I attended my nephew’s graduation this week. As the notable athletes from Basha (Chandler) streamed across the podium, long-dormant memories awoke, flooding my senses. From the chill of the ice rink at those early-morning practices, to the smell of freshly mowed grass before a weekend lacrosse game. 
Travis Dean, Hamilton
File photo by James Conrad
You can make an argument that even high school athletics are tainted by the influence of money and greed these days, but for me, prep sports are still the purest and most enjoyable form of athletics this country has to offer. The competition is at a level high enough to appreciate true skill, while the stakes are still mostly measured in wins, losses and effort.
As high school seniors across Arizona move onto the next phase of their lives, MaxPreps celebrates the best of the 2009-10 Arizona prep season, with a few vignettes.
SPRING
Best news of the season: The passing of Proposition 100. The temporary 1-percent sales tax will generate between $800 million and $1 billion per year, with two-thirds of that revenue directed toward primary and secondary education. Many Arizona districts were facing draconian cuts in their athletic departments before the proposition passed. It’s not a cure-all for budget shortfalls, but it will help keep coaches employed, teams on road trips and players outfitted in the latest, safest gear.
Best redemption: The Red Mountain (Mesa) softball team. A base-running blunder cost the Mountain Lions the 2009 state championship. They weren’t about to be denied again. Fueled by the state’s most potent offense and Courtney Sherwin's two-run homer, Red Mountain stunned top-ranked Phoenix St. Mary’s and pitcher Dallas Escobedo, widely regarded as the top prep player in the nation, to capture its second state title with a 2-0 victory in the 5A Division I championship game.
Best power hitter: Phoenix Mountain Pointe’s Kevin Cron. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound junior catcher cracked his 22nd four-bagger in a 5A-I state championship game loss to Desert Ridge (Mesa), tying the state record set by Desert Vista (Phoenix) graduate and Arizona Diamondbacks first-round draft pick Corey Myers in 1999. With 33 career homers, Cron will likely set the state’s career record next season, needing just 12 to pass Tony Espinoza's Santa Cruz Valley (Eloy) all-time mark.
Best pitcher: Dallas Escobedo, Phoenix St. Mary’s. Escobedo was the nation’s top prep prospect all season and played like it in the state tournament. She entered the title game having allowed no runs and just three hits in four games. She also struck out 61 and tossed a perfect game along the way. She couldn’t get it done against Red Mountain (Mesa), allowing two runs on five hits and 11 strikeouts, but her future is bright at national power Arizona State University. Escobedo finished with 500 strikeouts this season, one shy of her state record.
Best unselfish player: Robert Esser, Gilbert Highland: Esser recorded 1,302 assists and averaged two blocks and three aces per match to lead the Hawks to the 5A-I state volleyball championship match, where they fell to Deer Valley (Glendale) in five games. A master of location on his sets, Esser gave hitters the ability to hit off a two- or three-man block with his versatility.
Best dynasty: The Valley Christian (Chandler) girls track team. The Trojans won their 15th consecutive state championship, a new national record. As a private school, Valley Christian enjoys advantages most other 2A schools don’t have, but coach Dan Kuiper's program has exuded class since the early 1990s, and that alone warrants recognition.
Best tribute: Peoria sprinter Serene Williams. Williams won state titles in the 100 and 200 meters. Following the 200 title, Williams asked the PA announcer at Mesa Community College to tell the crowd that the medal was not hers as she fought back tears. Williams was close friends with Peoria sprinter and boys team captain K.J. Bowen, who was killed in an auto accident while returning home from a funeral in New Mexico with his family in late April. Upon winning the 200, Williams dedicated the medal to Bowen.
WINTER
Biggest basketball upset: St. Mary's (Phoenix) over Mesa. Mesa had it all, a top-flight point guard in Jahii Carson, a dominant post man in Blondy Baruti, the state’s top ranking and national recognition. St. Mary’s didn’t care. Behind Chris Mason's 26 points, the Knights overcame a 10-point, first-half deficit to upset the Jackrabbits, 65-62, in the 5A-I state quarterfinals. Carson led Mesa with 23 points, but the Jackrabbits struggled without starting guard Mohamad Sobh (ankle injury).
