The D-III Boys game between #11 Empire and #22 Scottsdale Christian will be played at Cienega High School.

Southern Arizona State Boys Cross Country Championships

Ron Grant. Citizen File Photo.

Catalina Foothills was the dominant team of the last decade. Ron Grant started the decade off with three straight championships and Doug Keen ended the decade with three straight wins. In all, Keen led the Falcons to four of their seven titles.

Grant moved over to Sunnyside where he won one more to give him four titles also.

Grant was not the only to coach to win at more than one school. Roger Bristow won one at Tombstone before moving on to Rio Rico where he won two more.

Southern Arizona’s first title was earned by Tucson High’s Hendrik Cornelis “Hank” de Bruin in 1955. Hank de Bruin passed away at the age of 83 on Saturday, February 4, 2012 in Albuquerque.

CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS

Catalina Foothills (7)
2000: 4A (Ron Grant)
2001: 4A (Ron Grant)
2002: 4A (Ron Grant)
2006: 4A-I (Doug Keen)
2008: 4A-I (Doug Keen)
2009: 4A-I (Doug Keen)
2010: D-II (Doug Keen)

Santa Rita (4)
1978: 56A (Gary Stefan)
1979: 5A (Ken Radon)
1980: 5A (Ken Radon)
1982: 5A (Ken Radon)

Rio Rico (3)
2000: 3A (Stephen Schadler)
2006: 4A-II (Roger Bristow)
2008: 4A-II (Roger Bristow)

Sunnyside (3)
1966: 5A (Carl Brunenkart)
1975: 5A (Jim Mielke)
2008: 5A-II (Ron Grant)

Baboquivari (2)
1981: 3A (Bob Kahn)
1982: 3A (Bob Kahn)

Douglas (2)
1994: 4A (Dave Bond)
1996: 4A (Dave Bond)

Pueblo (2)
1957: 5A (Bob McCaa)
1958: 5A (Bob McCaa)

Ajo (1)
1983: 3A (Terry Orr)

Bisbee (1)
1986: 3A (Leonard Suarez)

Canyon del Oro (1)
2011: D-II (Rick Glider)

Ironwood Ridge (1)
2009: 5A-II (Gary Forrest)

Mountain View (1)
2007: 5A (Dennis Hansen)

Rincon (1)
1961: 5A (Cody Mothershed)

Sabino (1)
2007: 4A-I (Sylvia Kniest)

Sahuaro (1)
1984: 5A (Jeff Lockwood)

Tombstone (1)
2002: 1A/2A (Roger Bristow)

Tucson (1)
1955: 5A (Hank de Bruin)

OTHER SPORTS

FOOTBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/01/25/arizona-centennial-football/

SOFTBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/01/28/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-softball/

BASEBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/01/30/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-baseball/

BOYS BASKETBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/01/29/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-boys-basketball/

GIRLS BASKETBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/01/31/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-girls-basketball/

BOYS GOLF: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/02/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-boys-golf/

GIRLS GOLF: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/03/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-girls-golf/

BOYS SWIM: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/05/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-boys-swim-dive/

GIRLS SWIM: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/06/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-girls-swim-dive/

BOYS VOLLEYBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/07/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-boys-volleyball/

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/09/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-girls-volleyball/

GIRLS SOCCER: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/11/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-girls-soccer/

BOYS SOCCER: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/11/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-boys-soccer/

Ironwood Ridge. Andy Morales Photo

Sunnyside was the top team finisher from Southern Arizona in D-I action. The Blue Devils have won 29 state championships, including the last 14 in a row. Their fourth pace finish this year was the lowest the team had placed since 1995.

Juaqin Olivas (106: 37-5) and Cedric Gonzalez (220: 29-1) finished in second place for Sunnyside.

Ironwood Ridge won their second D-II title in a row by another wide margin. They won last year by 40.5 points and 54.5 this year.

Trevor Willson (126: 23-1), Troy Taylor (145: 40-7) and Matt Filbert (152: 39-3) earned individual titles for the Nighthawks.

Bailey Janis (113: 47-1) won a title for Mountain View and Pueblo’s Alvaro Gallego (106: 50-0) went undefeated for his championship.

In all, 10 individuals won state championships from all four divisions from Southern Arizona.

Division I

TEAM
1 Chandler 122
2 Cibola 120.5
3 Desert Vista 114
4 Sunnyside 113
17 Buena 31
31 Tucson 13
42 Rincon 0

SOUTHERN ARIZONA INDIVIDUAL

106
Second: Juaqin Olivas, Sunnyside 37 – 5

120
Fifth: William Olivas, Sunnyside 36 – 8

126
Fifth: Sergio Miranda, Sunnyside 31 – 8

132
Third: Raul Moraga. Sunnyside 34 – 5

138
Sixth: Andres Piedra, Sunnyside 35 – 6

152
Fourth: Victor Haro, Tucson 49 – 6

170
Sixth: LJ Boutte, Buena 38 – 6

195
Fifth: Cody Larimer, Buena 39 – 4

220
Second: Cedric Gonzalez, Sunnyside 29 – 1

HWT
Fourth: Timothy Laverty, Sunnyside 16 – 3

Division II

TEAM
1 Ironwood Ridge 204.5
2 Gila Ridge 150
3 Marcos de Niza 139.5
4 Sunrise Mountain 98.5
5 Mountain View 81
7 Marana 74
16 Cienega 41
21 Pueblo 26
27 Cholla 19
28 Canyon del Oro 18
33 Nogales 11
35 Sahuaro 8
41 Catalina Foothills 3
44 Flowing Wells 0

SOUTHERN ARIZONA INDIVIDUAL

106
Champion: Alvaro Gallego, Pueblo 50 – 0

113
Champion: Bailey Janis, Mt. View 47 – 1
Fifth: Joey Howard, Ironwood Ridge 37 – 15

120
Fifth: Cristian Sanchez, Cienega 40 – 9

126
Champion: Trevor Willson, Ironwood Ridge 23 – 1
Fifth: Ty Waltz, Mt. View 18 – 16
Sixth: Chase Meade, Marana 28 – 11

132
Second: Tate Sandifer, Ironwood Ridge 19 – 7
Third: Jake Bishop, Canyon del Oro 30 – 7

138
Second: Tanner Waltz, Mt. View 23 – 4
Fifth: Clint Allen, Ironwood Ridge 41 – 15
Sixth: Alex Steinebach, Marana 14 – 5

145
Champion: Troy Taylor, Ironwood Ridge 40 – 7

152
Champion: Matt Filbert, Ironwood Ridge 39 – 3
Fourth: Eli Callahan, Marana 35 – 7

160
Third: Tj Gudeman, Cienega 39 – 10
Fourt:h Chase Riddle, Marana 21 – 10

170
Fifth: Tristan Mordecai, Ironwood Ridge 41 – 12
Sixth: Scott Freibaum, Marana 30 – 10

182
Sixth: Scott Simmons, Ironwood Ridge 28 – 10

195
Second: Ricky Alvarez, Mt. View 36 – 7
Fifth: Cameron Nelson, Ironwood Ridge 36 – 12

220
Second: Lisiate Otuafi, Ironwood Ridge 17 – 4
Third: Brett Garcia, Cienega 35 – 11
Fifth: Ceasar Bray, Cholla 34 – 11

The first round for Division IV is in the books. St. Gregory, Patagonia and Tohono O’Odham were eliminated on the boy’s side and Tohono O’Odham on the girl’s.

