Citizen Staff Report
The Bounce
Citizen Staff Report
Pima Community College is in 15th place after two rounds of the NJCAA National Tournament at the Randolph Tennis Center.
Ali Brackey is the only Aztec player still alive in a championship bracket. She will face the No. 2 seed in Flight 3 Tuesday.
Citizen Staff Report
The Bounce
Citizen Staff Report
The Pima Community College men’s golf team captured the Region I title Sunday in Phoenix, beating runner-up Scottsdale by 13 strokes.
Eric Briggs (Sahuarita High) finished first among individuals with a 294 total. Teammate Tom Callahan (Sierra Vista Buena) was second with a 296.
The Aztecs will compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association National Tournament the Huntsville, Ala., from May 17-22.
• The Pima softball team lost to Yavapai 11-4 in the Region I Tournament title game Saturday in Prescott. The Aztecs won 2-1 earlier Saturday to force a second contest.
Pima finishes the season 52-17; Yavapai advances to the NJCAA National Tournament.
• The Pima women’s tennis team is tied for fourth after one day of the NJCAA National Tournament at Randolph Tennis Center.
Kelly Ponzio, Ali Brackey, Lori Cinnamond and Eunice Sanchez all won in singles play Sunday for the Aztecs.
Citizen Staff Writer
BRYAN LEE
brylee@tucsoncitizen.com
Not one to let a perfect spring day pass him by, David McDaniel crafted the best of his four straight Tucson City Amateur championships.
“The first day was a desert course (Fred Enke) and (Saturday at Randolph) I missed a lot of putts,” McDaniel said, “but (Sunday) I got rolling.”
The Canyon del Oro High graduate rolled over the Dell Urich back nine with a 63 and won the title by 12 strokes with a 10-under- par 274.
There were no illusions about what the script was as Championship Flight golfers arrived Sunday ready to battle for second place.
It was a man playing against boys – literally, although University of Arizona sophomore Takuyi Fuji eventually claimed second with a 65 Sunday.
The boys were high school stars Billy Flower of Catalina Foothills, Ian Patterson of Immaculate Heart and Alex McMahon of Ironwood Ridge.
One thing the trio learned was Dell Urich looks nice and easy, especially on a sunny day with light breezes, but it can bite you.
“Trouble on a few holes,” said Flower, who salvaged a tie for fourth place.
Flower had four birdies on the front nine and the roles were reversed on the back when Patterson go hot. Patterson missed a chance at a finishing birdie when his downhill lie rolled over the hole.
The greens were making their own breaks, the two agreed.
“This course will keep you honest,” Patterson said.
Aside from McDaniel’s clinic, the story of the day was Fuji, who moved up from eighth place.
“I hit the iron shots all day,” he said. “I never had a putt of more than six feet.”
Fuji plays the game regularly but would like to improve.
“I want to walk on and play for U of A,” he said, “but so far nobody wants me, I guess.”
Championship Flight
Top 20
1. David McDaniel 71-68-72-63–274
2. Takuya Fuji 76-70-65-65–286
3. Billy Flower 77-67-76-69–289
4. Ian Patterson 73-72-76-69–290
5. Sean Mihalyi 74-74-74-69–291
5. Alex McMahon 73-68-77-73–291
Others: 7. Mike Bevins 292, 8. Armen Dirtadian 293, 8. Raymond Franco 293, 10. Scott Camp 297, 10. Craig Bauley 297, 10. Tim Hynd 297, 13. Phil Summersett 298, 14 Scott Smith 299, 14. Rick Kandler 299, 16. Justin Stacy 300, 17. Jon Jaress 301, 18. Allan Phillips 302, 18. Hamid Badghisi 302, 20. Larry Pagel 303, 20. Greg Cesarek 303, 20. James Demorest 303.
Citizen Staff Writer
RUNNING
BRYAN LEE
brylee@tucsoncitizen.com
The more Ian Johnson is “just having fun with it” the more he wins.
The former Washington State University cross country and track star won a close battle Sunday in the annual Cinco de Mayo 10K.
