Highland holds off persistent Dobson in girls hoops, 67-61

Highland coach Miner Webster is used to winning and winning a lot. But not with his Hawks laboring as much as they have this season. It happened again Tuesday night as Dobson and a nearly all new cast of characters for the defending state champions pushed Highland to the end in a 67-61 win for the Hawks at Dobson.

Girls Basketball Les Willsey January 11, 2011

McClintock fills football job, tabs Saguaro OC Matt Lewis

McClintock filled its vacant varsity football coaching opening Tuesday hiring Saguaro offensive coordinator Matt Lewis. Lewis confirmed his hiring and met with McClintock players earlier Tuesday. He replaces Mike Gibbons who was fired in November after the season.

Football Les Willsey January 11, 2011

Grade A basketball describes Amphi, Arcadia in boys 4A-II

Amphitheater and Arcadia would be right at the top of 4A-II schools without displaying boys basketball prowess since their schools begin with A. The way the schools are playing as January nears its midpoint has them eschewing an alphabetical hierarchy.

Boys Basketball Les Willsey January 10, 2011

Corona del Sol dominates Aztecs Duals with seven champions

Stories Les Willsey January 10, 2011

Mesquite girls eke out 1-0 soccer win over Corona del Sol

Corona del Sol girls soccer coach Matt Smith had a pretty fair summation of the Aztecs Central Region matchup with Mesquite.

Girls Soccer Les Willsey January 7, 2011

Chandler gains Desert Vista transfer Simone Westbrook soon

Simone Westbrook, the leading scorer the past two seasons for the Desert Vista girls basketball team, has transferred to Chandler High and will begin playing with the Wolves at mid-month.

Girls Basketball Les Willsey January 7, 2011

Corona del Sol bench fuels another come-from-behind victory

The household names for the Corona del Sol boys basketball team are not Rashidi Kabamba, Braden Tennyson and Nick Siefker. Those names, however, were music to the ears of Aztecs coach Sam Duane Jr. on Thursday night.

Boys Basketball Les Willsey January 6, 2011

Starting over suits Dobson girls hoop coach Dumas just fine

A year after winning the 5A-I girls basketball title, Dobson coach Tyler Dumas has nearly gone back to square one. He has ventured to the chalkboad and erased the 2010 lesson. Chiseled out the path for 2011 and perhaps beyond. The transformation from state champ to building back to that level is gradual. Tha is why Dumas likes the challenge of coaching.

Cross Country / Girls Basketball Les Willsey January 6, 2011

5A-I girls basketball race boils down to one -- St. Marys

Football / Girls Basketball Les Willsey January 6, 2011

Bingham works his way to the top with talented Mountain View

The first basketball experience Kyle Bingham encountered at Mesa Mountain View -- getting cut from the freshman summer team. Bingham had not shown up religiously at open gyms after playing with Poston Junior High as a freshman. That did not bode well for his chances of making the Toros junior varsity once his sophomore year began in the fall of 2008. Bingham, however, was not overly concerned. As he puts it, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"I have always felt I was meant to play basketball.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"

Stories Les Willsey January 4, 2011

Young Pinnacle nets decisive road win over Mesa High, 67-57

Pinnacle brought its young, energetic boys basketball team to Mesa High Tuesday and did not look the part of young very much. The Pioneers, leading most of the game except for brief moments in the second period and at halftime, outplayed the host Jackrabbits and posted a 67-57 win in a 5A non-region game.

Cross Country / Boys Basketball Les Willsey January 4, 2011

Corona del Sol places 3 on McClintock Holiday Shootout team

Stories Les Willsey January 3, 2011

Mountain View aims to select football coach by mid-January

Football Les Willsey January 3, 2011

Hamilton, St. Marys girls go unbeaten in holiday tournaments

Stories Les Willsey January 3, 2011

Hamilton girls, Carl Hayden boys win Dobson Soccer Classic

The Hamilton girls soccer team ended the 2010 portion of the 2010-2011 season with two invitational titles. Hamilton won the Diablo Classic three weeks ago. And the latest was acquired Friday morning with the Huskies 3-0 victory over Flagstaff to win the Dobson Mustang Soccer Classic at Dobson High.

Boys Soccer / Girls Soccer Les Willsey December 31, 2010

Moeller edges Mtn. View in classic defensive struggle, 36-35

Oozing with tradition, Archbishop Moeller, Ohio and Mesa Mountain View,were the final matchup of the 2010 VisitMesa.com Basketball Challenge. The teams did not disappoint. Sporting unbeaten records in the tournament and for the season, the teams gave fans a fitting marquee matchup as Moeller trimmed Mountain View, 36-35, in a classic defensive battle at Toro Gym.

Cross Country Les Willsey December 30, 2010

McConnell records 500th win as Dobson bests Sunnyslope

Rick McConnell will likely never pass his father in coaching victories, but together nearly 1,300 wins is mighty impressive.

Baseball / Boys Basketball Les Willsey December 29, 2010

Corona del Sol rallies in second half to knock off Brophy

It was an uphill battle all the way for Corona del Sol on Wednesday night in its bid to reach the finals of the McClintock Holiday Shootout. And it took help from more players than usual to make up what once was a 14-point deficit in the second period. The Aztecs finally took the lead with a little more than four minutes left and hung on to edge Brophy, 53-47, at McClintock High School.

Stories Les Willsey December 29, 2010

Mountain View boys hoops remains unbeaten, tops Brighton

The Mesa Mountain View boys basketball team can lay claim for another day to being the only unbeaten Arizona team in 5A-I.

Boys Basketball Les Willsey December 28, 2010

News and notes from Visitmesa.com Basketball Challenge

It did not take long for the Visitmesa.com Arizona Basketball Challenge to get going with some tight contests. St. Marys withstood poor free-throw shooting late in regulation and a technical foul that opened the door for Sunnyslope to tie the game in the final seconds, but the Knights prevailed, 85-78, in double overtime in the first game of Monday\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s first round at Mountain View High School.

Stories Les Willsey December 27, 2010

McClintock Holiday Shootout schedule and results

Stories Les Willsey December 27, 2010

Mesa soccer coach chides players for poor postgame display

Boys Soccer Les Willsey December 27, 2010

Dobson Soccer Classic schedule and results

Boys Soccer / Girls Soccer Les Willsey December 27, 2010

Visitmesa.com Basketball Challenge schedule and results

Stories Les Willsey December 27, 2010

McClintock, Mtn. View host pre-New Year boys hoop events

Mesa Mountain View and McClintock high schools will be hot beds for boys basketball Monday through Thursday as the new year approaches with both hosting invitationals in the East Valley.

Boys Basketball Les Willsey December 26, 2010