Chandler Hamilton is no stranger to big-time football games. So when quarterback Travis Dean says it’s the best he’s ever been in, it’s not to be taken lightly.The top-ranked Huskies scored 14 points in the last 1:49 of regulation to stun No. 5 Chandler 24-20 in a 5A-I Fiesta Region tilt Friday night at Hamilton.
JC Baker and the Yuma offense had little trouble scoring on Lake Havasu in the season opener, with Baker setting the school record with seven touchdowns.
Deep Falcons top Sabino girls - Arizona Daily Star - 10/02/09 The Sabino girls swimming team learned the hard way that it takes more than speed to win a meet. The Sabercats, despite winning 8 of the 11 events at Udall Park, lost 101-82 to the Catalina Foothills squad, which showed its depth in the victory Thursday.
ing Apaches fall to Caballeros - Nogales International - 10/02/09 Losing does strange things to some people. Nogales High’s Olivia Valencia (22) attempts to get a shot over Flowing Wells’ Kristin Byers Wednesday night in the Lady Apaches 3-0 loss to the Lady Caballeros. Nogales High head volleyball coach Tracy Wunderlich is not one of them.
Pros, cons to using 2-way football players - East Valley Tribune - 10/02/09 Ramon Abreu has the ball and is a millisecond from turning upfield to turn a short gain into a big one against Mesa Desert Ridge. Tenacious and talented, the Tempe Marcos de Niza running back sees the hole and looks for more running room.
It’s the epic Chandler rivalry game, right? After all, it’s No. 1 Hamilton vs. No. 5 Chandler. On TV. The winner gets a leg up in the Fiesta Region, while the loser gets sent into the murky middle of the region rat race.
Cibola boys sweep Havasu - Yuma Sun - 10/01/09 The Cibola boys' swimming team took first place in every event against Lake Havasu to beat the Knights 119-46 on the road. Cibola's girls team lost to Havasu 110-60.
Phoenix Desert Vista senior center fielder Jaycob Brugman this week gave Brigham Young a commitment to play baseball. Brugman is rated by Rivals.com on ArizonaVarsity.com as the state's No.1 baseball prospect for the Class of 2010.
Nighthawks' Magnuson eyes Friday invitational - Arizona Daily Star - 10/01/09 Steve Magnuson was just out for an early evening jog. Forget his national ranking as a cross country runner, which is 19th. Forget he is a top college recruit who has run two miles in 9 minutes 8 seconds. On Wednesday, while some of his Ironwood Ridge teammates were competing at Riverfront Park, Magnuson was just trotting alongside Sunnyside runners Fabian Romero and Angel Camargo.
It took just one day for Phoenix Xavier girls volleyball coach Tim McHale to see it. “It was the first day of tryouts, there were some things that happened when we scrimmaged,” McHale recounts. “She did some things inherently that most freshmen just don’t do.” McHale was speaking of his then-freshman Katarina Schulz, who came into one of the state’s top volleyball programs and immediately impressed the coaching staff and everyone else.
With CDO quarterback Mike Lewis’ time limited with a broken wrist, and backfield sensation Ka’Deem Carey not playing the first half because of what Dorados head coach Dusty Peace called a “team violation,” Nogales High was hoping the playing field might be leveled a little Friday night when the No. 6 team in the state visited the home of the Apaches.
Lots have been written about Peoria Centennial senior offensive lineman Nick Rowland and Chandler Hamilton junior offensive lineman Christian Westerman. They're the two best in the state. But there are a couple of other giants even physically bigger than them that are starting to turn heads.
Devils hold on to defeat Cougars, 3-2 - Mohave Daily News - 09/30/09 Andee Dupree scored two soccer goals and Mykayla Casey added another tally as the Lady Dust Devils withstood a late Lady Cougars' rally to knock off Chino Valley High School, 3-2, at River Valley High School on Tuesday.
Payback comes quickly for Lancers - Arizona Daily Star - 09/29/09 Few things taste sweeter than avenging a loss. But when it comes on the opposing team's homecoming the win is that much more rewarding. Salpointe Catholic avenged its lone regular-season loss of 2008 with a 48-27 victory over host Ironwood Ridge on Friday night.
Raiders represent at big swim meet - Yuma Sun - 09/28/09 The Cibola boys swim team finished 10th out of at least 23 teams competing at the 9th Annual Speedo High School Classic Invitational at the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center in Tucson Saturday.
Badminton: Mtn. Pointe duo wins Dobson Invite - Arizona Republic - 09/28/09 Unseeded Sienna Martinez and Holly Phillips of Phoenix Mountain Pointe won the doubles tournament of the Mesa Dobson Badminton Invitational, defeating Phoenix Horizon’s Malorie Tardiff and Caeli Barker 15-11, 15-11 in the championship match.