GIRLS

Division I

First Round
Wednesday, February 15

(15) Buena hosts (18) Cibola, 7 pm
(16) Tucson hosts (17) Xavier, 7 pm
(22) Cienega at (11) Valley Vista, 7 pm

Division II

(6) Flowing Wells, bye
(7) Palo Verde, bye

First Round
Wednesday, February 15

(9) Pusch Ridge hosts (24) Sahuaro, 7 pm
(11) Douglas hosts (22) Prescott, 7 pm
(23) Cholla at (10) Cactus, 7 pm

Division III

(4) Safford, bye
(5) Thatcher, bye

First Round
Wednesday, February 15

(12) Benson hosts (21) Chinle, 7 pm

Division IV

First Round
Saturday, February 11

(9) Desert Christian 51, (24) Cibecue 36
(10) San Miguel 55, (23) Yuma Catholic 41
(12) St. David 47, (21) Rock Point 42
(15) St. Gregory 31, (18) Red Mesa 23
(14) Scottsdale Prep 56, (19) Tohono O’Odham 36

Second Round
February 17 & 18
All games in Prescott

(3) Green Fields vs. (14) Scottsdale Prep, 10:30 am (2/17)
(8) Duncan vs. (9) Desert Christian, 1:30 pm (2/17)
(15) St. Gregory vs. (2) AZ Lutheran, 7:30 (2/17)
(10) San Miguel vs. (7) Ft. Thomas, 6 pm (2/18)
(12) St. David vs. (5) Joy Christian, 3 pm (2/18)

BOYS

Division I

First Round
Thursday, February 16

(11) Buena hosts (22) Chaparral, 7 pm
(14) Ironwood Ridge hosts (19) Mountain Pointe, 7 pm
(21) Rincon at (12) Mesa Mountain View, 7 pm
(24) Cienega at (9) Brophy, 7 pm

Division II

(3) Amphitheater, bye
(8) Salpointe, bye

First Round
Thursday, February 16

(10) Nogales hosts (23) Casa Grande, 7 pm
(15) Catalina Foothills hosts (18) Queen Creek, 7 pm
(20) Douglas at (13) Sunnyslope, 7 pm

Division III

(4) Thatcher, bye

First Round
Tuesday, February 14

(11) Empire hosts (22) Scottsdale Christian, 7 pm
(12) Rio Rico hosts (21) Pinon, 7 pm
(16) Safford hosts (17) Payson, 7 pm
(20) Tombstone at (13) Globe, 7 pm

Division IV

First Round
Saturday, February 11

(20) Joseph City 61, (13) St. Gregory 42
(14) Orme 52, (19) Patagonia 38
(12) Williams 67, (21) Tohono O’Odham 49

Second Round
Friday, February 17
All games in Prescott

(1) Desert Christian vs. (17) Phoenix Christian, 3 pm
(3) Duncan vs. (14) Orme, Noon

Palo Verde. Andy Morales Photos.

The Pusch Ridge girls had defeated Palo Verde 60-48 eight days ago and another victory over the Titans in the D-II/Section I championship game Saturday night would have meant a first-round bye in the state playoffs.

Despite a stellar performance from forwards Moriah Roters and Noelle Soltero, the Lions fell 42-41 in game that could have gone either way and Palo Verde center Darian Saunders made sure it went her way.

“They beat us before and we knew they could beat us again,” said Saunders. “I knew I had to play a lot more today and give my best effort. Our team came through.”

The 6-foot-1 senior scored a game-high 17 points, recorded 9 blocks and pulled down 13 rebounds to pace Palo Verde. With numbers like that, the game should have been a blowout.

Pusch Ridge was able to stay in the game thanks to the rebounding of Roters, who matched Saunders 13 of her own, and the rebounding of Soltero and Gabrielle Courtney with seven each.

But, in the end, Pusch Ridge committed an uncharacteristic 13 turnovers with nine of those coming in the second half and a few coming in the final seconds of the game.

Pusch Ridge took an 11-10 lead after the first period with Soltero scoring the first six points for the Lions. Palo Verde built a 17-12 lead in the second quarter thanks to a three-pointer by Alicia Jones but Pusch Ridge was able to closeout the first half, down 22-20.

Saunders scored seven points in the second quarter and Soltero put in six more.

Saunders put Palo Verde up 30-27 with 2:58 left in third period but neither team would score the rest of the way. Roters scored five in the third.

Palo Verde would battle to a 38-36 lead with 3:03 left in the game but Abby Maas banked in a three-pointer from the top of the key to give Pusch Ridge its first lead since the first quarter.

Saunders scored to retake the lead with 2:22 left and Pusch Ridge turned the ball over and Palo Verde went up 42-39 with 45.2 seconds left. Pusch Ridge lost the ball again but Palo Verde took an ill-advised shot with 17 seconds left.

Courtney was fouled while shooting a three-pointer and was sent to the line to shoot three shots with 14.9 seconds. She made the first two but Palo Verde called a timeout.

Down 42-41, Courtney missed her third shot and Maas fouled out to send Adrianna Barrientez to the line at the other end where she missed the first half of a one-and-one.

Pusch Ridge called a timeout with 6.6 seconds left and Courtney’s last-second shot fell a little short. Soltero was fouled on the put back but the buzzer had sounded before contact was made.

“I was just trying to make up for all my missed shots,” explained Roters on her rebounding night. “I think it kept us in the game. This will be good for us and it will make us more hungry for state.”

At the other end, Saunders felt the same way, “We just need to keep it going. Keep it going.”

________

Wrestling champions Austin Andrade & Floyd Jones were honored during the Amphitheater game.

Amphitheater had already defeated Salpointe twice in power-point games but the game to decide the D-II/S-II championship game proved to be the toughest yet.

Tim Derksen led all scorers with 22 points and Tony Lillard added 17 to keep the Lancers at bay, 62-58.

The Panthers took a slim 15-13 lead after the first period with five players scoring but Cory Carver scored six to keep things close.

Yusuf Shehata hit a three-pointer to put Amphi up 24-19 with 4:45 left in the second quarter but Alec Castaneda led a furious comeback by hitting his own three-pointer and then another bucket to put Salpointe up 30-25 with 52.1 seconds left. Cameron Denson hit a late bucket and Salpointe went into the locker room up 32-25.

Derksen had only scored one point in the second quarter but he followed Ryan Farhat’s opening three-pointer with five straight points to help Amphi retake the lead 33-32 with 6:30 left.

Derksen hit four straight free throws to put Amphi up 45-40 at the end of the third quarter.

Lillard scored four points and Derksen scored again to put Amphi up 50-40 with 6:44 left in the game. In the past, Salpointe, like many other teams, would have folded then but the Lancers battled back to get within 60-58 with 56.1 seconds left.

Farhat sank two free throws with 23.1 seconds left to go up 62-58 and Salpointe had one last possession with 6 seconds left in the game but, down by four, even of the Lancers had scored, Amphi did not need to touch the ball again.

A lot of energy was used to win the sectional tournament. The real task begins on Saturday, February 18 for both teams.

(8) Salpointe and (3) Amphi each earned a first-round bye and will host a second round match.

“We will focus on practice,” explained Derksen. “We had a good week at sectionals but state means everything. We need to heal and take care of things.”

________

The Thatcher girls upset top seed Safford 52-37 to win their sectional. Both teams earned a first-round bye and will play February 18 at NAU. The Thatcher boys dropped their championship game but they earned a 4 seed and a bye also.

GIRLS

Division II-Section I

Championship Game
Saturday, February 11
(3) Palo Verde 42, (4) Pusch Ridge 41

Division III-Section II

Championship Game
Saturday, February 11
(3) Thatcher 52, (1) Safford 37

BOYS

Division II-Section I

Championship Game
Saturday, February 11
(1) Amphi 62, (3) Salpointe 58

Division III-Section II

Championship Game
Saturday, February 11
(2) Gilbert Christian 56, (1) Thatcher 45

Southern Arizona State Boys Soccer Championships

Salpointe’s Wolfgang Weber earned his fifth championship Saturday afternoon and, in doing so, broke his tie with fellow Tucson area legend Julie Walters of Catalina Foothills.

Wolfgang Weber. Andy Morales Photo.

Only Jack Altersitz of Cactus and Dick Breckenridge of Blue Ridge have more with six titles each. It’s entirely possible that both Weber and Walters might be able to surpass them both but it will be difficult considering both play in Division II.

Weber is a silent but strong leader and has been the dean of all Southern Arizona coaches over the last 30 years. Many of the coaches in the area have turned to him for advice over the years and I have found him to be very respectful every time I meet him.

He is one of the good guys in my opinion.

