The Sahuarita baseball team pulled off a tough win at home against Mountain View on Tuesday afternoon.

With the game tied 8-8 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Sahuarita outfielder Leo Sierra drew a bases-loaded walk, bringing home Tony Hildebrand for the winning run. Hildebrand led off the seventh with a double.

Dax Hall helped the Sahuarita cause, hitting a grand slam in the sixth inning when Sahuarita trailed 7-4.

Sahuaro 9, Phoenix Paradise Valley 3: At Phoenix, Jake Cole was a part of the Cougars’ 8-run second inning as he hit a bases loaded, two-RBI double.

Sahuaro batters drew 12 walks from Paradise Valley pitchers.

Nogales 11, Catalina 9: At Catalina, the Trojans scored five runs in the seventh inning but came up short.

Catalina’s Frankie Daniel hit two home runs and had five RBIs.

Tanque Verde 5, Patagonia 1: At Tanque Verde, senior pitcher Josh King struck out 18 batters in a two-hit gem to help the Hawks improve to 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the 1A South Region.

Mark Harris got it done at the plate with a pair of doubles and a triple, while teammate Ryan Rogers added two doubles.

Salpointe 12, Chandler Basha 6: At Salpointe, Jacob Hunter and Dan Slania each hit a home run to help the Lancers’ cause. Salpointe scored four runs each in the fifth and sixth innings.

Boys tennis

Catalina Foothills continued to display its dominance against Class 4A competition, defeating Sahuaro 8-1 on Tuesday.

Zack Haffor controlled his match with Shane Foster, beating him 6-2, 6-0 in the No. 1 singles match.

Andre Vieira won the only match for the Cougars after he defeated Mike Tringali. They split two sets, 6-3, 1-6; Vieira won the tiebreaker, 10-8.

High School Sports Editor Geoff Grammer contributed to this article.

Softball star has variety of strong weapons

Sahuarita softball player Yvette Alvarez has been effective on the mound and at the plate.

Sahuarita sophomore Yvette Alvarez proved to be a strong up-and-coming pitcher in 2008.

In 2009, she’s looking to break school records.

Alvarez pitched 161 1/3 innings and went 18-8 with a 1.21 ERA for the Mustangs in her freshman year; she had 206 strikeouts.

Shannon Andersen, who graduated in 2005, holds the record for strikeouts in a season (242) and career (593).

“I think my chances are pretty good,” Alvarez said. “I tried beating the record last year. It gets me pumped up to (try to better her record).”

Alvarez is also effective on offense. Last year she batted .391 with six home runs and 36 RBIs. Alvarez believes a pitcher has to be just as valuable in the batter’s box.

“People don’t expect it,” she said. “It’s good to be good on both sides. I practice hard both ways.”

Alvarez started playing softball in elementary school and was influenced by her cousin Dianna Delgado, who also pitched for Sahuarita and graduated in 2007.

“She was a very good pitcher and always tried her best,” Alvarez said. “She had a lot of different pitches to throw. She watches my games and comes to our practices. I get excited when she watches me.”

Alvarez said her strongest pitch is her fastball, which averages 61 to 62 mph. She is working on the movement of her pitches.

“Her offspeed and change-up separates her from other pitchers in the area,” Sahuarita coach Chris Fanning said. “What makes her so dominant is working ahead and being smart with pitch location. Her riseball and movement will take her to a whole ‘nother level.”

Alvarez played junior varsity basketball last year and was on the varsity squad this year. She likes the distinction between the two sports.

“You’re constantly running and fighting for the ball, and in softball it’s kind of intense but being a pitcher you get to go at your own pace,” Alvarez said.

Sahuarita lost in the first round of the Class 4A Division II state tournament to Prescott Valley Bradshaw Mountain 3-2 last year.

“Softball is a game where, fortunately, pitching is the name of the game,” Fanning said. “When she takes the circle with the ability she has, I think the sky’s the limit.”

Salpointe Catholic High School boys volleyball setter Pat Tunnell is hoping his senior season is a special one.

Tunnell wants a Class 4A/5A Division I state championship in 2009 after coming close in his three previous attempts.