Scottsdale team to visit CDO in '07 title rematch - Arizona Daily Star - 09/28/09 The high school football matchup of the year in the state's 4A-I awaits Friday. Scottsdale Saguaro (4-0) — the No. 2 power-ranked team in the state and three-time defending state champ — comes to Oro Valley to face Canyon del Oro (5-0) — ranked No. 4 in the conference and outscoring its first five opponents 167-51.
Sabino blanks Lady Apaches - Nogales International - 09/28/09 Nogales High volleyball coach Tracy Wunderlich recently lost her junior varsity coach, Maren Christensen.Nogales HIgh’s Blanca Choxet (middle) knocks one over Sabino High’s Chelsea Miller (left)) and Taylor Tertel. She could have used it as an excuse for her varsity squad losing to Sabino (25-11, 25-19, 25-10) on Tuesday night. She didn’t.
Brophy, 'Wojo’ dominate swim event - East Valley Tribune - 09/28/09 For a few of the top swimmers in the state, this is the homestretch of their prep careers. A cadre of seniors are trying to leave their mark in the Arizona record books — in between recruiting trips.Among those is butterfly state record holder John Wojciechowski of Phoenix Brophy, who missed the first invitational of the season because of his visit to the University of Texas but wasn’t about to miss his last Brophy/Xavier Invitational, held Saturday at the Brophy East pool in Phoenix.
Rams bucked by Tonopah - Yuma Sun - 09/25/09 A match-point hitting error proved to be costly. After leading 25-24, the Rams' game-winning point sailed out of bounds to even the score. The Phoenix (6-2, 1-0 2A West) went on to defeat the Rams (2-6, 0-1) the match 29-27, 25-21, 25-19.
Royal reserve - Yuma Sun - 09/25/09 When the reigning region player of the year and two-way starter goes down to an injury, a team has two options. Rush him back risking further injury, or change the offense to cater to an inexperienced backup.Kofa took option No. 3 - go with a capable running back with a similar style to the injured starter.
Hayden Renning admits he wasn't keen on the idea of specializing in the anonymous art of long snapping when his father first proposed the idea four years ago. Now the Sinagua High senior is one of the top-ranked snappers in the state. His penchant for firing footballs between his legs has all but punched his ticket to college.
Three major events on tap this weekend - Arizona Daily Star - 09/25/09 Volleyball • What: Catalina Volleyball Invitational • When: Starts today at 2:30 p.m.; second-day action begins Saturday at 9 a.m., with the championship match expected around 3 p.m. • Where: Catalina High School, 3645 E. Pima St. • Who: Six girls volleyball teams from Southern Arizona. They are: Catalina, Sahuarita, Tucson, Palo Verde, Cholla and Nogales
It always helps to set goals for yourself, but Catalina Foothills golfer Brittany McKee might have gone a tad overboard before her round at Dell Urich on Thursday.
The T-birds will try to get on the winning track against the Lake Havasu High School Knights in the annual Golden Shovel Game, which will be hosted by Mohave High School at 7 tonight. Mohave, which will have seven players return to the lineup after they sat out the first four games due to ineligibility, will welcome the added depth to a squad that has given up more than 40 points during its three-game losing streak.
Six football castaways are left to fend for themselves. Surrounded by an unforgiving schedule, a plethora of talented opponents and a serving or two of Lady Luck, the new Fiesta Region's Super Six must do unto each other what other 5A regions didn't want done unto them.
Maris Grasis has spent much of the season preaching to his team the importance of fundamentals. In the third game of their match against River Valley, Yuma Catholic heeded their coaches advice and played a near perfect game, leading by as many as 12.
Myriah Frabasilio may have been swimming against Gila Ridge and Lake Havasu, but her battle was against a cold. The Yuma High swimmer took first place in the 100-yard butterfly, finishing at 1 minute, 4.7 seconds, and swam the last leg for the Criminals' 200-yard freestyle relay team, which also placed first.
Short drives, but long on drive - Arizona Daily Star - 09/24/09 Golfer Ben Bradford would love to crush the ball off the tee. He just isn't able to … yet. A 15-year-old sophomore, Bradford stands 5 feet tall and weighs 75 pounds. He sets up between his Rincon/University teammates on the driving range at Fred Enke Golf Course. And then he hits the ball.
Out of 27 teams, the Rio Rico High boys’ cross-country team was second to Alhambra High School (by six seconds), and the girls were third to Page High and Flagstaff High at the George Young Invitational in Scottsdale Sept.12.
Tempe Marcos de Niza has won region football titles each of the last two years. Mesa Desert Ridge, a challenger last year to the Padres in the old Pima Region, is hoping to switch roles this time.
Each week we nominate the top three highlights from Arizona high school football games. Watch a video, vote for tonight's best play, then catch 'Friday Night Fever' at 11:35 p.m. on Channel 12 to see this week's Hot Shot.