Like Weber, Walters has a strong presence on her sidelines also. She takes the time to speak to every player as they leave the game and has a positive thing to say about all of her boys.

Walters, also like Weber, has a deep respect for the game and for everything that it takes to win. It’s a shame and a blessing that they are now in the same division.

CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS

Salpointe (5)
1985: 5A (Wolfgang Weber)
1986: 5A (Wolfgang Weber)
1996: 5A (Wolfgang Weber)
2004: 5A (Wolfgang Weber)
2012: D-II (Wolfgang Weber)

Catalina Foothills (4)
2001: 4A (Julie Walters)
2006: 4A-I (Julie Walters)
2008: 4A-I (Julie Walters)
2011: 4A-I (Julie Walters)

Rincon/UHS (3)
1997: 4A (Roxanne Taylor)
1998: 4A (Roxanne Taylor)
2007: 4A-I (Roxanne Taylor)

Canyon del Oro (2)
2009: 4A-I (Josh Marshall)
2010: 4A-I (Josh Marshall)

Desert Christian (2)
1996: 1A-3A (Dave Defer)
1997: 1A-3A (John O’Hair)

Douglas (2)
2006: 4A-II (Ken Cormier)
2009: 4A-II (Ken Cormier)

Sabino (2)
1995: 4A (Ron Fox)
2005: 4A (Jon Pearlman)

Benson (1)
2006: 1A-3A (Jim Howe)

Mountain View (1)
2007: 5A-II (Mike Corbus)

Rio Rico (1)
2007: 4A-II (Dagoberto Lopez)

Sahuaro (1)
1988: 5A (James Bishop)

OTHER SPORTS

FOOTBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/01/25/arizona-centennial-football/

SOFTBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/01/28/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-softball/

BASEBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/01/30/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-baseball/

BOYS BASKETBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/01/29/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-boys-basketball/

GIRLS BASKETBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/01/31/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-girls-basketball/

BOYS GOLF: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/02/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-boys-golf/

GIRLS GOLF: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/03/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-girls-golf/

BOYS SWIM: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/05/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-boys-swim-dive/

GIRLS SWIM: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/06/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-girls-swim-dive/

BOYS VOLLEYBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/07/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-boys-volleyball/

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/09/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-girls-volleyball/

GIRLS SOCCER: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/11/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-girls-soccer/

Southern Arizona State Girls Soccer Championships

Charlie Kendrick. Andy Morales Photo.

Charlie Kendrick has officially won more championships than any other coach in the history of girls soccer in Arizona. The victory also ties the Falcons with Xavier for the most titles.

His six trophies surpassed Russ Evans of Blue Ridge for the lead and it appears he can go on for quite a few years more with the talent he has on his bench.

No other coach from Southern Arizona has more than one championship.

CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS

Catalina Foothills (7)
2003: 4A (Christie Monroe)
2005: 4A (Charlie Kendrick)
2006: 4A-I (Charlie Kendrick)
2007: 4A-I (Charlie Kendrick)
2010: 4A-I (Charlie Kendrick)
2011: 4A-I (Charlie Kendrick)
2012: D-II (Charlie Kendrick)

Salpointe (4)
1990: 5A (Matt Panitinto)
1992: 5A (Julian Friend)
1998: 5A (Jill McCartney)
1999: 5A (Alisha Kientzler)

Flowing Wells (2)
2007: 5A-II (Chris Nogami)
2009: 4A-I (Sean Ochoa)

Sabino (2)
1996: 4A (Alisha Kientzler)
2008: 4A-I (Brenda Lowery)

Canyon del Oro (1)
1997: 5A (Albert Durazo)

Mountain View (1)
1995: 4A (Cynthia Saldamando)

Rincon/UHS (1)
2008: 5A-II (Ian Kidd)

OTHER SPORTS

FOOTBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/01/25/arizona-centennial-football/

SOFTBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/01/28/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-softball/

BASEBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/01/30/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-baseball/

BOYS BASKETBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/01/29/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-boys-basketball/

GIRLS BASKETBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/01/31/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-girls-basketball/

BOYS GOLF: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/02/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-boys-golf/

GIRLS GOLF: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/03/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-girls-golf/

BOYS SWIM: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/05/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-boys-swim-dive/

GIRLS SWIM: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/06/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-girls-swim-dive/

BOYS VOLLEYBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/07/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-boys-volleyball/

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/09/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-girls-volleyball/

On demand: Palo Verde: http://aia365.com/videos/743

10:30 am: Catalina Foothills: http://aia365.com/videos/745

1 pm: Salpointe: http://aia365.com/videos/746

3:45 pm: D-II & III wrestling finals: http://aia365.com/videos/742

Trey Andrews won his fourth state title. Andy Morales Photo.

Five individual championships were handed out to Southern Arizona wrestlers on Friday.

Trey Andrews (Safford 56 – 1) won his fourth straight title; Marky Lopez (Rio Rico 39 – 3) won in the 145 division; Dirk McOmber (Empire 44 – 2) won in the 195 division; Floyd Jones (Amphitheater 51 – 3); and Austin Andrade (Amphitheater 53 – 0) capped an undefeated season.

Amphitheater came in third place as a team in Division III and Rio Rico took sixth.

Willcox came in eighth and Benson ninth in the D-IV finals.

There were no individual champions from Southern Arizona in D-IV but Wyatt Pena (126: San Manuel 45 – 6), Anthony Gomez (145: Willcox 57 – 5), Dillon Dastrup (160: Benson 36 – 4) and Brendon Benton (195: Benson 18 – 3) took second place trophies.

Division III

TEAM
1 Thunderbird 121
2 Mingus 105
3 Amphitheater 103
6 Rio Rico 84
11 Safford 59
15 Sabino 45
19 Empire 38
21 Sahuarita 35
32 Salpointe 9
35 Douglas 4
41 Catalina 2
41 Palo Verde 2
41 Santa Rita 2

SOUTHERN ARIZONA INDIVIDUAL

120
Champion: Trey Andrews, Safford 56 – 1
Fourth: Joseph Aquilina, Amphitheater 40 – 9

126
Fourth: Josh Comacho, Amphitheater 43 – 9

132
Second: Eric Jeong, Rio Rico 35 – 6
Fourth: Matt Repp, Sabino 49 – 6

145
Champion Marky Lopez, Rio Rico 39 – 3

152
Fourth: Jose Hernandez, Amphitheater 29 – 11

182
Second: Jorge Robles, Sahuarita 48 – 12
Third: Pablo Chavez, Rio Rico 42 – 5
Fourth: Seth Ward, Safford 45 – 13

195
Champion: Dirk McOmber, Empire 44 – 2

220
Champion: Floyd Jones, Amphitheater 51 – 3
Fourth: Jake Laird, Sabino 55 – 13
Fifth: Patrick Penniston, Rio Rico 32 – 12

HWT
Champion: Austin Andrade, Amphitheater 53 – 0

Division IV

TEAM
1 St. Johns 236
2 Camp Verde 169
3 Morenci 165.5
8 Willcox 72.5
9 Benson 69
11 San Manuel 62.5
15 Thatcher 46.5
23 Santa Cruz 19.5
33 Bisbee 5
33 Tombstone 5
35 Baboquivari 3

SOUTHERN ARIZONA INDIVIDUAL

120
Third: Anthony Quezada, Willcox 49 – 6
Fifth: Brendan Skinner, Thatcher 35 – 12

126
Second: Wyatt Pena, San Manuel 45 – 6

138
Sixth: Adrian Torres, San Manuel 59 – 11

145
Second: Anthony Gomez, Willcox 57 – 5
Fourth: Colten Smith, San Manuel 61 – 5

160
Second: Dillon Dastrup, Benson 36 – 4

170
Third: Joey Simpson, Benson 51 – 7

195
Second: Brendon Benton, Benson 18 – 3
Third: Ben Miller, Willcox 55 – 6

HWT
Fifth: Anfernee Alexander, Santa Cruz 30 – 9

GIRLS

Division IV

3 Green Fields, bye
8 Duncan, bye

First Round
Saturday, February 11

9 Desert Christian vs. 24 Cibecue, 9 am at Bradshaw Mtn.
10 San Miguel vs. 23 Yuma Catholic, 1:30 pm at Bradshaw Mtn.
12 St. David vs. 21 Rock Point, noon at Bradshaw Mtn.
15 St. Gregory vs. 18 Red Mesa, 6 pm at Bradshaw Mtn.
19 Tohono O’Odham vs. 14 Scottsdale Prep, 4:30 pm at Prescott

BOYS

Division IV

1 Desert Christian, bye
3 Duncan, bye

First Round
Saturday, February 11

13 St. Gregory vs. 20 Joseph City, 7:30 pm at Bradshaw Mtn.
19 Patagonia vs. 14 Orme, 9 am at Prescott
21 Tohono O’Odham vs. 12 Williams, 6 pm at Prescott

Empire’s Cole Plouck scored 27 points but the three-seeded Ravens could not overcome the three-point shooting of top seed Gilbert Christian Friday night at Pueblo.