Last year the No. 1-seeded Lancers fell to No. 4 Anthem Boulder Creek in four games. The two previous years, Salpointe lost in the quarterfinals.

“Last year was surprising and we made it pretty far,” Tunnell said. “This year we want to be the surprise team again. If we’re there, especially in the state title game, I’ll make sure we won’t lose.”

Tunnell and the Lancers play their first match at home, against Sabino, at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Tunnell started playing volleyball at Saints Peter & Paul Catholic school in seventh grade.

He felt Salpointe needed a setter when he arrived and said he set that as his goal.

Tunnell participated in golf for four years and basketball his freshman and senior year. Basketball was cut short for Tunnell this year after he pulled his quadriceps muscle in his right leg. He says it won’t cause a problem during volleyball season.

On the court, Tunnell’s worst enemy can be himself at times but he’s acknowledged that the team comes first.

“I feel things should just happen,” Tunnell said. “Getting frustrated isn’t going to get anything done. Last year at the start of the season, I didn’t want to be on the court, I didn’t feel people cared and then I saw our improvement.

“I know this team will be a lot like last year.”

Coach Amy Johnson said Tunnell’s biggest improvement since he’s been on the team is his accuracy and his sense of the court.

“He’s done a really good job of making hitters look good,” Johnson said. “Kids that play strive to be like Pat.”

Tunnell’s brother, Scott, graduated from Salpointe in 2007.

Pat said he learned a lot and gained plenty of experience playing with the upperclassmen in his first two years with the Lancers.

“I used to be wide-eyed because they were so good and they jumped high,” Tunnell said.

“Now, I’m kind of at that level. I see things a lot clearer.”

Tunnell will play volleyball next year for the University of Pacific in Stockton, Calif.

For more on high school sports, check out the Grammer School sports blog.

Jake Cole belted two home runs and drove in four runs to lead Sahuaro High School to a 5-4 baseball win over Rincon/University in the Universal Athlete Supply Preseason Tournament in Phoenix.

Sahuaro entered the top of the third inning down 2-0 before Cole struck with a three-run homer to highlight a four-run frame.

Cole struck again in the sixth with a solo shot for a 5-2 lead.

Rincon threatened in the bottom of the sixth but fell a run short. Cole came on in the seventh to record his first save.

Amphi 10, Sierra Vista Buena 7: Panthers pitcher Alex Brown went four innings, giving up two runs, but his damage came from the plate as he finished a home run away from the cycle.

Brown went 4 for 4, scoring two runs along with two RBIs. He had two stolen bases batting in the No. 3 spot.

Brandon Kuhn had two RBIs along with one run scored and a stolen base for Amphi.

Buena attempted a rally in the top of the seventh, scoring three runs.

Sabino 12, Santa Rita 3 (5 innings): David Lopez and Ryan Nance led the charge for the Sabercats.

Nance went 3 for 3, knocking in three runs. Lopez finished 3 for 4 with two RBIs.

Softball

Sahuarita 4, Catalina Foothills 1: Sahuarita was led on offense by senior Monique Martinez, who drove in all four runs.

Sophomore Yvette Alvarez threw a complete game one-hitter for Sahuarita.

Tucson High 12, Scottsdale Desert Mountain 8: At Red Mountain’s Lion Country Classic in Mesa, the Badgers were led by Vanessa Arandules, who belted a two-run home run. Teammate Alejandra Ortiz went 3 for 4 with a triple and an RBI.

Desert View 13, Rio Rico 0 (5 innings): Saby Romero and Celina Martinez combined to throw a no-hitter for the Jaguars. They had 11 strikeouts and two walks.

Cienega 14, Marana 1 (5 innings): Alexa Cash struck out seven and walked two. Teammate Emily Pohl did the job at the plate, going 4 for 4.

She also hit a home run along with posting four RBIs and three runs scored.

By Ken Brazzle, Raymond Suarez

Falcons advance to state semifinals for first time since 2001

Jubilant Catalina Foothills players celebrate their overtime victory over Cienega in the 4A-I state quarterfinals.