Phoenix Desert Vista’s volleyball squad made quite a statement this weekend on a national stage. The Thunder (21-1) dominated from start to finish during the inaugural Nike Volleyball Tournament of Champions, which took place in Chandler and Gilbert and included several nationally ranked teams from the western part of the country.
Mesa-Red Mountain running back Derrick Molina rumbled for more than 200 yards and four touchdowns as the Mountain Lions rolled over host Cibola 39-0 for their fourth victory of the season.
Tuba City's Yazzie grinds out first win - Arizona Daily Sun - 09/21/09 Halfway through the Four Corners Invitational Saturday, Ryan Yazzie found himself in a position that was strangely familiar. The Tuba City senior was all alone in front of the pack -- a position he hadn't experienced on a cross country course since he won the state Class 3A title last fall.
Salpointe looks for turnaround result vs. I-Rid - Arizona Daily Star - 09/21/09 Salpointe Catholic went into Ironwood Ridge unbeaten last fall. But the Lancers left the northwest side with one of the worst losses of the Dennis Bene era, falling 41-14 to current UA linebacker Jake Fischer and the eventual state semifinalist Nighthawks. Friday looks like payback time.
The Marana Lady Tigers edged Rio Rico by a mere eight points over three games Tuesday at Rio Rico High School, 25-22, 25-22, 27-25. The last two minutes of the third game, which Rio Rico led for most of the time, was some of the most exciting volleyball this season. With the score tied at 23, Marana and Rio Rico changed the lead at least three times, searching for that winning second point. “I thought it was a really good game, and we gave it our all,” Rio Rico outside hitter Anna Cisneros said.
A tuna fish sandwich made all the difference between victory and defeat when Nogales High School battled it out on the links against Marana at Kino Springs Golf Course in Nogales on Monday afternoon.
The unofficial kickoff to the prep swim season is a day of fun and camaraderie, benchmarking and, sometimes, a few surprises. Saturday was no different — including a Chandler Valley Christian freshman beating a host of veterans and some noise from the Gilbert boys team.
Phoenix Desert Vista’s volleyball squad made quite a statement this weekend on a national stage. The Thunder (21-1) dominated from start to finish during the inaugural Nike Volleyball Tournament of Champions, which took place in Chandler and Gilbert and included several nationally ranked teams from the western part of the country.
Kings fall to Dobson - Yuma Sun - 09/18/09 One early mistake changed Kofa's mindset, and the Kings fell 47-17 at Mesa-Dobson. The Kings (1-2) recovered the opening kickoff and march downfield for a touchdown after seven plays - but the score was called back because of a chop block.
In a game that featured little offense, Saguaro played suffocating defense and came up with enough big plays to knock off Peoria 13-0 in a Class 4A Division I non-region game Thursday night, extending the three-time defending state champions' win streak to 36 games.
Young Audiences of Santa Cruz County will be hosting its 11th annual Golf for the Arts tournament at the Kino Springs Golf Club on Oct. 24. The format will be a three-man scramble with A, B and C players. The tournament is one of only two major fundraisers for Young Audiences in the year.
Devils defeat Mustangs - Mohave Daily News - 09/17/09 After being dominated by the Needles High School volleyball team for years, the Lady Dust Devils finally beat their cross-river rival.The Lady Dust Devils swept the Lady Mustangs, 25-20, 29-27, 25-20, at River Valley High School on Tuesday.
Patagonia tops St. Augustine/ASDB - Nogales International - 09/17/09 Friday’s game between Patagonia and the combined St. Augustine/ASDB (Arizona School for the Deaf and the Blind) team started slow, with neither team scoring in the first quarter. Then Lobos Joseph Perez got started with a 50-yard touchdown run with three minutes left in the second quarter, but that was it for the half. It was a new game in the second half, with Patagonia putting an additional 26 points on the board, mostly behind the running of Andrew Martinez. The Wolves/Sentinels managed a dozen points, but it was the Lobos field, and their night to shine, 32-12.
AIA says Mountain Ridge FG was legal - Arizona Republic - 09/17/09 The Arizona Interscholastic Association stands behind its officiating crew at Glendale Mountain Ridge that the Lions legally kicked a 28-yard field goal late in the third quarter of their 23-21 victory Friday night against Gilbert.
Spartans beat Criminals at their own game - Yuma Sun - 09/12/09 The Yuma High football team doesn't mind getting into a shootout-type of game like the one that developed Friday night against El Centro-Central, so long as the Criminals manage to get a defensive stop here and there.
Raider runners gain 2 wins - Yuma Sun - 09/09/09 The Cibola cross country team picked up wins for both boys and girls during the team's three-way match with Brawley and San Luis. The girls finished with a team score 26 followed by Brawley (35) and San Luis (88).
Athletics