Empire standout Cole Plouck. Andy Morales Photo.

Plouck scored 12 of his game-high points in the first period to help pace Empire to a 16-14 lead but Conner Patterson responded with nine of his own to keep the Knights in the game.

Gilbert Christian hit four three-pointers in the second period and then Sam Jones hit three three-pointers in a row to start off the third period and Empire suddenly found themselves down 58-44 and they could never recover.

In a high school rarity, Plouck hit all 10 of his free throws in the loss.

Deion James scored six of his 12 points in the final period for Empire and Ben Perrell added 9.

Empire automatically qualifies for the state tournament. The brackets will be released after all the sectional championships have been completed.

Top seed Thatcher will face (2) Gilbert Christian in the championship game after they beat (5) Rio Rico 63-31. Thatcher is led by Mitchell Goodman and Ethan Bryce.

________

The Salpointe boys outscored Queen Creek 14-5 in overtime to move to the Division II-Section I championship game against Amphi.

Amphi defeated Nogales 66-59 in their semifinal match.

________

The top-seeded Safford girls will meet (3) Thatcher in the D-III/S-II championship game Saturday at Pueblo.

Thatcher outlasted Benson 53-50 to qualify. Benson was down 32-24 to start the fourth quarter but Stephanie Ramirez scored 12 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter to fuel a comeback bid.

Stacey Ramirez put in nine of her 11 points in the final period also but, despite scoring 26 points in the period, Thatcher was able to hold off Benson thanks to Shianne White scoring eight of her 16 points in the fourth, including the last four points, and Kelsey Smith scoring all five of her points in the deciding period.

________

GIRLS

Division II-Section I

Championship Game
Saturday, February 11
(3) Palo Verde vs. (4) Pusch Ridge, 5:45 pm at Amphi

Division III-Section II

Semifinals
Friday, February 10
(1) Safford 43, (4) Gilbert Christian 36
(3) Thatcher 53, (2) Benson 50

Championship Game
Saturday, February 11
(1) Safford vs. (3) Thatcher, 5:45 pm at Pueblo

BOYS

Division II-Section I

Semifinals
Friday, February 10
(3) Salpointe 84, (7) Queen Creek 75, OT
(1) Amphi 66, (4) Nogales 59

Championship Game
Saturday, February 11
(3) Salpointe at (1) Amphi,7:30 pm

Division III-Section II

Semifinals
Friday, February 10
(2) Gilbert Christian 76, (3) Empire 58
(1) Thatcher 63, (5) Rio Rico 31

Championship Game
Saturday, February 11
(1) Thatcher vs. (2) Gilbert Christian, 7:30 pm at Pueblo

BASKETBALL SECTIONAL PLAYOFF SCENARIO

As reported here first: The top eight teams from each section qualifies for the sectional tournaments. The top four from each sectional automatically qualifies for the state tournament. Since each division has three sections,12 automatic bids will come from the sectionals for each division.

Since there are now 24 teams at the state tournament for each division, the remaining 12 at-large bids will come from power points even if a team did not qualify for sectionals.

Seeding for the sectionals and the state tournaments will be based on power points. The top eight teams will get a first-round bye at state. Power points continue to be calculated during sectional play.

Jasmine Stokes and Estrella Foothills' Emily Slick fight for the ball. Pat Shannahan/The Arizona Republic Photo

“No one has more heart than my team,” Palo Verde coach Jim Mentz told Arizona Republic reporter Odeen Domingo.

“When you play with 13 girls (on the roster) and to battle back. Stokes could have tied it or even won it at the end there.

“Congratulations to Estrella Foothills. That’s a great accomplishment, to win four years in a row.”

For the complete story visit: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/sports/articles/2012/02/11/20120211arizona-high-school-girls-soccer-estrella-foothills-championship.html#ixzz1m5QPR94v

GIRLS

Division II

Championship Match
Saturday, February 11
(3) Catalina Foothills vs. (1) Cactus Shadows, 10:30 am at Gilbert Campo Verde

Division III

Championship Match
Friday, February 10
(7) Estrella Foothills 3, (1) Palo Verde 2, 2OT

BOYS

Division II

Championship Match
Saturday, February 11

(5) Salpointe vs. (7) Notre Dame, 1 pm at Gilbert Campo Verde

Nico Montanez. courtesy photos

St. Augustine standout senior runner, Nico Montanez accepted a scholarship offer to compete for the Paradise Valley Community College Pumas on Thursday afternoon.

Nico with coaches Tim Bentley & Arden Dohman.

Montanez signed his letter surrounded by his friends, coaches and SACHS Staff. Paradise Valley is the defending National Junior College Cross Country champions and expects to compete for the track title as well.

“Paradise Valley recruits based on character, class and athletic talent,” said his coach Tim Bentley. “That is something Nico has shown throughout his career at St. Augustine. We are very proud of him.”

Montanez is coached by several coaches at St. Augustine including Bentley and Arden Dohman.

Nico was nominated for the Gatorade Arizona Cross Country Athlete of the Year.

Awards/honors/recognitions
First Team All-State Division 4 Cross Country 2011
First Team All-State Division 1-2A Cross Country 2009
Tucson Citizen Cross Country Runner of the Year – All Divisions (2011)

Career highlights
Won Five Invitational Cross Country Meets in 2011, San Manuel Invitational, Desert Twilight, Wilcox Diablo Hill Invitational, Benson Invitational, and Section and the Old Pueblo Invitational in 2009
Division 4 All-Time State Record 1600M
Member of Division 4 All-Time State Record 4X800M Relay
Member of 1A All-Time State Record 4x800M Relay
Arizona 1A State Champion in 1600M, 3200M, 4x800M Relay, and 4X400M Relay

Friends and teammates

Seven Time State Champion
1 in Cross Country
Division 4, 2011

6 in Track and Field
4x800M Relay, 2011
4X800M Relay, 2010
4X800M Relay, 2009
4X400M Relay, 2010
1600M, 2010
3200M, 2010

No time for rest. Seen here first, the Division IV state playoffs get underway on Saturday in the Prescott area.

Eight girls teams and five boys teams from Southern Arizona qualified.

GIRLS

Division IV

3 Green Fields, bye
8 Duncan, bye

First Round
Saturday, February 11

9 Desert Christian vs. 24 Cibecue, 9 am at Bradshaw Mtn.
10 San Miguel vs. 23 Yuma Catholic, 1:30 pm at Bradshaw Mtn.
12 St. David vs. 21 Rock Point, noon at Bradshaw Mtn.
15 St. Gregory vs. 18 Red Mesa, 6 pm at Bradshaw Mtn.
19 Tohono O’Odham vs. 14 Scottsdale Prep, 4:30 pm at Prescott

BOYS

Division IV

1 Desert Christian, bye
3 Duncan, bye

First Round
Saturday, February 11

13 St. Gregory vs. 20 Joseph City, 7:30 pm at Bradshaw Mtn.
19 Patagonia vs. 14 Orme, 9 am at Prescott
21 Tohono O’Odham vs. 12 Williams, 6 pm at Prescott

The Catalina Foothills girls sprinted out to a 3-0 lead over (10) Arcadia on a penalty kick by Jenna Glad (4th minute) and two goals by Savanna Schmidt (14th/Alexandria Skidmore, 19th).