The top three finished within 19 seconds of each other as the local men’s field continues to press the competitive bar.
“It’s a strong group and everybody gets along for the most part,” said Johnson, a Tucson transplant who won last March’s Arizona Distance Classic Half-Marathon. “We support each other and we all help each other.”
Johnson had to outsprint Tucson native and “good buddy” Jason Colavito to win by 10.1 seconds (32:40.3), for his fourth victory in as many local starts this year.
The last flat stretch aided his effort.
“He’s stronger than me on the hills, but I kept at it,” Johnson said. “You don’t know about running. Every time can mean something different. I felt pretty good for the most part.”
Johnson is hoping at some point to make a national and international impact.
“It’s fun. I’m just letting things happen,” he said.
Another relocated runner, better known as a triathlete., was the women’s winner. Samantha McGlone, 29, won a close (22.3 seconds) one against Paula Morrison, Tucson’s most consistent top competitor.
“We love the weather, we’ve bought a house,” said McGlone, who has moved from Canada with coach and husband, Cliff English. “We’ve trained here for several years. It’s perfect for us.”
Both McGlone (39:16.2) and Morrison (39:48.5) said they were competing in an off-training spell.
“I’ve been going only about 20-30 miles a week,” said Morrison, 35. “But I’m happy with the way I ran.”
Readers
SPORTS SOUND-OFF
UA does well in landing recruit
• This was a great grab, especially so late.
Need 1-2 more . . . maybe Lance Stephenson and either a hard-nosed 4, or a backup point. The hot new point is in the 2010 class.
It’s so nice to reload. 3829
• Time will indeed tell. In the meantime, the main guard is the “old guard” . . . Nic the Quick. BLKOJO
Welcome to Cat country, Look forward to watching you lead this team. JUST A FAN
RE: Lawmakers push for college football playoff
• It comes as no great surprise a Texan is bleating over this.
Throw in fan pressure from USC, Florida, Florida State, LSU and other powerhouses, and what you WILL end up with are 10-15 programs who land the very best recruits every year. Before long those schools will achieve complete dominance over berths in the so-called “playoffs.”
Is that what you really want? Just look at the Pac-10 . . . USC football basically owns the conference, and has for years now.
In similar manner the so-called playoffs will become an annual feed-fest for the few, and for the sports media who are also pushing as hard as they can.
Be careful what you wish for, people. This playoff hoo-hah may become your very worst nightmare. JOSE S.
Got a beef? E-mail: sports@tucsoncitizen.com. Call: 573-4635. Fax: 573-4569. Write: Sports sound-off, P.O. Box 26767, Tucson 85726-6767.
Readers
SPORTS SOUND-OFF
Re: Recruit Kevin Parrom visiting UA
• Hopefully Parrom decides to come to Arizona. I wish Wise would come back, but it just doesn’t make any sense to come back next year to play on another tournament bubble team. ZONA2SANDIEGO
• I’m confident Kevin will be our next Wildcat and we’ll be grateful for his commitment. PA
Re: Chuck Cecil inducted into College Football Hall of Fame
• I am 66 years old, an ex-coach, and have seen over 1,000 football games. I was fortunate to be in Arizona Stadium for the 106-yard return. The single greatest football moment of my life. Thanks Chuck, and congratulations. Well deserved. OLDBOB
Re: UA coach Mike Stoops to get $1 million a year
• Well rewarded. Stoops took over a program that was in the toilet from Mackovic. He’ll lead the program in the right direction both football- and academic-wise. 3202
ON THIS DATE
1917: Fred Toney of the Cincinnati Reds and James “Hippo” Vaughn of the Chicago Cubs pitch a double no-hitter for nine innings, but the Reds win 1-0 with two hits in the 10th.
1939: Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees does not play against the Detroit Tigers at Briggs Stadium, ending his streak of 2,130 consecutive games played.
1967: The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 to win the Stanley Cup in six games.
1995: Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers becomes the first Japanese native to play in the majors in three decades. Nomo pitches five scoreless innings of one-hit ball, but the Dodgers blow a 3-0 lead and lose to San Francisco 4-3.
