Koby Mitchell is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Bourgade Catholic High School for AZPreps365.com

At the beginning of the school year, Jordyn Johnson Crockett uprooted his life and moved across the country to Phoenix to be closer to his grandfather, Chris Crockett Sr.

Jordyn is 15 years old and spent the first seven years of his life in Arizona living with his mother. Almost every day he was at his grandfather's house where Chris Sr. engaged Jordyn in a variety of physical activities including boxing and football.

“From zero to seven, I was like his dad, not his granddad,” Chris Sr. said.

Jordyn’s father, Chris Crockett Jr., lives in New Jersey and when Jordyn was seven, he decided he wanted to be closer with his son. Chris Sr. flew Jordyn out to New Jersey, a place he was comfortable sending a 7-year-old.

Chris Sr. has nine children and 14 grandchildren, with one more on the way. In New Jersey, Jordyn grew up surrounded by family. His father, four uncles, an aunt and their children, but Chris Sr. stayed in Arizona.

“He had a good nucleus there in New Jersey,” Chris Sr. said. “But his mother wanted him to come back in high school.”

This was a major life decision for Jordyn, who was just about to start high school,

“I initially had the idea to come out here to live with my grandfather because I had better education and I wanted more responsibilities than having them in New Jersey with my father,” Jordyn said. “I wanted to be better at not only sports, but my academics.”

Although this decision was embraced by most family members, it took some convincing,

“My father was supportive, but my little brother and his grandfather had mixed feelings,” Jordyn said. 

Ultimately, Jordyn made the decision to move back to Arizona and attend Bourgade Catholic. A school where his grandfather is in his second year of coaching the varsity football team. 

Growing up, Jordyn played soccer and flag football, but never tackle football. 

“Jordyn is by far one of the biggest Crocketts that I’ve coached, and he’s only a freshman,” assistant coach Darnel Chavez said. 

Chavez has been coaching with Chris Sr. since 2013 at Cesar Chavez High School. He’s also coached three of his sons.

“Devon, Elijah, Chico and Nick were all pretty decent sized,” Chavez said. “But this kid is big for his age. He’s got football in his blood.”

At 5 '11 and 167 pounds, Jordyn is still learning how to use his size on the field and Chavez has watched him excel as he works with him on tackling. The coaching staff doesn’t want to overwhelm Jordyn by throwing too much his way. Defensively, Chavez believes he’ll be an asset for Bourgade’s program throughout his time there.

As Jordyn continues to learn and grow, Chavez sees the same athleticism and grit that he’s seen in every Crockett he’s coached.

“Those boys are awesome kids, great kids, great family, great man,” Chavez said. “They don't cry, they don't complain, they just do it.”

Chavez has three kids of his own. His oldest, Ezekiel Chavez, had initially planned to attend Bourgade but opted to attend St.  Mary’s. Just like Chris Sr. had to, Darnel is learning how to balance different dynamics,

“ It’s kind of hard for me because I’m trying to coach him, but I also have to be a parent,” Darnel said. 

Chris has learned his share of lessons over the years when it comes to coaching his own children,

“It's tough,” Chris Sr. said. “So what I learned a long time ago is I gotta turn it off.  I gotta be their dad, because I'm always their coach.”

Education is something that Chris Sr. values the most for his family and football can help finance it. His sons received multiple Division 1 scholarship offers. Jordyn's dad accepted an offer to attend Boston College. Chris Sr. wants the same opportunities for Jordyn.

Chris Sr. wants to instill what he’s learned from coaching his other sons to help develop Jordyn as a person and a football player,

“It's not the end of the world. We win, we lose, we get better,” Chris Sr. said. “I won't talk to you about the game till we see film in practice. Let's have a nice ride home. I’ll give you a hug or whatever that you need.

"So there's some things that I had to learn as a dad, and I want to make sure that I do with Jordyn what I didn't do with my older children.”

Jordyn enjoys having Chris Sr. as his coach, however, having a grandparent as a coach comes with its share of challenges,

“It's tough and fun because I know what he expects and know what I gotta do,” Jordyn said. “But it's also fun because I have a coach who's extra supportive, extra careful with me. Living up to those hard challenges, like not being the best but pushing to be the best for myself.”

As Jordyn opens up about his relationship with his grandfather, Chris Sr, who is sitting next to him,  chuckles. 

Before charging back onto the field to finish practice, Jordyn leaves words of wisdom,

“Your grandfather is not only a coach and your coach is not only your grandfather. They're the same thing and two different things,” Jordyn said.

“They are a person that you really need to cherish, because once you're with them and time flies, you won't really have the time with them anymore.”