Arcadia was able to score one goal late in the second half.

They will face top seed Cactus Shadows in the championship match on Saturday morning in Gilbert. The Falcons beat Cactus Shadows 3-1 earlier in the year.

GIRLS

Division II

Semifinals
Thursday, February 9

(3) Catalina Foothills 3, (10) Arcadia 1

Championship Match
Saturday, February 11
(3) Catalina Foothills vs. (1) Cactus Shadows, 10:30 am at Gilbert Campo Verde

Division III

Championship Match
Friday, February 10
(1) Palo Verde vs. (7) Estrella Foothills, 5 pm at Gilbert Campo Verde

BOYS

Division II

Championship Match
Saturday, February 11

(5) Salpointe vs. (7) Notre Dame, 1 pm at Gilbert Campo Verde

Pusch Ridge moved up two divisions and find themselves playing for a sectional title. Andy Morales Photos.

The Desert Christian boys won the Division IV-Section II championship over Duncan 39-34 and the victory gave them the top seed in the D-IV state championships.

Ben Brandon and Myles Mayfield scored 11 points each. Camron Corona scored 13 for Duncan.

________

Ft. Thomas won the girls title in D-IV over San Miguel. Green Fields earned a three seed at state and will get a first-round bye as will (8) Duncan.

________

PHOTOS: http://andymorales.smugmug.com

Palo Verde beat Queen Creek in the first half of the D-II/S-I semifinals Thursday night at Amphi. Alicia Jones led all scorers with 15 points.

The (3) Titans will take on (4) Pusch Ridge for the sectional Championship after the Lady Lions upset (1) Flowing Wells in the late game.

The 41-37 victory was the first loss for Flowing Wells in power point games. Even with the loss, they still maintain a top eight standing in D-II which translates into a first-round bye.

6-foot-2 Karina Walker and 6-foot-2 Lyndsay Leikem started out the game strong on defense and combined for 11 blocks on the night but Flowing Wells could not cash in on the stops because the guard trio of Gabrielle Courtney, Abby Maas and Caroline Roessler matched the blocks with 11 steals.

The stalemate on defense made for an exciting and close match that ultimately went down to the last few seconds.

“We are known for playing like a team,” said Roessler. “That’s how we were able to keep up on defense.”

It was a point echoed by all five starters when they explained how they were able to get past a team that they knew was big and good.

“I had the mindset that I was going to try to keep the ball away from her (Leikem),” explained Maas. “She was able to score a few on me because she is a great player but our team made up for it by playing team defense.”

Leikem towered over Pusch Ridge and Maas had the defensive assignment when her team moved out of a zone defense. Leikem wound up scoring a game-high 18 points but Maas was able to shut her down in the deciding fourth period where the entire Flowing Wells team scored only five points.

The teams were tied at 6-6 after the first period but Leikem opened up the second quarter by hitting a three-pointer but Moriah Roters battled back by scrambling for rebounds and eventually tied the game on a basket and a free throw.

Even though a few of their shots were getting rejected, Pusch Ridge kept on coming to the basket over and over again. It was an odd occurrence because they became the aggressors underneath while Flowing Wells was shooting fade away shots near the bucket and outside jumpers on their end.

The strategy started to pay off for Pusch Ridge because they discovered a drive would leave a guard wide open for a three-point shot and Roessler hit a three-pointer to give Pusch Ridge their first lead of the game at 12-11 with 4:08 left in the second quarter.

“We didn’t think about their size,” explained Roters. “We knew we had to keep coming at them.”

“We studied a lot of game film and analyzed what we needed to do,” concurred fellow forward Noelle Soltero. “We had to rebound in order to stay in the game.”

Leikem poured in seven points in the second quarter and her bucket with 2:50 left gave Flowing Wells a 17-12 lead, prompting a time out by Pusch Ridge. Roters came out and hit two more free throws and Mass hit a three-point basket and the game was tied up again.

Czarina Walker put Flowing Wells up 25-19 with 4:49 left in the third period and it looked like they would start pulling away but Roters was fouled again and made two free throws, Roessler hit a basket and Maas followed with another to tie the game back up only a minute later.

Leikem and Roessler traded three-point shots down the stretch and Flowing Wells ended the third up 32-31.

It will be hard to find a more calm and in control point guard than Courtney. Her assist to turnover ratio is probably the best in Southern Arizona due to her deliberate mastery of her offense. While many of the other point guards in the city fly down the court and turn the ball over time and time again, Courtney plays her position much like Steve Kerr ran Arizona’s offense.

“It came down to being in control and making my free throws,” added Courtney. “I knew I had to make them.”

Courtney had three points in the first three periods by my count but she outscored Flowing Wells in the fourth when the game was on the line.

Soltero put Pusch Ridge up 33-32 with 6:28 left in the game but Karina Walker had a steal of her own and she took the ball all the way for a lay up to retake the lead.

Maas cashed in on two free throws and Arie Wells made a free throw for Flowing Wells and the game was tied 35-35 with 4:25 left.

Maas drove to the basket and kicked the ball out to Courtney to give Pusch Ridge a 37-35 lead with 2:38 left.

Another steal led to a drive by Courtney where she was fouled on the made shot. She made the free throw and Pusch Ridge had a 40-35 lead with 2:07 left.

Soltero rebounded a miss but Pusch Ridge went down and shot a quick three-pointer rather than attempting to run the clock out. Czarina Walker made them pay for their mistake and Flowing Wells was able to cut the lead to 40-37 with 1:24 left. Pusch Ridge put up another quick shot but Roters was able to grab another rebound to get the ball back.

Flowing Wells was down three points but they kept on going inside and took several shots before Soltero came away with the ball with 28 seconds left. Soltero was fouled but she missed the front end of a one-and-one situation and Flowing Wells was back in business.

Rather than attempt a three-pointer, the team once again went inside and Courtney came away with the ball. She was fouled and she made one free throw to put the game away 41-37 with 3 seconds left.

The Pusch Ridge girls made it to the quarterfinals of the 2A conference last year and here they are one year later in a D-II sectional championship game in what amounts to moving up two divisions in one year.

They beat Palo Verde 60-48 on February 3 on the Titans own court. The rematch will probably prove to be exciting.

“We will use this win for motivation,” explained Courtney.

There is no question that Michael Perkins will have Flowing Wells ready for the state playoffs. It is doubtful anyone would want to play them anytime soon.

Leikem finished with 18 points, Czarina Walker had 6, Wells had 5, Karina Walker added 4 and Elizabeth Mata and Mikaela Cook each scored a bucket for Flowing Wells.

Maas scored 10 points, Courtney had 9, Roessler had 8 and Soltero and Roters scored 7 each for Pusch Ridge.

SCHEDULE

GIRLS

Division II-Section I

Semifinals
Thursday, February 9
(4) Pusch Ridge 41, (1) Flowing Wells 37
(3) Palo Verde 55, (7) Queen Creek 31

Championship Game
Saturday, February 11
(3) Palo Verde vs. (4) Pusch Ridge, 5:45 pm at Amphi

Division III-Section II

Semifinals
Friday, February 10
(1) Safford vs. (4) Gilbert Christian at Pueblo, 6:15 pm
(2) Benson vs. (3) Thatcher, Pueblo, 2:45 pm

Division IV-Section II

Championship Game
Thursday, February 9
(8) Ft. Thomas 59, (7) San Miguel 49

BOYS

Division II-Section I

Semifinals
Friday, February 10
(3) Salpointe vs. (7) Queen Creek at Amphi, 5:45 pm
(4) Nogales at (1) Amphi, 7:30 pm

Division III-Section II

Semifinals
Friday, February 10
(3) Empire vs. (2) Gilbert Christian at Pueblo, 4:30 pm
(1) Thatcher vs. (5) Rio Rico at Pueblo, 7:30 pm

Division IV-Section II

Championship Game
Thursday, February 9
(1) Desert Christian 39, (2) Duncan 34

BASKETBALL SECTIONAL PLAYOFF SCENARIO

As reported here first: The top eight teams from each section qualifies for the sectional tournaments. The top four from each sectional automatically qualifies for the state tournament. Since each division has three sections,12 automatic bids will come from the sectionals for each division.

