Hamilton (Chandler) and Rocky Mountain (Fort Collins, Colo.) both entered the Big League Dugout National Invitational title with national rankings. Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) left the tournament with three wins over Rocky Mountain (Fort Collins, Colo.), including a 7-6 victory in the title game at Scottsdale Horizon High. Both squads entered the invitational ranked nationally and as the favorites to advance to the championship game.
Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) has won three Class 5A Arizona titles this decade (2003, 2004, 2008) and finished as the runner-up to Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.) last season in a championship game that went extra innings.
Other top storylines from the week
2. National Classic: Salpointe Catholic (Tucson) and Notre Dame Prep (Scottsdale) are both competing in the 2010 National Classic, which kicked off Monday in Orange County, Calif., with 16 teams from across the nation. The tournament sites include El Dorado (Placentia, Calif.), Esperanza (Anaheim, Calif.), Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Cal State Fullerton University. Salpointe Catholic (Tucson, Ariz.) entered the tournament with a 12-3 record while Notre Dame Prep (Scottsdale, Ariz.) was 9-3. Notre Dame lost its first tournament game, 11-1, to Bishop Amat (La Puente, Calif.), on Monday, and Salpointe Catholic (Tucson, Ariz.) won its first game, defeating South Hills (West Covina, Calif.) 4-1 on Tuesday. The championship game is tonight at 7 p.m. at Cal State Fullerton.
3. Another one bites the dust: The stream of outgoing veteran football coaches continued when Mike Brown, a founding member of the Arizona Football Coaches Association, resigned as coach at Greenway (Phoenix). Brown led Greenway to the Class 4A championship game in 2001 and 2002. Greenway went 6-5 last season, losing to Tucson Palo Verde in the first round of the Class 4A Division II playoffs.
4. On second thought: Cactus Shadows (Cave Creek) football coach Chad DeGrenier will be back for another season after all. DeGrenier accepted the head coaching job at Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins, Colo.) in February, but never turned in his letter of resignation at Cactus Shadows, a clear sign that he wasn’t fully sold on the switch. DeGrenier was the MaxPrep's National Coach of the Year in 2006 after leading pass-happy Cactus Shadows to a 15-0 record two years after the program went winless. Last year's team went 11-1, losing its only game in the state quarterfinals to Tucson Sabino.
5. Hawkins honored: Goodyear Estrella Foothills senior guard Corey Hawkins was selected as a fourth-team Parade high school boys basketball All-American after averaging 36 points and leading the Wolves to a third consecutive Class 3A championship. Hawkins was the only boy from Arizona on any of Parade’s teams.
The Fab 5
1. Hannah Carson, Chandler (Chandler, Ariz.), Jr.: Carson threw the javelin 171 feet, 9 inches on April 3 in Arlington, Texas, to set a Young Women (17-20 years old) division national record. The old record was 158-7, set by Sarah Malone in Eugene, Ore., in 1999.
2. Jorge Flores, Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), Sr., SS: Made three stellar defensive plays at and hit a two-run home run to help Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) win the Big League Dugout National Invitational. Flores received the tournament's MVP and Golden Glove awards.
3. Zach Sabolek, Moon Valley (Phoenix, Ariz.), Sr., 1B/P: Went 10 for 10 with three triples and eight RBI in a one-week stretch.
4. Joe Rocha: Mountain Pointe (Phoenix, Ariz.), Sr., P: Tossed his first career no-hitter as the Pride blanked Casa Grande, 10-0.
5. Ryan Harvey, Notre Dame Prep (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Jr., DS: Had a whopping 26 digs in the Saints’ win over Gilbert Higley.
On deck
The Wynn-Zucco/Tempe Relays/Sun Angel Classic will be held Thursday and Saturday at Arizona State University while several of the state’s top track and field athletes will compete in the Arcadia (Calif.) Invitational this weekend. Also, the tennis season wraps up this week. Team state tournaments begin April 19.
Recruiting news
Chandler Hamilton junior offensive tackle Christian Westerman, one of the nation's top football recruits, told The Arizona Republic that he has given Texas an oral commitment. The 6-foot-5, 290-pound Westerman told The Republic that he attended Southern California's spring game last weekend and left unimpressed. … The Republic also reported that Tulsa is the latest school to offer a football scholarship to heralded Chandler junior quarterback Brett Hundley.
Craig’s cranium
The biggest story in Arizona high school sports next season won’t come from the playing fields, gyms or schools. It will come from the ballot box. If Proposition 100, the proposed 1 percent sales-tax hike, doesn't pass on May 18, districts all over the state will face a budget shortfall that will impact athletics in a variety of ways.
Some districts will raise their pay-to-play fees, some will all but eliminate travel and some are even considering eliminating interscholastic programs altogether. None of the proposals on the table are palatable.
The sad truth is that the districts put themselves in this position through poor management of funds. According to a recent report from the Arizona Office of the Auditor General, Arizona’s school districts actually will have more money in their coffers this year than they did last year because recent state cuts have been more than offset by federal funding. That same report found that a large number of Arizona’s districts have simply spent their money inefficiently.
So who will pay? The students, of course.
As the vote approaches, MaxPreps will take a more detailed look at some of the cuts various Arizona districts are proposing to offset a budget shortfall, should Proposition 100 fail.
Craig Morgan is a freelance writer who has covered professional, college and high school sports in the Phoenix area for the past 18 years. He currently serves as the Phoenix correspondent for CBSSports.com, covering the Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix Suns and other pro and college teams in Arizona. He also writes a weekly column and other features for The Arizona Republic. You can reach him at craig@thewordsmithonline.com.
