Starting in July, Peter Brock, athletic trainer and sports medicine teacher, will be the Sedona-Oak Creek School District’s new athletic director, Sedona Red Rock High School Principal Heather Isom announced during the school’s Spring Sports Banquet Awards Ceremony on May 13.

“We are building a great athletic program here, and we would not be able to do it with all of your input and support,” Isom said when making the announcement. “He is going to take us in a new direction and we are all excited for it.”

The change followed the district’s decision to reclassify the full-time position as a part-time role with a $15,000 yearly stipend, to be filled internally.

Pedro Ortega Sr., who had held the position since fall 2020, chose not to apply for the new version of the position. Superintendent Tom Swaninger, Ph.D., said that the decision was “not based on [Ortega’s] performance,” and later added that the position “doesn’t need to be a full-time job.”

“While we are transitioning from a full-time athletic director to a part-time stipend position, we are confident that the role can be effectively managed with efficient systems and support in place,” Swaninger said. “In fact, prior to having a full-time position, SRRHS successfully operated with a part-time athletic director. This approach is also common among small schools, many of which manage athletics through similar models. Given our current budget constraints, we believe this adjustment is a fiscally responsible decision that maintains the integrity of our athletic program while being mindful of resources.”

The athletic director is responsible for ensuring compliance with Arizona Interscholastic Association rules, administering the schools’ athletic programs, overseeing all personnel decisions related to hiring coaches and scheduling games and practices.

“I’m grateful for Ortega and how he led the department … I learned quite a bit from him over the years, and I hope I can be successful,” Brock said. “The biggest [lesson] I learned is how to balance more than one duty at a time. [Ortega] was the varsity boys’ basketball coach and the athletic director the last couple of years. So I’ve seen the challenge it brings, but I’ve also seen it’s something that can be balanced, be managed appropriately.”

Brock said he felt well-prepared to take on the dual role, citing his past experience with managing staff and hiring.

Peter Brock

Brock was hired by SOCSD in July 2021 after relocating from Fort Worth, Texas, where he had been the athletic trainer for Texas Wesleyan University since 2019, where he worked with the school’s 20 different sports.

He received a master’s degree in education from Baylor University in 2011 and a bachelor’s degree in athletic training from Cedarville University in 2009.

“I want to continue to build upon those relationships I have with not just the kids … but you guys, as parents, you play an important role in keeping these kids engaged, hungry to play,” Brock said to parents following his appointment. “I look forward to working with each of you, and [I’m] excited to see how things turn out with football being added.”

Brock teaches Sports Medicine I and II classes at SRRHS and also works with preventing, treating and rehabilitating injuries sustained by student athletes. His classes are attended by juniors and seniors interested in pursuing careers in health care.

“I played sports in high school, basketball and soccer mostly,” Brock said. “My sports career in high school kind of ended early because of knee injuries. That pointed me in the direction of athletic training, sports medicine. Because it gives me the opportunity to meet people sometimes on … their most difficult day and to help build them back up so they can get back to doing what they love.”

Swaninger said Brock’s main tasks as Athletic Director would be to improve recruitment and retention of athletes and coaches and strengthen community connection and involvement, including among business owners and parents.

“We’ve got to continue to promote the sports that we currently have and get a real sense from the students … what sports they are interested in playing,” Brock said. “There’s some new sports that have been introduced through the AIA, like girls’ flag football that we will consider adding in the future. But if you add one sport, you may have to, unfortunately, cut ties with another one. So that’s something we’re going to evaluate with keeping the kids’ interests in mind.”

Swaninger said that middle school girls’ flag football is the most likely program addition because of its popularity and because the girls’ varsity soccer program has been canceled for the last two seasons due to a lack of players. The SRRHS baseball team also canceled its 2024 season early but was able to play a 2025 season.

“We are keeping a close eye on … baseball,” Swaninger said on whether the cancelation of certain sports programs were being discussed. “We have several graduating seniors who played baseball and unless a greater number of younger students show interest, we may need to change course. One possibility is focusing on building a middle school baseball team that then feeds into the high school. It is also a promising sign that the city is now hosting a little league. Hopefully this gives our younger students an opportunity to grow in skill … it will be years though before those students reach high school age.”

“We are looking to be more proactive with recruitment of our coaching staff,” Swaninger said. “We’re assessing all of our coaches … and making the decision if [they are] the best way to go moving forward. If not, we’re going to open up those positions for interviews.”

“The biggest long-term goal is to increase participation among all of our sports and to increase just pride in the school within our sports program,” Brock said. “Hopefully we can increase pride by having an increased attendance at our sporting events, and then have parental involvement at those events.”

SOCSD currently has job openings for flag football, swimming and middle school volleyball coaches. Residents interested in getting involved in sports fundraisers or gameday activities can contact Heather Isom at (928) 204-6707 or at isom@sedonak12.org or Peter Brock at (928) 204-6733 or at brock@sedonak12.org.