The Catalina Foothills High School boys basketball team has never played for a state championship.

Friday night, after overcoming an emotional, buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Cienega’s Mario Sanchez that forced overtime, No. 5 Catalina Foothills regained its composure for a 79-75 win at No. 4 Cienega, reaching the state semifinals for the first time since 2001.

“We want to be the best Foothills team in history,” said junior guard Connor Bailey. “We’ve taken two steps toward that and we need two more wins. That’s what we want. We want that state championship.”

Foothills, which had lost to Cienega by 14 in December, moves on to play No. 1 Phoenix Sunnyslope at 7:45 p.m. Thursday in Glendale’s Jobing.com Arena.

Friday, the Foothills celebration was temporarily put on hold when Sanchez hit his 3-pointer, a shot that initially appeared to be a miss until it took a high bounce off the rim and fell through the net.

“When I saw it, I thought it was game over and I thought we had won,” said Bailey who scored a game-high 25 points. “But then we had to regroup and get our team back in and that’s what we did.”

Cienega (22-8) was led by 20 points from Brandon Burnett.

Class 4A Division II

No. 3 Amphi used an 11-0 run in the fourth quarter to roll to a 58-50 win over visiting Gilbert Perry, the tournament’s No. 11 seed, in the 4A-II quarterfinals.

Amphi senior Chris Johnson and junior Malcolm Miller each had a three-point play in the deciding fourth-quarter run.

“Those were very big points for us,” Johnson said. “The first three quarters were tough. When the fourth quarter came, we had more energy.”

Johnson finished with 19 points. Sophomore point guard Lester Medford scored 12 points and dished out six assists.

Amphi will face a familiar foe, No. 2 Santa Rita, in Wednesday’s 4A-II semifinal in Glendale’s Jobing.com Arena. Amphi beat Santa Rita 59-58 in overtime on Jan. 6. Santa Rita has won the last two meetings.

No. 2 Santa Rita 93, No. 7 Scottsdale Arcadia 65: At Santa Rita, junior point guard Terrell Stoglin scored 27 of his game-high 36 points in the first half and Santa Rita’s 35-16 first quarter erased any doubt early in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Arcadia never closed to closer than 16 points after the first quarter.

Stoglin also dished out 11 assists and hit five 3-pointers in the win, which despite the 93 points was all set up by defense, according to coach Jim Ferguson.

“That’s just the way we play – we go from the defensive end to the offensive end as good as any team I’ve seen in the state,” Ferguson said. “We jumped on them early and we were able to score a lot in transition.”

Santa Rita’s Mark Simmons added 16 points and Andre Hatchett scored 16.

Class 1A Semifinals

After dodging a bullet with a two-point win in Thursday’s quarterfinals, defending 1A champion St. Gregory “put the fun back in fundamentals” according to coach Paul Baranowski and cruised to a comfortable 71-38 semifinal win over Williams at Prescott Valley Bradshaw Mountain High.

“We saw people smiling out there, and I didn’t see that the night before,” said Baranowski, whose team improved to 35-1.

Senior Bennett Sawyer scored 24 points and sophomore Frankie Mgbolu added 19 in the win.

St. Gregory plays Elfrida Valley Union in Saturday’s state championship in Prescott Valley.

For more on high school sports, check out the Grammer School sports blog.

By Geoff Grammer, Raymond Suarez, Rodney Haas

Santa Rita's Terrell Stoglin shoots during a game last summer at McKale Center.

The Santa Rita High School boys basketball team ended the regular season with a bang by defeating Pueblo on the road Thursday night.

The Eagles used a 23-5 fourth quarter advantage to pull away and win 72-53 in a Class 4A nonregion game.

Santa Rita trailed at halftime 34-29.

“We had a horrible first half,” Santa Rita coach Jim Ferguson said. “We went three for 18 on three-pointers in the first half and so we knew coming out in the second half we had to shoot better.

“We got the game more up-tempo and played real solid.”

Terrell Stoglin couldn’t be contained as he scored a game-high 34 points. He hit all five of Santa Rita’s 3-pointers.