2001: James Hylton, a 28-year-old construction worker from Keizer, Ore., bowls the fifth perfect 900 series in the 106-year history of the sport.
2002: Mike Cameron hits four homers and comes close to a record-setting fifth in leading the Seattle Mariners to a 15-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
The Associated Press
Citizen Staff Report
THE BOUNCE
Former St. Gregory College Prep star Matt Rosen shot a 6-under-par 66 Friday to finish in a tie for 14th place in the final round of a Gateway Tour event.
Rosen ended with a 9-under 207 for three rounds. Tucsonans Jacob Rogers and Brian Kontak each ended with a 3-under 213 to tie for 37th.
Citizen Staff Report
Readers
SPORTS SOUND-OFF
Doing what’s best for himself
• Zane’s an excellent shooter and it’s too bad he didn’t shoot more. I suspect he knows he’s not going to get much playing time because of the new recruits, so he’s doing what’s in his best interest. Good luck. EASEO
• Well how nice of Zane. Thank you oh so much for demonstrating the leadership skills you would have doled out to the team next year. ARIZONA91
Re: UA lands quarterback recruit Matt Brown
The new offense is attracting the top QBs. We have never had that luxury. 3829
I saw this kid at Nike and the Rivals combine in Dallas. He was MVP at both combines. Lightning quick with his feet, 4.5 speed and strong/accurate passer. DOLLAR BILL
Citizen Staff Writer
The Bounce
JOHN MOREDICH
jmoredich@tucsoncitizen.com
One member of the Baucus family wasn’t enough.
The University of Arizona football team received a commitment from offensive tackle Mickey Baucus on Thursday. His brother, Jack, a tight end, signed with the Wildcats in February as part of the 2009 recruiting class.
The two could some day line up next to each other.
“My brother being there is obviously huge,” Mickey said in a phone interview Thursday. “We are really close and wanted to play together in college. I’m excited to have the chance.”
The younger Baucus, from Carmel High School in Mundelein, Ill., scheduled several unofficial trips this spring to check out schools.
Arizona was the place for a 6-foot-8, 255-pound player who has good size and leverage for his tackle position.
“Combined with good flexibility for a big man, we feel he has the tools and athletic ability to start his career at left tackle,” ESPN.com wrote.
“For a person of his size, his ability to bend at the waist and knees is an attribute. . . . Can dominate at the line of scrimmage.”
Baucus took little time to accept a scholarship offer from UA offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh.
“I’ve been ready to commit for two months now,” Mickey said. “This is the right choice for me. I told my brother and he was stoked.”
Jack is rehabilitating a knee injury that he suffered late in his team’s November playoff run.
“He is sprinting now and the rehab is going really well,” Mickey said.
Jack arrives in June, with Mickey slated for the 2010 season.
McDaniel going for title
Citizen Staff Report
Canyon del Oro High School graduate David McDaniel will go after his fourth straight Tucson City Amateur golf title this weekend at Randolph North.
McDaniel led the field in the first two tournament rounds last weekend at Dell Urich with a 5-under 139, and leads Ironwood Ridge High sophomore Alex McMahonby two strokes. Phil Summersett trails by four.
Play will resume Saturday at Randolph North with the five other flights. Finals will be Sunday.
McDaniel has won eight straight area amateur tournaments he has entered, winning three times each the Tucson City and Pima County amateurs and the 2006 and 2007 Oro Valley amateurs. He was not entered in the Oro Valley tournament event in 2008.
Cinco de Mayo Sunday
Citizen Staff Report
The 26th annual Cinco de Mayo 10K road race, Tucson’s oldest, will be held Sunday. The race will commence at 7 a.m., with a two-mile fun run set at 7:05.
The race course begins at Cholla High School and goes through rolling hills along Starr Pass Road.
Doug Friman of Tucson won his second Cinco de Mayo title last season (32 minutes, 36 seconds) as did Paula Morrison (36:57) in the women’s division.
Citizen Staff Writer
Grammer School
GEOFF GRAMMER
ggrammer@tucsoncitizen.com
Canyon del Oro sophomore Gentry Hicks might want to play at The Pines Golf Club at Marana more often.
