has been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf and is out indefinitely.ESPN - 3h