Mark Simmons also provided a spark for Santa Rita, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the third quarter.

Santa Rita’s Andre Hatchett sprained an ankle in the first half but came out strong in the second. He posted 19 points.

“It was a great win going into someone else’s gym against a great team like Pueblo,” Ferguson said. “Those are the type of teams we struggle against.”

Michael Perez led the Warriors (19-8) with a team-high 22 points. Perez finished the regular season averaging 23.2 points.

Santa Rita shut down Pueblo’s Stephen Ponce, the second-leading scorer on the team. He finished with two points to finish with 13.8 points per game for the regular season.

Santa Rita (15-8) will be the No. 1 seed in next week’s Class 4A Gila Region tournament.

Amphi 60, Sahuarita 24: The Panthers finished the 4A Gila tied with Santa Rita with an 11-1 record.

Chris Johnson and Xavier Frodge each scored 12 points for Amphi, and Christian Mada added 11 points.

Girls basketball

Canyon del Oro continued its dominance in the 4A Sonoran Region by beating Marana 46-33.

Sydney Lewis led the Dorados with 12 points; Charde Mayne, Sarah Batterton and Nadi Carey all added 10 points.

CDO finished the season with a 21-1 overall record and a 6-0 mark in the region.

Jamee Swan had 13 points for Marana.

Canyon del Oro's Nick Marshall (left) chases after the ball as Catalina Foothills' Ian Palmer defends in the first half at CDO. Marshall notched all three goals in a 3-0 CDO win.

Senior Nick Marshall was the beneficiary of great Canyon del Oro passing, scoring a hat trick in a 3-0 win over Catalina Foothills on Thursday to capture the Class 4A Sonoran Region boys soccer championship.

“From the start, we moved the ball really well,” Marshall said. “The team really set me up. I was lucky to get three goals. That was one of the best games we’ve played.”

Ronald Tadoum assisted Marshall’s first goal in the first minute of the match played at CDO.

Caleb Cristia set up Marshall’s second goal, a header, with a pass from the right corner in the 35th minute.

The University Nevada Las Vegas-bound Marshall got goal No. 3 off a cross from Donny Toia in the 46th minute to cap the scoring.

Marshall said his scoring outburst was all the more surprising considering it came against one of the state’s best goalkeepers, Michael D’Arrigo.

“That’s what college goalkeepers are going to be like,” Marshall said. “He’s one of the best.”

CDO coach Josh Marshall, Nick’s older brother, said the Dorados’ game plan is to stay aggressive and try to score early. “It takes a huge wind out of their sail,” he said.

Foothills managed just four shots on goal.

Coach Julie Walters said her team wasn’t mentally in the game.

“We didn’t have a very good day in a lot of ways,” she said. “I have full confidence that we’ll rebound for Tuesday (the beginning of the Class 4A Division I state tournament).”

Seedings for the playoffs should be released this weekend by the Arizona Interscholastic Association.

———

CHAMPS

Six Class 4A region soccer champions were crowned Thursday:

Boys

Sonoran: Canyon del Oro 3, Catalina Foothills 0

Kino: Nogales 4, Sabino 3 (8-7 in penalty kicks)

Gila: Catalina 3, Douglas 0

Girls

Sonoran: Catalina Foothills 3, Canyon del Oro 0

Kino: Flowing Wells 3, Sahuaro 2

Gila: Palo Verde 2, Douglas 0

> More preps, page C4

No. 3 Mountain View blanked 4th-seeded Sunnyside 4-0 Wednesday night at Tucson High in the Class 5A-II Southern Region soccer quarterfinals.

Kerri Lenihan scored for Mountain View in the 38th and 73rd minutes.

The Mountain Lions will play No. 2 Rincon/University in a semifinal Friday at Tucson High at 4 p.m.

In the 5A-I Southern Region quarterfinal, Sierra Vista Buena defeated No. 4 Casa Grande 2-1 in overtime at Tucson High.

Stephanie Combs scored for the Colts in the 34th minute. The Cougars responded in the 42nd minute with a goal from Ashton Graham on an assist from Tiffany Tevenal.

