McClintock High School

McClintock High School is a high school located in Tempe, Arizona, approximately two miles southeast of the campus of Arizona State University. McClintock High School was established in 1964.

McClintock has approximately 1,900 students and offers a wide variety of curriculum, which includes honors, advanced placement, dual credit, and the Peggy Payne Academy for gifted students. Additionally, McClintock also has state-recognized ELL and Special Education programs. McClintock is an open enrollment campus.

Peggy Payne Academy

The Peggy Payne Academy for Academic Excellence, or PPA, is a program for gifted students at McClintock. Founded in 2001 with 44 students, the program now serves over 140 students in all major academic subjects.

Music

Currently, Jesse Schattin (Band), Katie Gerrich (Choir), and Doreen Press (Orchestra) make up the music faculty. All three directors strive to bring excellence to the MHS music community. The Band, Choir, and Orchestra continue to receive honors on an annual basis. Johnston and Press are both conductors of the Phoenix Youth Symphony. All programs receive regional, state, national honors on an annual basis.

Tour Destinations:

• 12-13 Band & Orchestra: San Diego, CA
• 11-12 Band & Orchestra: Anaheim, CA
• 10-11 Band & Orchestra: Boston, MA
• 10-11 Choir: New York, NY - Festival of Gold*
• 09-10 Band, Choir & Orchestra: San Diego, CA
• 08-09 Band & Orchestra: Washington D.C. - Inaugural Festival and MLK Parade
• 08-09 Choir: San Francisco, CA
• 07-08 Band & Orchestra: Los Angeles, CA
• 07-08 Choir: San Diego, CA

*Invitation Only (exceeding given points)

Athletics

McClintock High School opened its doors in 1964 and began playing varsity football that fall. They fielded a winning team in their first season. Their 7-2 record that year earned them an "independent" state championship title, since the school had not yet been assigned to a state division. McClintock also did not originally have its own stadium. Like Tempe High, the team played its home games at Goodwin Stadium until its own lighted stadium opened.

Coach Karl Kiefer guided the Chargers from their first year in 1965 through the 1989 season (known as the 'Powerhouse' years). For the students and fans, the most important game was always the annual match between McClintock and Tempe. In 1985, the Chargers' main rivals became Mountain View and Westwood high schools in Mesa. However, Tempe and McClintock have their annual rival games bringing in 'Powerhouse' crowds. McClintock holding the upper hand. (These have not occurred in some recent years due to changing regional and sectional alignments.)

Until 1965, there was only one high school in Tempe. Up to that time, the Buffaloes had the undivided loyalty of the town's residents. Tempe High's games were big social events for the whole community. This changed when McClintock began playing varsity football. The two schools became bitter rivals as each tried to prove that they had the best team in Tempe. In their first contest, in 1966, the Chargers defeated the Buffaloes by a score of 3-2. From that point on, McClintock held the upper hand, winning 21 of the 28 games they played through 1993. These games were often played in ASU's Sun Devil Stadium, and drew huge crowds. In 1971, 15,000 fans saw the Chargers defeat Tempe 19-14. In 1972, more than 10,000 people saw Tempe win a 21-3 victory. Mayor Dale Shumway wanted to recognize the winner of the annual Tempe-McClintock game as the city "champion." The City Trophy was first awarded in 1971. In 1974, the championship became a three-way contest between Tempe, McClintock, and Marcos de Niza. The opening of the new Corona del Sol High School added yet another team to the competition. It was no longer a simple match between two schools. The teams played in different divisions against different schools. It soon became more difficult to pick a city-wide winner, so 1983 was the last year that the trophy was awarded. During the years that the trophy was awarded, Tempe won it once, Marcos de Niza won it twice, and McClintock won it ten times. The trophy used to travel to the winning school each year; it is now permanently displayed at McClintock High School.

The Chargers' first state title came in 1977, when the team went undefeated and captured the championship with a 14-9 playoff victory over Phoenix's Washington High School. Three years later, the Chargers posted a 12-2 record and won their second title by defeating Phoenix's Trevor Browne High School in the 1980 championship game. Their third state title in 1989 capped a 13-2 season that ended with a 42-14 playoff victory over Mesa's Westwood High. Kiefer would later go on to coach startup Mountain Pointe High School in the 1990s; the football stadium at that school is named Karl Kiefer Stadium.

In recent years, 13 Chargers have gone on to play professional football. Under Coach Mike Gibbons the Chargers qualified for the state playoffs from 2003 to 2009.

Recent State/National Championships:

• 2011 Division II Boys Cross Country Individual State Champion-Eduardo Roa
• 2010 McClintock Spiritline National Champions
• 2010 4A-I Boys Basketball State Champions
• 2009 4A-I Girls Basketball State Runner-Up
• 2007 4A-I Boys Baseball State Champions

Notable alumni

• Anthony Parker (football player)
• Bill Leen
• Doug Hopkins
• Jason Kyle
• John Tait
• Jules Asner ^[2]
• Kenny Wheaton
• Rick Neuheisel
• Mike Mendoza
• Tank Johnson
• Jeff Larish
• Matt Perisho^[3]
• Tony Carrillo
• Deven Cozad
• Benjamin Shindel

References