Arizona: Chandler wins Coach Bob baseball tournament

"The game was unlike anything I have ever seen," Tallman said. "Outs were more of a rarity than hits. The wind was a factor, but mostly because the outfielders had to play so deep that some balls that would have been outs were able to fall for base hits."

Chandler trailed by six runs heading into the sixth inning but scored eight times in the sixth and five in the seventh. Boulder Creek scored five runs in the seventh but came up short.

Chandler was led by junior infielder Malcolm Holland, who went 5-for-6, scored six runs and had two RBI. He also had three stolen bases. MacKenzie Handel went 4-for-6 for the Wolves with three RBI and three runs, while Anthony Cuevas was 3-for-3 with two runs and five RBI.

2. Coyotes crowned: Centennial (Peoria) improved to 14-4 overall with a 5-2 win over Tucson Sabino in the championship game of the Scottsdale Desert Mountain Invitational softball tournament at Horizon Park in Scottsdale. Samantha Riojas went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI for the Coyotes.

3. Wolves dominate: Chandler swept the 70th annual Chandler Rotary Track Invitational at Chandler High, with the girls winning by almost 100 points and the boys by 30. The field included 96 schools from Arizona, Colorado, Texas and New Mexico. The three-time defending 5A-I state champion Chandler girls had six first-place finishes, including wins in both the 400 and 800 meter relays. Chandler’s Alexis Roberts won the 400 meters (57.58 seconds), while Jasmine Todd won the long jump (17 feet, 8 inches), triple jump (38-1 1/4) and Hannah Carson won the shot put (43-3 1/2) and finished second in the high jump (5-4).

4. Coach’s about-face denied: Mesquite (Gilbert) boys basketball coach Tom Saltzstein resigned last week for undisclosed reasons, then tried to rescind his resignation. The school denied the latter request and plans to hire a new coach. Mesquite went 25-5 last season, winning the 5A Division I Central Region tournament before losing to Tempe Corona del Sol in the first round of the state tournament.

5. Saints win title: Backstopped by league-leading goalie Taylor Quinn, Scottsdale Notre Dame overwhelmed Phoenix Brophy, 7-1, to capture the Arizona High School Hockey Association state championship

1 Jasmine Todd, Chandler, So.: Todd won the long jump (17 feet, 8 inches) and triple jump (38-1 1/4) at the prestigious Chandler Rotary Track Invitational.

2. Malcolm Holland, Chandler, Jr., Inf.: Went 5-for-6 with six runs and two RBI and three stolen bases in the Wolves' championship game win over Anthem Boulder Creek at the Coach Bob Invitational.

3. Edgar Valencia, San Luis, Jr., P: Fanned nine and allowed just one hit in the Sidewinders’ 9-0 win over Yuma Catholic, lowering his season ERA to 0.82.

4. Morgan Montemayor, Peoria Centennial, Sr., P: Montemayor was named the MVP of the Scottsdale Desert Mountain Invitational softball tournament after striking out 11 batters to lift Centennial to a 5-2 win over Tucson Sabino in the tournament championship game at Horizon Park in Scottsdale. Montemayor went 6-0 in the tournament, including three wins on the final day of the event.

5. Serene Williams, Peoria, Sr.: Won the girls 100 (12.02) and 200 meters (25.01) at the Chandler Rotary Track Invitational.

Eighteen baseball programs from four states and a Canadian province are taking part in the Cherry Field Classic tournament in Tucson. The event started Wednesday and runs through Saturday night with the championship game at the Cherry Field complex. Some games will also be played at Tucson Santa Rita High School. The championship of the Big League Dugout Invite, a national baseball tournament with 12 teams from six states, is Thursday at 7 p.m. at Scottsdale Horizon High.

The Arizona Republic reported that Phoenix Pinnacle junior Jake Peevyhouse gave Arizona State a verbal commitment before ASU’s game on Sunday. Peevyhouse joins Goodyear Millennium’s junior Tyler Booth as ASU’s early in-state commitments. Peevyhouse, a left-handed outfielder, was leading his team in batting (.550) heading into this week.

Goodyear Desert Edge senior point guard Ryan Whitehead has committed to Texas-San Antonio for basketball. He will sign during the April period. Whitehead averaged 18 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals this past season.

With Chandler Basha’s hiring of football coach Bernie Busken, the Chandler district is looking awfully powerful. Hamilton and Chandler both reached the state semifinals last season (Hamilton won the title) while Basha fell in overtime in the quarterfinals to state runner-up Phoenix Mountain Pointe.

Busken brings some baggage with him but there is no doubt the man can coach. Of the three very accomplished coaches who have guided powerful Mesa Mountain View (Jesse Parker and Tom Joseph are the others), Busken has the highest winning percentage with a record of 82-9 (.901) and three state titles in seven seasons. It’s a shame Basha does not play in the same region as Chandler and Hamilton. Busken’s sideline intensity could spark a couple of great rivalries.