In overtime, Sarah Hansen secured the win for Buena with her goal in the 90th minute.

Buena plays No. 2 Tucson High on Friday at 6 p.m.

The championship games for the 5A-I and 5A-II Southern Region soccer tournaments – boys and girls – will be played at Tucson High on Saturday.

Boys soccer

The 4th-seeded Salpointe Lancers get a shot at redemption for a regular-season loss when they face No. 2 Sierra Vista Buena at 4 p.m. Thursday at Tucson High in the 5A-I Southern Region semifinal.

Buena beat Salpointe 2-1 on Jan. 20.

In the 5A-II Southern Region semifinal Thursday at 6 p.m., No. 3 Sunnyside plays No. 2 Mountain View at Tucson High.

The Mountain Lions defeated Sunnyside 3-2 in their regular- season game Jan. 20.

Girls basketball

Tanque Verde protected its home floor Wednesday night, pulling away just enough in the second half to defeat Immaculate Heart 34-31.

The Hawks outscored the Knights 9-4 in the third quarter and were able to hang on in the fourth quarter for the three-point win.

Kristin Cray scored 10 points for Immaculate Heart.

Canyon del Oro soccer players Nick Marshall (left) and Donny Toia are one of Arizona's best combined scoring threats and hope to deliver in the coming weeks as the team battles the state's best Class 4A squads.

The Canyon del Oro boys soccer team has one of Arizona’s best 1-2 punches – a pairing the school hopes leads in the coming weeks to the Dorados first boys soccer state championship.

Senior forward Nick Marshall and junior forward Donny Toia have helped the Dorados to an 18-2 record, a No. 1 seed in the Class 4A Sonoran Region tournament, in which CDO hosts No. 2 Catalina Foothills in the title match at 4 p.m. Thursday, and a likely No. 1 seed in next week’s 4A Division I state playoffs.

Behind its dynamic duo, CDO hopes to erase the painful memory of a 2008 4A-I semifinal loss to Goodyear Millennium.

“Last year we weren’t competitive enough,” said Marshall, a four-year varsity player. “. . . We want to play Millennium because they knocked us out last year. We always have fun playing them.”

In addition to their success on the CDO soccer team – Marshall leads the team with 27 goals and Toia has 25 goals and 14 assists – both have built on plenty of successes from their summer soccer action.

Marshall played for the Real Salt Lake under-17 development team this summer, helping it win the U.S. Club Soccer National Cup in Virginia.

Toia played this past summer as the only Arizona player on the U.S. under-18 Men’s National Team.

“We try not to get into the stats,” said Marshall, who has signed a letter of intent to play soccer at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and hopes to continue his play with Toia in the future. “. . . We’ve got along forever. I’m trying to talk him into going to UNLV.”

Toia, who is undecided about where he’ll play in college, has said he is interested in Santa Clara.

Toia, despite having another season to play high school soccer, hopes to do his part to help the team capture a state title this year before Marshall graduates. His increased scoring opportunities this season have helped his game.

“As a junior, you get a little more respect,” Toia said. “I like taking a lot of shots; it’s more practice for me. It shows my other teammates they can trust me with the ball.”

Marshall likes the focus the team has heading into the final few weeks of play; the 4A-I state championship is slated for Feb. 14 at Tucson High. “The motivation on a high school team, you always like to see that,” he said.

For more on high school sports, check out the Grammer School sports blog.

———

REGIONALS

Six Class 4A region championship soccer matches will be played Thursday around Tucson. Four Class 5A region championships will be played Saturday at Tucson High. Thursday’s schedule:

Boys

4A Sonoran: Canyon del Oro vs. Catalina Foothills, 4 p.m., at CDO

4A Kino: Nogales vs. Sabino, 4 p.m., at Desert View

4A Gila: Catalina vs. Douglas, 4 p.m., at Amphi

Girls

4A Sonoran: Canyon del Oro vs. Catalina Foothills, 6 p.m., at CDO

4A Kino: Flowing Wells vs. Sahuaro, 6 p.m., at Desert View

4A Gila: Palo Verde vs. Douglas, 6 p.m., at Amphi

The Salpointe Catholic and Casa Grande boys soccer teams seem to like playing each other.

