Gilbert Perry football coach Jeremy Hathcock, who underwent triple bypass heart surgery on Oct. 7, said he could be back for the Mesa game on Oct. 30.
He is still healing, so doctors are being cautious. He has not been cleared to rejoin the team yet. The Pumas won their first game without Hathcock on Oct. 16, beating Mesa Westwood 34-14 with Justin Clare serving as interim head coach.
The Pumas (6-2) play host to Tucson Salpointe Catholic on Friday, Oct. 23.
The Mesa game is at Perry.
"I'm hoping to be there for Senior Night against Mesa," Hathcock said. "We'll see what happens with my doctor. I'm going to try to talk him into it on Monday. But I've got to be patient."
Hathcock, 54, coached at Mesa last year, leading the Jackrabbits to the 6A quarterfinals.
The Pumas close the regular season on Nov. 6 against defending Open state champion Chandler Basha.
"I just have to let the process happen," Hathcock said. "I've been in more pain in my life with other surgeries. But the process of healing, I have to let that happen."
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don't miss a thing. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Perry football coach hopes to be back Oct. 30 after heart bypass