Parker Porrill is a Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Saint Mary's High School for AZPreps365.com.

Saint Mary’s (10-0) is undefeated and has cruised all season by outscoring opponents, 288-34, and had seven shutouts this season.

The Knights are the 4A conference state playoffs' top seed, and will face No. 16 Arcadia in the opening round on Nov. 13.

This St. Mary's group has been called special and just might be because of its ties to professional football.

Their head coach Chris Horn is a former NFL wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs, and New Orleans Saints. Horn also had several additional stints with the Arizona Rattlers in the Indoor Football League (IFL) and the Arena Football League (AFL).

“He is a mastermind,” St. Mary's assistant coach Troy Soroko said. “Coach Horn played in the NFL and was coached by Dick Vermeil and Sean Payton, so the guy is just a wealth of knowledge.”

The Knights have clearly had an edge which can be credited to the skillful, athletic players of Saint Mary’s and the coaching staff. 

These legendary coaches have clearly had an impact on the coaching style of Horn as he preaches specific details and individual improvement.  

“We take a detailed look at everything as opposed to a broad look at everything,” Horn said. “That is one distinction at the pro level is every single detail matters.”

The girls of Saint Mary’s flag football follow the philosophy of ‘the details’ by taking a look at the specifics and never being satisfied.

After a 20-0 shutout win over Seton Catholic on Oct. 3, defensive back Bella Soroko said, “We could’ve done better and we definitely slowed down.”

Following another shutout win, quarterback Giahni Ruiz said, “We kind of went down and we wanted our score to be higher.”

Similarly, after a 34-0 shutout victory against Marcos de Niza on Oct. 30, where there were five passes that went for over 20 yards, St. Mary's WR Ava Sierras said, “I feel like we need to work on (the passing game) a little bit more.”

All of these girls echoed the same sentiment that they want to improve by focusing on the details. 

This professional philosophy elevates Saint Mary’s to the next level of the game as the group improves as a singular unit instead and then as a whole.

This style is what Horn hopes to implicate as he wishes to focus on the individual to maximize their gifts and skills, without fostering selfishness within the team culture.

“What I want to do is I look at it from this challenge, I look at what every single athlete has as an elite skill and I take and I put them into a position where they can use their gift during the game.”

When asked about whether or not Horn saw himself in any of his players, he said, “I don't take my individual (history and) I don't relate it to that.”

Obviously there is a large gap between professional and high school football, however the fundamentals crossover. 

“[The sports] translates in the strategy,” Horn said. “That's where it's going to translate — strategy and skill.”