Since there are now 24 teams at the state tournament for each division, the remaining 12 at-large bids will come from power points even if a team did not qualify for sectionals.

Seeding for the sectionals and the state tournaments will be based on power points. The top eight teams will get a first-round bye at state. Power points continue to be calculated during sectional play.

Two losses signifies elimination

Amphi's Austin Andrade will wrestle for the D-III heavy weight championship.

10 local wrestlers qualified for their championship match in Division III and IV.

Thursday

DIVISION III

February 9-10, Prescott

106
(8) Jordan Elias, Empire (1-2)
(13) Zach Rosales, Sahuarita (0-2)

113
(6) Marcus Salnicky, Amphi (2-2)
(11) Marco Colpo, Empire (1-2)
(15) Ricardo Carranza, Catalina (0-2)
(16) Nick Woolridge, Salpointe (0-2)

120
Championship Match
(1) Trey Andrews, Safford (3-0) to wrestle (3) Fernando Carrasco, Thunderbird
(4) Joseph Aquilina, Amphi (2-1)
(15) John Michael Stilb, Salpointe (2-1)
(16) George Emerson, Sahuarita (1-2)

126
(5) Josh Comacho, Amphi (3-1)
(11) Xavier Gallegos, Safford (2-1)
(4) Davey Basila, Sabino (1-2)
(12) Damian Shindler, Palo Verde (1-2)

132
Championship Match
(1) Eric Jeong, Rio Rico (3-0) to wrestle (3) James Sanchez, Tempe
(2) Matt Repp, Sabino (3-1)

138
(8) Esteban Robinson-Bours, Salpointe (2-1)
(4) Geovanni Payan-Diaz, Amphi (2-2)
(15) Anthony Vicenti, Sahuarita (1-2)

145
Championship Match
(1) Marky Lopez, Rio Rico (3-0) to wrestle (3) Dilon Lightfoot, Mingus
(6) Jesus Berrera, Amphi (3-1)
(10) Blake Smith, Sabino (1-2)
(12) Marcus Stitts, Sahuarita (1-2)

152
(3) Felipe Linares, Douglas (2-1)
(7) Jose Hernandez, Amphi (3-1)
(10) Andres Vasquez, Sahuarita (0-2)

160
(6) David Ramirez, Sabino (3-1)
(9) Grayson Weeks, Empire (3-1)
(5) Dustin Dutton, Sahuarita (2-2)
(10) Antonio Verdugo, Palo Verde (0-2)
(16) Isaih Reffitt, Amphi (0-2)

170
(8) Loren Henry, Empire (3-1)
(9) Kevin Cole, Catalina (2-1)
(11) Tyler Schysm, Safford (1-2)
(13) Ryan Jensen, Sahuarita (0-2)

182
Championship Match
(6) Jorge Robles, Sahuarita (3-0) to wrestle (1) Kevin Henderson, Blue Ridge
(2) Pablo Chavez, Rio Rico (3-1)
(11) Seth Ward, Safford (2-1)
(5) Zachary Nixon, Santa Rita (2-2)

195
(1) Dirk McOmber, Empire
(5) Drew Hardesty, Safford
(6) Santi Santa Cruz, Sahuarita
(13) Patrick Retzer, Sabino

220
Championship Match
(2) Floyd Jones, Amphi (3-0) to wrestled (1) Austin Beanland, Youngker
(16) Jorge Loya, Sahuarita (2-1)
(8) Patrick Penniston, Rio Rico (0-2)
(13) Jake Laird, Sabino (0-2)

Heavy Weight
Championship Match
(1) Austin Andrade, Amphi (3-0) to wrestle (10) Matt Sokhy, Campo Verde
(16) Will McKay, Salpointe (1-2)
(15) Ruben Molina, Safford (0-2)

DIVISION IV

February 9-10, Prescott

160
(5) Bryce Castagna, Willcox (2-1)
(8) Chance Sutton, Benson (1-2)
(13) Roman Vidal, Santa Cruz (1-2)
(14) Riley Skinner, Thatcher (1-2)
(16) Frankie Tamayo, San Manuel (0-2)

113
(3) Ross Ens, Benson (3-1)
(6) Tyler Francisco, Tombstone (2-1)
(10) Vinny Quintana, Thatcher (1-2)
(16) Jacob Rice-Stewart, Bisbee (1-2)
(11) Gabriel Belloc, Santa Cruz (0-2)

120
(3) Anthony Quezada, Willcox (3-1)
(4) Carlos Duarte, San Manuel (2-1)
(7) Brendan Skinner, Thatcher (2-1)
(15) Cesar Ocano, Bisbee (1-2)
(16) Adam Valdez, Santa Cruz (0-2)

126
Championship Match
(2) Wyatt Pena, San Manuel (3-0) to wrestle (1) Dallyn Despain, Mogollon
(13) Ray Rodriquez, Willcox (1-2)
(10) Vincent Peru, Thatcher (0-2)

132
(9) Caleb Radley, Thatcher (2-1)
(5) Martin Rodriguez, San Manuel (1-2)
(10) Zack Placencia, Willcox (0-2)
(11) Monti Reynolds, Benson (0-2)

138
(7) Adrian Torres, San Manuel (2-1)
(6) Heath Motes, Thatcher (1-2)
(9) Eric Villareal, Willcox (1-2)

145
Championship Match
(2) Anthony Gomez, Willcox to wrestle (4) Rj Dalton, Morenci
(1) Colten Smith, San Manuel (3-1)
(11) Caleb Phillips, Thatcher (1-2)
(15) Kieran Maakestad, Benson (0-2)

152
(13) Michael Chatman, Santa Cruz (1-2)
(6) Jesus Torres, San Manuel (0-2)
(12) Austin Peeler, Thatcher (0-2)

160
Championship Match
(2) Dillon Dastrup, Benson (3-0) to wrestle (4) Jared Anderson, St. Johns
(11) Martin Seballos, San Manuel (1-2)

170
(3) Joey Simpson, Benson (2-1)
(8) Robert Smith, Thatcher (2-1)
(10) Chris Cervantes, Santa Cruz (0-2)
(11) Vincent Valdez, San Manuel (0-2)

182
(9) Anthony Salazar, San Manuel (0-2)
(16) David Olivarez, Benson (1-2)
(15) Esteban Olivarria, Bisbee (0-2)

195
Championship Match
(2) Brendon Benton, Benson (3-0) to wrestle (1) Boone Baker, Mogollon
(3) Ben Miller, Willcox (2-1)
(10) Alejandro Villas, Bisbee (0-2)

220
(11) Gilbert Boyer, San Manuel (2-1)
(1) Sam Sollers, Thatcher (1-2)
(16) Isaac Samudio, Willcox (0-2)
(12) Michale Reyes, Santa Cruz (0-2)

Heavy Weight
(4) Anfernee Alexander, Santa Cruz (2-1)
(15) Jeremiah Johnson, Baboquivari (1-2)
(12) Tyler Jensen, Thatcher (0-2)

Friday

DIVISION I

February 10-11, Prescott

160
(2) Juaqin Olivas, Sunnyside vs. (15) Corey Lopez, Westview
(10) Alejandro Rivera, Tucson vs. (1) Tristan Moran, Chandler

113
(15) Raul Padilla, Tucson vs. (2) Dajour Reece, Chavez
(16) Cahan Saska, Buena vs. (1) Travis Matt, Horizon

