Grace Del Pizzo is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Desert Mountain High School for AZPreps365.com. 

Desert Mountain High School’s football program has seen a great deal of success over the past two years. 

The Wolves are currently 8-2 and seeded No. 2 going into the 5A State Championship's opening round Nov. 18 against No. 15 Verrado. Last season, they finished 12-2 and advanced to the 5A State Championship semifinals.

Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that the beginning of this success coincided with the arrival of Nolan Clement, a rising junior defensive end, fresh out of Atlanta.

Clement, now a senior team captain, is aiming to break school records in both sacks and tackles for loss. However, before enrolling at Desert Mountain, he’d never played a snap on the defensive line. Instead, Clement - who stands at 6 foot, 3 inches tall – told coaches he was a defensive back.

“[Clement] was saying that he was a safety or corner, and coach [Hamilton] looked at his size and instantly said he’s gotta be moved to D-line,” said senior Alex Nabavi, Clement’s fellow team captain at Desert Mountain.

Desert Mountain head coach Conrad Hamilton, who played cornerback for six years in the NFL, was skeptical, but he decided to give Clement a look at defensive back.

“We let him backpedal once,” Hamilton said. “With my background as a defensive back, I wasn’t gonna’ throw him to the wolves. I let him go through a couple individual drills with us as a defensive back and I just told him, ‘Hey, you know what? Probably not a defensive back for me.’”

Hamilton moved Clement to linebacker, and then to the defensive line, where he would eventually find massive success.

“Now we’re getting that kid who used to play defensive back to play in the trenches, and he was just amazing,” Hamilton said. “He was a natural at it. Explosive, physical, uses hands well, and just took to the position and felt like, alright, wherever I can get on the field and help the team win… He just was amazing.”

Clement said he was “a little surprised” about the move, but was optimistic. 

“We needed some size up front, so he put me down there,” Clement said. "Did very well. Loved the physicality. And, yeah, it worked out.”

Since the move to defensive end, Clement has flourished. Hamilton said his on-the-field impact is immeasurable.

“I think he’s raised the bar on how to play,” Hamilton said. “Not just from all the X’s and O’s, but the mentality. When you pop on the film, we talk about playing with physicality and giving maximum effort and reckless abandon… when you watch number seven out there, it’s him. That’s him running sideline to sideline, taking on block after block, rushing the edge, just giving everything he has on every single play.”

Nabavi added that Clement’s energy is “just unmatchable.” 

“You look at him when he’s playing, I mean, he looks like he’s trying to do something special every single play,” Nabavi said. “He’s got a fire in him that no one else does… He moves at a different speed. You can see it on film, and when you’re out there, you see [number] seven moving faster than everyone else. I think everyone around him just kind of sees that and gets motivated.”

Clement’s goals and mentality certainly produce staggering results. Eight weeks into the high school football season, he has amassed 13.5 sacks (good for fourth in the 5A Conference), 21 tackles for losses, 54 total tackles (26 solo), 25 hurries, 2 pass deflections, a fumble caused, a fumble recovery, and a blocked field goal.

Hamilton said Desert Mountain’s school record for sacks is 15 and the school record for TFLs (39) was set last year by 2021 5A Defensive Player of the Year Porter Sweet. Clement has a chance of reaching both records.

“Hoping to break the school records. I’m close,” Clement said. “Gotta break it. I’m on the hunt.”

Clement’s eye-popping numbers are forcing colleges to pay attention to him, and many of them have. As of November 9, Clement has received 11 Division I offers, including a notable offer from the University of Arizona.

As one of only two captains on the Wolves, Clement’s leadership skills also draw praise.

“Me and Nolan are the only captains this year, so we have to kind of step up,” Nabavi said. “Normally we have four captains, but there’s only two of us this year, so taking the underclassmen under our wing… is a little more challenging, but it’s definitely easier when you have a guy like Nolan… They look at him as a role model. They want to be like him. And it motivates them. He’s always around motivating. Always.”

Clement said it’s a big responsibility, but it’s also rewarding. 

“You gotta rally the team, gotta keep everyone in check, make sure everyone’s doing what they’re supposed to do,” Clement said. “And it’s really more of a family, it’s not just a team, so you gotta make sure the family aspect is there. You gotta play for each other on the field, or it won’t work off the field.”

Clement credits his success to his parents, who he says have helped him “with everything, really. With helping me in the kitchen, making some food for me, making sure I get all the food down… They help me in a lot of different ways.”

Although he may have only played for Desert Mountain for two years, Clement has left a lasting impact on his teammates and even on his coaching staff.

“That’s kind of what our program has been about, as far as bringing guys in, taking on a leadership role, meshing, playing a new position, putting themselves out there to learn… I think [Clement] embodies that,” Hamilton said. “I can’t say enough things about the guy. We’re blessed to have him arrive on our doorsteps, and do the things that he’s done and represent our school in the manner that he’s done. It’s been outstanding.”