For the second time this season, the two teams played beyond the normal 80 minutes.

For the second time this season, the two teams couldn’t settle the score in two overtime periods, either, sending the game into penalty kicks.

Salpointe won Tuesday’s 5A-I Southern Region quarterfinal at Tucson High 2-1 (3-0 in penalty kicks), avenging an earlier season loss to the Cougars in penalty kicks.

Lancers goalkeeper Tony Rhine saved two penalty kicks and Salpointe hit its first three for the win. The penalty kicks came from Nico Dougall, Sergio Carrillo and Phillip Porter.

Salpointe plays Sierra Vista Buena in Thursday’s semifinal.

5A-II Southern Region quarterfinals: At Tucson High, Sunnyside beat Ironwood Ridge 1-0 to advance to Thursday’s semifinals against No. 2 Mountain View at 6 p.m. at Tucson High.

4A-I Sonoran Region semifinals: At Canyon del Oro, Catalina Foothills had four different scorers and advanced to Thursday’s championship with a 4-0 win over Pueblo.

The No. 2 Falcons will play No. 1 Canyon del Oro at 4 p.m. at CDO.

4A-I Kino Region semifinals: At Desert View, No. 3 Nogales beat No. 2 Sahuaro 3-1.

The Apaches will play No. 1 Sabino in the region finals at 4 p.m. at Desert View on Thursday.

4A-II Gila Region semifinals: At Amphi, Catalina advanced to the region finals after defeating Palo Verde 3-0.

The Trojans had three different scorers. Catalina will play No. 1 Douglas at 4 p.m. Thursday at Amphi.

Girls soccer

4A-I Sonoran Region semifinals: At CDO, the host Dorados defeated Marana 4-1 to advance to the finals on Thursday against No. 1 Catalina Foothills. The game is at CDO at 6 p.m.

CDO got goals from four different players – Liz Wong, Stasia Cotsones, Amanda Sieferman and Yuleth Camacho.

4A-I Kino Region semifinals: At Desert View, Flowing Wells defeated Cienega 6-1 behind three goals from Jasmine Schultz.

The No. 3 Caballeros will play No. 1 Sahuaro on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Desert View.

For more on high school sports, check out the Grammer School sports blog.

By Geoff Grammer, Raymond Suarez

The Flowing Wells High girls soccer team moved on in regional play with a shutout win Monday.

The Caballeros defeated Sabino, last year’s Class 4A Division I state champions, 2-0 in the 4A Kino quarterfinals.

Skye Schultz scored in the 15th minute and assisted Jasmine Schultz with her goal in the 39th.

The Caballeros will play No. 2-seeded Cienega on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Desert View.

In the Class 4A-II Gila Region quarterfinals, Sahuarita defeated Santa Rita 6-1 behind Kristin Speer, who scored in the ninth, 11th and 45th minutes.

The Mustangs will play No. 2 Palo Verde at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Amphi.

In the 4A Sonoran, Marana will play No. 2 Canyon del Oro in the semifinals at 6 p.m. at CDO.

The Tigers defeated Pueblo 7-1 Monday behind Lauren Garcia’s three goals.

Boys soccer

Palo Verde topped Sahuarita 1-0 Monday in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A Gila tournament.

Assani Igulu scored in the third minute. The Titans move on to play No. 2 Catalina in a semifinal matchup at Amphi at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

In the 4A Kino, Nogales defeated Cienega 2-0 to move on. It will play No. 2 Sahuaro at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Desert View.

Luis Garcia scored first in the 27th minute; Samuel Vasquez added a goal in the 28th for the Apaches.

In the Sonoran, Pueblo defeated Marana 2-0. The Warriors will play No. 2 Catalina Foothills at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Canyon del Oro.

Pueblo was led by Jose Cordova, who scored in the 19th minute, and David Quevedo who added a goal in the 25th.

For more on high school sports, check out the Grammer School sports blog.

Sahuarita senior guard Ivana “Moose” Vidal is the youngest of five children and is looking forward to her future after high school.