120
(7) William Olivas, Sunnyside vs. (10) Kevin Hale, Mesa

126
(6) Sergio Miranda, Sunnyside vs. (11) Estevan Ulibarri, Hamilton

132
(4) Raul Moraga, Sunnyside vs. (13) Jordan Sherwood, Dobson

138
(12) Andres Piedra, Sunnyside vs. (5) Dalton Moran, Chandler

145
(13) Ricky Miranda vs. (4) Jared Johnson, Gilbert

152
(6) Victor Haro, Tucson vs. (11) Ronald Mason, Mesa Mt. View

160
(2) Brian Powers, Buena vs. (15) Kiernan Bates, Brophy

170
(6) LJ Boutte, Buena vs. (11) Israel Verduzco, Westview

182
NONE

195
(7) Cody Larimer, Buena vs. (10) Daniel Serrano, Perry

220
(1) Cedric Gonzalez, Sunnyside vs. (16) Michael Kiel, Pinnacle

Heavy Weight
(1) Timothy Laverty, Sunnyside vs. (16) Jose Cervantes, Westwood

DIVISION II

February 10-11, Prescott

106
(1) Alvaro Gallego, Pueblo vs. (16) Ian Cobb, Bradshaw Mountain
(9) Cameron Grant, Ironwood Ridge vs. (8) Jose Garcia, Apollo
(10) Matthew Derrick, Mountain View vs. (7) Kenny Vandall, Goldwater
(13) Avery Cruz-Ramos, Cienega vs. (4) Cris Esparza, Liberty

113
(1) Bailey Janis, Mountain View vs. (16) Xavier Orozco, Apollo
(4) Joey Howard, Ironwood Ridge vs. (13) Josue Rodriguez, Cholla
(14) Jace Manriquez, Cienega vs. (3) Devin Adkins, Queen Creek

120
(1) Conner Buette, Ironwood Ridge vs. (16) Colton Audsley, Bradshaw Mountain
(7) Cristian Sanchez, Cienega vs. (10) Gilbert Delatorre, Glendale
(14) Jeremiah Floyd, CDO vs. (3) Kevin Hunt, Sunrise Mountain
(15) Chris Lee. Marana vs. (2) Mike Burkeen, Prescott

126
(2) Trevor Willson, Ironwood Ridge vs. (15) Taylor Shechter, Cienega
(8) Chase Meade, Marana vs. (9) Austin Jenkins, Shadow Mountain
(11) Ty Waltz, Mountain View vs. (6) Omar Thomas, Kellis

132
(2) Tate Sandifer, Ironwood Ridge vs. (15) Kade Kottenbrook, Yuma
(5) Jake Bishop, CDO vs. (12) Parker Erbe, Sahuaro
(10) Elias Manjarrez, Nogales vs. (7) Marcos Felix, Independence

138
(2) Alex Steinebach, Marana vs. (15) Tucker Workman, Queen Creek
(3) Tanner Waltz, Mountain View vs. (14) Adrian Fernandez, Liberty
(6) Clint Allen, Ironwood Ridge vs. (11) Nick Colgate, Nogales
(16) Zachary Davis, Catalina Foothills vs. (1) Brad Lindsay, Flagstaff

145
(4) Troy Taylor, Ironwood Ridge vs. (13) Aaron Downey, Sahuaro
(8) Bryce Gardner, Marana vs. (9) Andrew Tafoya, Queen Creek
(11) Victor Chiquete, Nogales vs. (6) Dylan Katenberger, Apollo

152
(2) Matt Filbert, Irownwood Ridge vs. (15) Andres Bradway, Peoria
(6) Eli Callahan, Marana vs. (11) Seth Erikson, Deer valley
(8) Brandonn Eto, CDO vs. (9) Marcos Holguin, Kellis

160
(3) Adam Bingham, Ironwood Ridge, vs. (14) Robert Simington, Aqua Fria
(4) Chase Riddle, Marana vs. (13) Daniel Rogers, Cholla
(5) TJ Gudeman, Cienega vs. (12) Jacob Drey, La Joya

170
(2) Scott Freibaum, Marana vs. (15) Ricky Ballard, Washington
(6) Tristan Mordecai, Ironwood Ridge vs. (11) Zach Koehler, Prescott
(13) Gilbert Duran, Nogales vs. (4) Bret Stevens, Sunnyslope
(14) Theo Rosenberg, catalina Foothills vs. (3) Dylon Yole, Marcos de Niza
(16) William Hohmann, Cholla vs. (1) Luis Rivera, Lake Havasu

182
(5) Richard Estrada, Mountain View vs. (12) Scott Simmons, Ironwood Ridge
(6) Lincoln Brown, Cholla vs. (11) Lamont Williams, Ironwood
(13) Colby Cecil, Marana vs. (4) Andrew Torres, Goldwater

195
(4) Ricky Alvarez, Mountain View vs. (13) Daniel Trevino, Independence
(6) Cameron nelson, Ironwood Ridge vs. (13) Grant Moorehead, Shadow Mountain
(7) Nick Clark, Nogales vs. (10) Cody Bauer, Flagstaff
(12) Jacob Parker, CDO vs. (5) Karl Gatzemeier, Deer Valley
(14) Travis Howard, Marana vs. (3) Matt Lopez, Ironwood

220
(3) Lisiate Otuafi, Ironwood Ridge vs. (14) Justin Nguyen, Fairfax
(4) Ceasar Bray, Cholla vs. (13) Damian Baca, Shadow Mountain
(6) Brett Garcia, Cienega vs. (11) Adam Sanchez, Cactus Shadows
(10) Michael Johnson, Sahuaro vs. (7) Rashad Baker, Marcos de Niza

Heavy Weight
(4) Kyle Jividen, Sahuaro vs. (13) Elijah Cox, Ironwood
(9) Juan Devin, Marana vs. (8) Zack Cortez, Deer Valley
(14) John Reynolds, Mountain View vs. (3) Eddie Pena, Gila Ridge

Southern Arizona State Girls Volleyball Championships

Norma Bellamy. Courtesy Photo

In the world of girls volleyball there is one name that runs supreme in the whole state, not just in Southern Arizona. By the time Norma Bellamy retired in 1994, she had amassed an incredible 520-33 record and 21 out of 25 state championships at Safford.

The AIA named her the “Coach of the Century” in 2000 and with good reason: she didn’t just beat “little” 3A schools, she beat Canyon del Oro, Nogales, Sahuaro, Salpointe and Catalina when all of those schools were at the top of their enrollment capacity.

Sahuaro remains the top program in the Tucson area with five to the Cougar’s name, although they have not won one since 1982.

CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS

Safford (21)
1968: 4A (Norma Bellamy)
1969: 4A (Norma Bellamy)
1970: 4A (Norma Bellamy)
1971: 4A (Norma Bellamy)
1972: 4A (Norma Bellamy)
1973: 4A (Norma Bellamy)
1994: 3A (Norma Bellamy)
1995: 3A (Norma Bellamy)
1976: 4A (Norma Bellamy)
1977: 4A (Norma Bellamy)
1978: 4A (Norma Bellamy)
1979: 4A (Norma Bellamy)
1980: 4A (Norma Bellamy)
1982: 3A (Norma Bellamy)
1983: 3A (Norma Bellamy)
1984: 3A (Norma Bellamy)
1985: 3A (Norma Bellamy)
1986: 3A (Norma Bellamy)
1988: 3A (Norma Bellamy)
1989: 3A (Norma Bellamy)
1990: 3A (Norma Bellamy)

Thatcher (11)
1974: 2A (Lugene Black)
1976: 2A (Mary Jones)
1978: 2A (Mary Jones)
1980: 2A (Mary Jones)
1981: 2A (Mary Jones)
1986: 2A (Hal Mullenaux)
1987: 2A (Hal Mullenaux)
1991: 2A (Hal Mullenaux)
1992: 2A (Hal Mullenaux)
2002: 2A (Tye Stewart)
2008: 2A (Krista Brown)

Willcox (6)
1976: 3A (Lois Seibel)
1979: 3A (Bobby Nelson)
1990: 2A (Bobby Nelson)
1988: 2A (Bobby Nelson)
1989: 2A (Bobby Nelson)
1990: 2A (Bobby Nelson)

Sahuaro (5)
1974: 5A (Pauline Jordan)
1975: 5A (Pauline Jordan)
1976: 5A (Pauline Jordan)
1981: 5A (Cherrie Brinlee)
1982: 5A (Cherrie Brinlee)