The 15-year-old, who won the Class 4A Sonoran Region boys golf championship in the fall, fired a hole-in-one Thursday, using a 6 iron on the 200-yard par-3 sixth hole. Hicks and his foursome played from the gold tees. The ace, his first, was witnessed by his dad, Murray, and friends Derek Metz and Tom Olla.
In November, Hicks won the Sonoran Region individual championship in a playoff against teammate Ryan Klump. Hicks posted a two-day score of 145 (75-70) at Torres Blancas for the region title. He helped CDO to a second-place finish in the region behind Catalina Foothills.
A week later, he was one of three CDO golfers with top-20 showings in the 4A-I state championship in Buckeye at the Sundance Golf Course, leading the Dorados to a fourth-place finish.
For more sports musings, check out the Grammer School sports blog at www.tucsoncitizen.com/blog.
Readers
SPORTS SOUND-OFF
Ex-UA hoopster Johnson, Lady Cats praised
Good guy. I wish him all the luck. This opens a slot of someone else.
3829
Re: UA softball team
These gals continue to be the best in Wildcat athletics to be found . . . exciting to watch. Determined to win. Even in an off year for pitchers, they are truly exciting to watch. Candrea is the best Wildcat coach in any sport . . . a teacher, and a leader who prepares them to win. Candrea will guide them into a winner’s bracket, despite their pitching. The Pac-10 may be the toughest it has ever been. One of these teams will be national champion this year.
867
Got a beef? E-mail: sports@tucsoncitizen.com. Call: 573-4635. Fax: 573-4569. Write: Sports sound-off, P.O. Box 26767, Tucson 85726-6767
Citizen Staff Writer
The Bounce
BRYAN LEE
brylee@tucsoncitizen.com
Three foes had to be subdued by golfer Glen Griffith on Wednesday: himself, Andrew Cochran and the unforgiving desert of The Stone Canyon Club.
He did just that in his 3-and-1 PGA club pro match play title victory.
“I had to stop and tell myself to relax,” said Griffith, the Tucson Golf Schools founder and director, referring to the crucial 15th hole. “I wasn’t doing what I always do. It was scary.
“I think playing in (PGA) Q School (in 2007) prepares me now. I can stay calm.”
Griffith was in the midst of seeing a 4-stroke lead fade during the Southwest Section Southern Chapter final.
“It’s like losing a 15-point lead in basketball in the last three minutes,” tournament director Rick Price said.
Griffith’s 15th-hole shot from the rocks found the fairway, and Cochran, a Stone Canyon assistant, three-putted.
A pair of bogeys all but sealed Cochran’s fate. It ended with Cochran misfiring off the tee on No. 17.
Cochran struggled and bulldogged his way to almost-ville, first going 20 holes Tuesday in the quarterfinals, then almost blowing a five-shot lead in Wednesday’s semifinals against Rich Elias.
Cochran won the semifinal on the 18th hole.
“Too many short putts,” Cochran summed up his foibles. “I missed a few.”
Three alone in the championship match that might well have made things different on a day when each golfer did not exactly light things up.
But that’s match play.
“You have to play smart,” said Griffith, who finished as the runner-up in the same tournament twice. “There’s no explanation for what happens. You don’t necessarily play conservatively because it’s the desert. You have to judge each situation.”
Griffith had to wait out semifinal foe Chris Dompier’s four straight birdies in the early going, 18 in two days. Dompier fell victim to the desert on the second nine of play.
When it’s mano a mano, Griffith is in his glory. He couldn’t care less if it’s not pretty, so long as he stays at least one ahead of the foe. “I love match play,” he said. “I was having fun.”
UA men’s golf finishes 9th
Citizen Staff Report
The Wildcats finished ninth at the Pac-10 Championships in Seattle on Wednesday.
UA shot a 43-over 1,483 total for four rounds. Washington (-16) won. Oregon (+2) was second.
UA’s Tarquin MacManus finished sixth among individuals with a 3-under 285. Washington’s Darren Wallace was first at -11.