Vidal is expected to be the first of her siblings to go to college and has verbally committed to accept a scholarship to play for Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher next fall.

“I’ve talked to a few coaches and I plan to visit out there soon,” Vidal said. “They have a really nice facility and I’m used to small towns. I kind of wanted to get out of town, but stay close.”

In her senior season, the 5-foot-8 Vidal leads the team in scoring (14.5 per game), assists (2.7) and steals (1.9). She also averages 5.9 rebounds a game.

Vidal started playing basketball when she was 5 at the YMCA. She also played on the Tucson Shock travel team along with Sunnyside graduate and Pima Community College freshman Nene Villalobos, Flowing Wells graduate and Pima freshman Abyee Maracigan and Canyon del Oro senior Nadi Carey.

This past summer, Vidal played for the Southern Arizona Lady Fire and credits coach Keithan Lyons for helping get her name to college coaches.

Vidal played two years of high school ball at Sunnyside before transferring to Sahuarita her junior year after her family moved to Green Valley.

“It was a pretty big adjustment moving from South Tucson to Green Valley,” Vidal said. “I was scared at first because it was intimidating to be part of a whole new team. I met some of the girls that summer and got familiar with them and they made it comfortable.”

Vidal got the nickname “Moosie” when she was born, and it has since evolved to the more simple “Moose” she’s known as today.

“I was a really big baby,” Vidal said. “I tell people I wasn’t buff. It’s different and original. Friends, teachers and even administration call me “Moose.”

Sahuarita is 10-10 overall this season and third year coach Larry Barfield has enjoyed coaching Vidal.

“She has the talent to do what I ask,” Barfield said. “She has the physical ability. She plays the low block sometimes and she runs the offense. She’s an all around great player with a great attitude.”

Cholla High School basketball coach Rick Luna (right) says his son, Michael Luna, has a "coach's mentality."

The father-son team of coach Rick Luna and junior shooting guard Michael Luna see a better future for Cholla High School boys basketball.

Coach Luna is in his first year coaching at the varsity level and Michael is in his second full year on the varsity squad.

Despite a 2-12 record, there’s plenty of optimism from Rick and Michael.

“We’re getting closer to closing out games,” Michael said. “We play hard all four quarters and our biggest improvements are team work and the communication on zone and man-to-man defense.”

Rick and Michael have enjoyed working with one another on the court as coach and player, but also relish the time off the court as father and son.

“We watch a ton of basketball,” Rick said. “We’re big Lakers and UA fans.”

Before taking the head coaching position, Rick was an assistant on the junior varsity team for the past three seasons. He has settled into the varsity coach’s spot.

“It was a pretty easy transition,” Rick said. “There’s a lot more responsibility on the court. You have to help the freshmen and junior varsity coaches and focus on developing and helping assistants. I’m having a blast.”

Rick was a point guard for Sunnyside from 1975-79 under coach Dwight Rees. He was part of the Class 5A state runner-up team in the 1976-77 season, which lost to Pueblo 42-37 in the title game.

Michael is averaging 10 points and leading the team with seven rebounds a game. He also averages two steals a game.

Rick said Michael has a “coach’s mentality,” and Michael likes what his dad has done with the team.

“He focuses a lot on defense and defense is the way to win games,” Michael said. “He gets everyone involved on offense passing the ball.”

Even though he said it’s all about the team, Michael explained some of his own improvements.

“Probably rebounding and defense. I’ve got a different job to do this year, I’m rebounding and I’m more physical in the paint,” he said.

Michael has a 3.5 grade-point-average and he wants to pursue a career in sports medicine.

Rick and Michael aren’t the only ones on the team who share a last name.

Christian Luna, a point guard (no relation to Rick and Michael), transferred from Kaiser High in Fontana, Calif. last year. He didn’t play his junior year because of academic and off-court issues.

“I felt I had something to prove to my teammates and coaches,” Christian said. “I knew I needed to do something about it because I love this game.”

Christian, who is leading the team in scoring at 13 points per game, laughed when he found out about Rick and Michael’s last name.