Best on the hardwood: Goodyear Estrella Foothills' Corey Hawkins. Hawkins averaged 36 points during the season and set state career and season scoring records to help Goodyear Estrella Foothills capture its third straight Class 3A boys basketball title with a 77-57 win over Round Valley (Eagar). Hawkins poured in 1,152 points this season, a state record. He had 3,164 points in his career, another state record. And he drained 14 3-pointers in a game, tying a state mark. He will attend Arizona State in the fall.
Best athletic program: Xavier College Prep (Phoenix). It was starting to get ridiculous. After winning every fall team title in which they entered a team, the Gators won the girls 5A-I soccer title and advanced to the state basketball quarterfinals. But a loss to Gilbert Highland finally ended the run and the state’s most dominant girls program had to “settle” for six team titles this season (golf, swimming, volleyball, cross country, badminton and soccer).
Biggest dynasty: Sunnyside (Tucson) wrestling. Sunnyside won its 11th straight state team title by edging rival Oro Valley (Tucson), 35-24 in the team title match. The 11-point margin was the closest anyone has come to coach Bobby DeBerry’s bunch in that span.
Best girls story: Dobson (Mesa) beats St. Mary's (Phoenix) for 5A-I basketball title. St. Mary’s was the top dog all season. Despite a lineup littered with freshmen and sophomores, the Knights rolled into the title game with a 23-5 record and the state’s top ranking. But Mustangs point guard Andrea Jones hit a tying 3-pointer with three seconds left in regulation, then sank a mid-range jumper with six seconds left in overtime to give the 10th-seeded Mustangs (29-7) a most improbable 61-59 state-championship game win at Arizona State’s Wells Fargo Arena.
FALL
Best football upset: The Marcos de Niza (Tempe) football team’s takedown of top-ranked, unbeaten, three-time defending champ and national powerhouse Centennial (Peoria) in the state 5A-II semifinals. Devon Jones kicked a 34-yard field goal with 6:11 remaining to provide the winning points in Marcos’ 16-14 shocker. Centennial hadn't lost to a Class 5A Division II school since the 2005 championship game, while rolling to a 39-game winning streak.
Best Cinderella story: Mesa football. Packed in the powerhouse 5A-I Fiesta Region with Hamilton (Chandler), Chandler, Brophy College Prep (Phoenix) and Red Mountain (Mesa), Mesa wasn’t expected to do much. The Jackrabbits dropped close calls to Chandler, Red Mountain and Brophy during the regular season, and played one game without several players who were suspended by coach Kelley Moore. Thanks to its strength of schedule and 6-0 nonregion record, Mesa still managed a playoff spot as a No. 12 seed. The Jackrabbits beat Red Mountain and Brophy in the first two games, then hung on late to give Mountain Pointe (Phoenix) its only loss of the season in the state semifinals. Mesa lost to Hamilton in the Jackrabbits' first championship game since 1992, but the berth marked a revival at a school whose changing demographics had led some to believe it would never live up to its powerful past.
Best individual swimmer: Desert Vista (Phoenix) junior Katie Olsen set a state record in the 100 breaststroke at 1:00.68.
Best inspirational story: Jorge Martinez. Alhambra (Phoenix)'s Martinez used the recent death of a cousin as motivation and inspiration in winning the state cross country title and leading his team to the 5A-I crown with a time of 15 minutes, 39.7 seconds.
Best three-peat: Phoenix Xavier won its third consecutive Class 5A Division I title and fourth in the past five seasons by defeating Corona del Sol (Tempe) 25-9, 25-12, 25-15 in the championship match.
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 and other local teams. He also writes a weekly column and other features for The Arizona Republic. You can reach him at craig@wordsmithonline.com.