Citizen Staff Writer
THE BOUNCE
JOHN MOREDICH
jmoredich@tucsoncitizen.com
Playing close won’t be good enough if the University of Arizona baseball team can’t turn the season around.
That means critical mistakes must be eliminated, starting on Wednesday with No. 3 Arizona State playing the Wildcats in a nonleague 3 p.m. start at Sancet Stadium.
“Nearly every series since playing Arizona State we could have won two out of three if not for a blown save, an error or if we hadn’t dropped a couple of fly balls,” Arizona coach Andy Lopez said.
The Wildcats haven’t been blown out often, but ASU did end a three-game sweep on March 22 with a 23-9 victory.
The Sun Devils (31-9, 15-3) have a 10-game cushion over the ninth-place Wildcats (19-20, 5-13). Arizona would be much better off if not for losing 11 of its 20 games by three runs or less.
“There’s no mystery about it. You have to play consistently, and we have not done that,” Lopez said. “We have not done good enough to get over the hump.”
While ASU is getting the job done with veteran pitchers, with a Pac-10-leading staff with a 2.66 ERA, the Wildcats top the league with a .302 batting average. The hits are starting to come more with a lineup made up mostly of freshmen and sophomores.
UA’s equally young pitching staff is starting to show signs of progress as well, limiting Stanford to 11 runs in its series victory over the Cardinal last weekend.
“It has just taken us longer than I thought it would,” Lopez said. “Young guys are getting used to the speed of the game.”
They are starting to get up to speed, but they must make up a lot of ground.
Citizen Staff Writer
Grammer School
GEOFF GRAMMER
The Pima Community College football coaching staff is stacked with Tucson ties that all bring something valuable to the table in the program’s effort to transform from laughingstock to winners.
Former Canyon del Oro High School coach Pat Nugent has surrounded himself with a staff of ex-head coaches that will undoubtedly make the Aztecs competitive. But as key to the transformation as any just might be the youngest of his assistants coaches, one of the few who has never been a head coach.
Former Sunnyside and Northern Arizona University star running back Philo Sanchez, the son of highly successful Sunnyside coach Richard Sanchez, has taken on the duties of instructing the Pima running backs, at least until he hears back from some law schools he has applied to in California.
“If I don’t happen to get in (to law school) this year,” Sanchez said, “then being a part of this is going to be a great opportunity. Coach Nugent has brought together a lot good coaches here and it’s something that I think is going to work for this team.”
Sanchez, a teacher at Sunnyside who has helped coach his dad’s team the past several seasons, graduated in 2002 from Sunnyside after rushing for 3,984 yards in his junior and senior seasons and went on to have a successful career at NAU.
But his role as a potential liaison between Pima and the pipeline of talent the Sunnyside program puts out each year will be vital. The Blue Devils consistently place a handful of players on junior college football rosters each year. There is no reason those contributors won’t have every reason to stay in Tucson now.
Sanchez was also the 2002 Tucson Citizen Student Athlete of the Year. Academics always have been a strong point for Sanchez. And if he doesn’t get into law school this summer, he likely will soon, so his tenure at Pima may be short-lived.
Still, as long as he’s there now, it won’t hurt the rebuilding project going on for the Aztecs.
• Check out more sports musings at the Grammer School Sports blog at www.tucsoncitizen.com/blog
Readers
SPORTS SOUND-OFF
Praise for UA’s Roth, not so much for Britton
• Congratulations on your four great years at Arizona and . . . for winning two national championships and counting. Keep your spirits up. CLAUDIA44
Re: Ex-Wildcat Eben Britton picked by Jacksonville
• Boo hoo. Enjoy your contract, you’ll get between $3-$5 million or so, better than everyone else that’s not a whiny, pampered athlete. TRODELPOST
Re: Britton says he’ll lead Jaguars to Super Bowl
• I guess just like he led Arizona to the Rose Bowl. ROBBOBOSO
Got a beef? E-mail: sports@tucsoncitizen.com. Call: 573-4635.
Fax: 573-4569. Write: Sports sound-off, P.O. Box 26767, Tucson 85726-6767