“It was a little weird. I asked if I was a relative,” he said. “We get it a lot at school. They’re (Rick and Michael) good guys.”

Rick said they’ll have to check a family tree to see if they’re distant cousins.

Senior guard/forward ‘can fill the box score,’ coach says

Palo Verde's Amber Cordova is averaging 12 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists.

Supportive and dedicated are just a couple of the words used when Palo Verde senior Amber Cordova’s name comes up.

The 5-foot-7 inch guard/forward has led the Titans to an 8-2 record this season.

Cordova, a four-year varsity player, is averaging 12 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists. In Palo Verde’s last three games, Cordova’s scoring has come alive, as she has averaged 19 points during that stretch.

“She’s one of those girls that can fill the box score,” Palo Verde coach Eric Brock said. “She has a good midrange jumper and she wants to be the best. She picks something to focus on and she accomplishes her goal. She’s a unique player on and off the floor.”

Cordova has been working on driving to the basket, which she had been hesitant about since last year.

Cordova broke her nose in a Dec. 4, 2007, contest against Phoenix Sunnyslope but finished the game, scoring 22 points with seven rebounds and five steals in Palo Verde’s 54-39 victory. She continued to play the remainder of the season and didn’t have surgery until March.

“I was out for three to four months,” Cordova said. “It was hard on me. I really worked on trying to not be afraid of contact.”

Cordova is home-schooled and said she sometimes misses the school environment, although she goes to Palo Verde almost every day.

Cordova started playing basketball at age 13 and joined her older sister Ashley on YMCA co-ed teams.

“I’d make baskets in trash cans and I told my mom I want to play basketball,” Cordova said. “That helped a lot learning to play with the boys. It made us stronger and faster.”

Amber and Ashley played together for two years at Palo Verde.

Ashley graduated in 2007. She played at Pima her freshman year and decided to become an assistant at Palo Verde this year.

“We read each other’s minds and we had a connection,” Amber said. “It was different after she left. She wanted me to go to Pima as fast I could.”

Cordova sees a lot of potential in Palo Verde freshman standout Darian Saunders.

“I’ve never seen a girl with her height and that athletically strong,” Cordova said. “I can’t wait to see her when she starts working out. She’ll swing around and knock everyone down. She really listens and wants to be better.”

Cordova wants to pursue a career in air traffic control. She’s still looking at schools but likes Arizona State University.

Tucson All-Stars, Marana Broncos win national championships

Tucson youth football has been well represented in the past week, as two local teams won national championships.

• The Tucson All-Stars, which consisted of 14-year-old players around the city, defeated the Phoenix All-Stars 44-8 Friday in Orlando, Fla., to claim the American Youth Football national title.

Tucson led 14-8 at halftime before a 30-0 second-half barrage.

Pierre Arnaud traveled with his son Alex, 14, who played offensive guard/tackle and center to watch the tournament.

“This was incredible,” Pierre said. “The discipline and responsibility has taught them about integrity. This team has only been together 12-14 days. It’s been a growing-up experience.”

Alex will attend Salpointe Catholic next year.

In the semifinals, the Tucson All-Stars defeated the New York All-Stars 36-0.

The tryouts for the Tucson team were held on Nov. 24-25, when 45 kids came out, of which 22 made the team.

The Tucson Southwest Rams Jr. Peewees took third in the event at Orlando. They beat a team from New York 30-24 in triple overtime in the third-place game.

• The Marana Broncos traveled to Las Vegas last week and brought home the 9-10 year-old National Youth Football national championship.

The Broncos defeated the Vacaville (Calif.) Bulldogs 20-14 in overtime after running back Anthony Marshall scored on a 1-yard touchdown.

The game was played Nov. 29.

Anthony, coach Steve Marshall’s son, finished the game with 150 yards rushing.

The Broncos trailed at one point during the game 14-8.

“This was a magical run. This is the youngest age I’ve ever coached,” Steve Marshall said. “They’re anxious to learn. One of the keys is I’m allowed on the field as a coach and in the huddle with them.”

The Broncos played their first game on Sept. 6 and had all of their home games at Marana High. They finished 10-2 overall.