St. David (5)
1972: 1A (Donald Roylance)
1976: 1A (Orland Merrill)
1982: 1A (Orland Merrill)
1983: 1A (Orland Merrill)
1989: 1A (Orland Merrill)

Duncan (3)
1972: 2A (Barbara Stauffer)
1973: 2A (Barbara Stauffer)
1977: 2A (Joe Burnside)

Rincon/UHS (3)
1973: 5A (Toni Edwards)
1979: 5A (Toni Edwards)
1993: 4A (Juanita Kingston)

Catalina (2)
1972: 5A (Mary Hines)
1983: 5A (Mary Hines)

Valley Union (2)
1974: 1A (Joe Burnside)
1985: 1A (Mike Thompson)

Benson (1)
2005: 2A (Kimberly East)

Bisbee (1)
1977: 3A (Mary Riley)

Bowie/San Simon (1)
2007: 1A (Casey Lewis)

Flowing Wells (1)
1991: 4A (Ed Nymeyer)

Nogales (1)
1975: 3A (Shelley Copeland)

Sabino (1)
1989: 4A (Tim Demarchi)

San Manuel (1)
1974: 3A (Diane NaDeau)

Sunnyside (1)
1990: 4A (Rosa Lara)

OTHER SPORTS

FOOTBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/01/25/arizona-centennial-football/

SOFTBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/01/28/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-softball/

BASEBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/01/30/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-baseball/

BOYS BASKETBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/01/29/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-boys-basketball/

GIRLS BASKETBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/01/31/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-girls-basketball/

BOYS GOLF: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/02/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-boys-golf/

GIRLS GOLF: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/03/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-girls-golf/

BOYS SWIM: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/05/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-boys-swim-dive/

GIRLS SWIM: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/06/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-girls-swim-dive/

BOYS VOLLEYBALL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/highschoolsports/2012/02/07/arizona-centennial-1912-2012-boys-volleyball/

Foothills coach Julie Walters with Forrest Breeding & Tyler James. Andy Morales Photo.

The girls of Palo Verde move on to the Division III state championship against Estrella Foothills. The match, unfortunately, will be played at 5 pm at Campo Verde High School in Gilbert on Friday rather than Saturday when more fans might be able to attend.

It’s a shame because Palo Verde is the top seed and Estrella Foothills is a seven seed…it deserved to have a more high-profile date and time like the other divisions.

Jasmine Stokes recorded her 50th goal of the year in the victory when she scored in the 55th minute. As first reported here, the junior’s totals are a school record but they must also be reaching some sort of state record but the scoring record is not kept by the AIA.

Don’t make the mistake of attributing her success to D-III opponents. Stokes scored the only goal her team needed to knock off Catalina Foothills in the Brandon Bean tournament and she scored two more goals to defeat Salpointe.

Throw in senior standouts Darian Williams and Kim Hunt along with sophomore Taylor Kruse and the Titans can compete at any level.

Jim Mentz took the Titans to the 4A-II title game in 2007 where they lost to Flagstaff 1-0.

________

The (5) Salpointe boys upset top seed Apollo Wednesday night 3-2 in a Division II semifinal match. They will play (7) Notre Dame in the championship match scheduled for 1 pm on Saturday, February 11 at Campo Verde.

Junior midfielder Arturo Vega scored two goals and junior captain Christian Garcia collected two assists in the win.

Lancer coach Wolfgang Weber has won four state championships and last took his team to the final in 2006 where they came up short in the 5A-I match against Desert Vista in two overtimes.

________

The Catalina Foothills boys lost to Notre Dame in PKs (5-4).

Falcon coach Julie Walters has earned four championships including last year’s 5-2 victory over Glendale in the 4A-I match.

She loses standouts Matt Walker (BYU-Hawaii), Tyler James and Forrest Breeding to graduation but a flock of players return including goalie Cameron Rivera.

GIRLS

Division II

Semifinals
Thursday, February 9

(3) Catalina Foothills vs. (10) Arcadia, 5 pm at Paradise Valley

Division III

Semifinals
Wednesday, February 8

(1) Palo Verde 1, (4) Seton Catholic 0

Championship
Friday, February 10
(1) Palo Verde vs. (7) Estrella Foothills, 5 pm at Gilbert Campo Verde

BOYS

Division II

Semifinals
Wednesday, February 8

(5) Salpointe 3, (1) Apollo 2
(7) Notre Dame over (6) Catalina Foothills (5-4 PK)

Championship
Saturday, February 11

(5) Salpointe vs. (7) Notre Dame, 1 pm at Gilbert Campo Verde

The girls of San Miguel are continuing their run through the Division IV ranks and will play Ft. Thomas in the Section II championship on Thursday night at Cienega.

________

The boys of Ironwood Ridge and Buena lost in the first round of D-I/S-II. The losses have knocked Ironwood Ridge out of the top eight spots and a first-round bye while Buena is on the bubble for the last bye.

Buena’s loss also hurts (25) Cienega’s chances of moving into the top 24 while Rincon is holding at 22.

________

Salpointe, Amphi and Nogales all moved into the semifinal round of the boys D-II/S-I tournament held at Amphi.

Nogales and Amphi will play each other Friday night in one semifinal while Salpointe will play Queen Creek in the early game.

________

Empire, Thatcher and Rio Rico advance to the D-III/S-II semifinals Friday night at Pueblo.

________

The boys of (1) Desert Christian and (2) Duncan will play for the D-IV/S-II sectional at Cienega Thursday night.

SCHEDULE

GIRLS

Division II-Section I

Semifinals
Thursday, February 9
(1) Flowing Wells vs. (4) Pusch Ridge at Amphi, 7:30 pm
(3) Palo Verde vs. (7) Queen Creek at Amphi, 5:45 pm

Division III-Section II

Semifinals
Friday, February 10
(1) Safford vs. (4) Gilbert Christian at Pueblo, 6:15 pm
(2) Benson vs. (3) Thatcher, Pueblo, 2:45 pm

Division IV-Section II

Semifinals
Wednesday, February 8
(8) Ft. Thomas 34, (4) Duncan 33
(7) San Miguel 55, (3) Pima 51

Championship
Thursday, February 9
(7) San Miguel vs. (8) Ft. Thomas at Cienega, 5:45 pm

BOYS

Division I-Section II

Wednesday, February 8

(6) Red Mountain 63, (3) Ironwood Ridge 46
(5) Gilbert 69, (4) Buena 48

Division II-Section I

Wednesday, February 8

(1) Amphi 84, (8) Casa Grande 70
(3) Salpointe 69, (6) Douglas 55
(4) Nogales 68, (5) Catalina Foothills 45

Semifinals
Friday, February 10
(3) Salpointe vs. (7) Queen Creek at Amphi, 5:45 pm
(4) Nogales at (1) Amphi, 7:30 pm

Division III-Section II

Wednesday, February 8
(1) Thatcher 56, (8) Safford 37
(3) Empire 61, (6) Tombstone 43
(5) Rio Rico 50, (4) Globe 48

Semifinals
Friday, February 10
(3) Empire vs. (2) Gilbert Christian at Pueblo, 4:30 pm
(1) Thatcher vs. (5) Rio Rico at Pueblo, 7:30 pm

Division IV-Section II

Semifinals
Wednesday, February 8
(1) Desert Christian 56, (5) Ray 39
(2) Duncan 46, (3) Pima 41

Championship
Thursday, February 9
(1) Desert Christian vs. (2) Duncan at Cienega, 7:30 pm

BASKETBALL SECTIONAL PLAYOFF SCENARIO

As reported here first: The top eight teams from each section qualifies for the sectional tournaments. The top four from each sectional automatically qualifies for the state tournament. Since each division has three sections,12 automatic bids will come from the sectionals for each division.

Since there are now 24 teams at the state tournament for each division, the remaining 12 at-large bids will come from power points even if a team did not qualify for sectionals.

Seeding for the sectionals and the state tournaments will be based on power points. The top eight teams will get a first-round bye at state. Power points continue to be calculated during sectional play.