Phoenix North senior guard Daniel Bejarano became the last of Arizona’s star class of guards to lead his team to a 2010 state title when the Mustangs topped Laveen Cesar Chavez, 71-66, for the Class 5A Division I boys basketball title at Arizona State University’s Wells Fargo Arena.
Bejarano joined Goodyear Estrella Foothills guard Corey Hawkins (ASU), who won the 3A title, and Tucson Santa Rita guard Terrell Stoglin (Maryland), who won a 4A-II title. Only Kansas-bound guard Royce Woolridge fell short of his goal when Phoenix Sunnyslope lost the 4A-I title game at the buzzer to Tempe McClintock.
The championship was especially poignant for Bejarano, who has been under intense scrutiny and pressure this season to get North to the top before heading off to the University of Arizona next fall. Bejarano’s father was shot and killed during the summer, so after the game he looked up to the rafters and pointed his finger as tribute.
Other top storylines from the week
2. Postponement of a champion: St. Mary's (Phoenix) was the top girls basketball team in the state all year. When it reached the Class 5A-I title game, most observers expected the Knights to earn the first of many crowns. Dobson (Mesa) ended such thoughts, but the Knights will be back. St. Mary’s had just one contributing senior this season and five freshmen who played heavy minutes and contributed heavy stats. The future looks bright.
3. Hear them roar: The boys volleyball season kicked off last week and Gilbert Mesquite served notice. The Wildcats won the prestigious 16-team Chandler Wolf Howl Invitational on Saturday, a tournament in which they played eight matches. Mesquite followed that showing with a victory over Mesa Mountain View on Tuesday.
4. On track: The track and field season is under way with several teams looking to defend long streaks as state champions. National record holder Chandler Valley Christian is chasing its 15th consecutive Class 2A girls crown. The Tempe Prep girls are looking for their sixth straight 1A title, the Chandler girls are looking for their fifth straight 5A-I title and Phoenix Desert Vista’s boys are going for four straight.
5. Kiwanis crowns: Phoenix Desert Vista’s Ahmad Saleem and Tempe Corona del Sol’s Kelsey Lawson captured the boys and girls singles titles at the 61st annual North Phoenix Kiwanis High School Tennis Invitational at the Paseo Racquet Center in Glendale. The tournament regularly gets lost in the shuffle, due to poor scheduling that coincides with the state basketball tournaments, but is the most prestigious of the state’s tournaments (other than state).
The Fab 5
1. Sherod Hardt, Queen Creek, Sr.: It's early in the high school track season (many states haven’t started their seasons), but Hardt’s time in a 1,600 meter victory last week was the fastest in the nation this year at four minutes, 11.49 seconds.
2. Aaron Parks, Flagstaff Coconino, Jr., P: Struck out 14 batters in just six innings of work in Coconino’s win over Gilbert Higley.
3. Alex Brown, Tucson Amphitheater, Sr., P: Tossed a no-hitter in the Panthers’ 12-2, five-inning win over Tucson Pueblo. The two Pueblo runs came on errors.
4. Ryan Zettle, Anthem Boulder Creek, Jr. G: Hit a half-court, third-quarter buzzer-beater to give Boulder Creek a 43-40 lead over Scottsdale Chaparral in the Class 5A-II boys basketball title game, then hit the winning 3-pointer to give Boulder Creek the title.
5. Andrea Jones, Mesa, Dobson, Sr., PG: Hit the game-tying 3-pointer to force overtime in the Class 5A-I girls basketball title game, then sank the game-winning, pull-up jumper to help Dobson upset top-seeded Phoenix St. Mary’s.
On deck
The 15th annual Bullhead City Mohave Tournament of Champions, sponsored by MaxPreps, runs Thursday through Saturday. You can view a list of teams, the full schedule and the bracket at the official site, www.maxprepstoc.com. Arizona teams entered include: Peoria Centennial; Yuma Cibola; Vail Cienega; Phoenix Greenway, Kingman, Bullhead City Mohave, Glendale Sandra Day O'Connor and Phoenix St. Mary's with star pitcher Dallas Escobedo.
Recruiting news
Arcadia sophomore shooting guard Larry Lewis committed to play for USC. … Chandler junior quarterback Brett Hundley, one of the state’s best underclassmen, was offered a scholarship by the University of Arizona – the school at which his father played football.
Craig’s cranium
The Arizona Interscholastic Association's Legislative Council approved an amendment to a bylaw that will render students who transfer to another school where their club coach is already employed ineligible for one year. AIA executive director Dr. Harold Slemmer said the amendment is similar to a rule Oregon uses to stem the flow of athletes following their club coaches to schools.
While the Oregon bylaw does not allow for appeal, the AIA Legislative Council will allow for a hardship appeal. That’s a good decision. Mesa district athletic director Steve Hogen is one of those in favor of the bylaw, but cited a specific case in which the appeal process will be necessary. In Mesa, many of the high school swimming coaches also coach at Mesa Aquatics, a large swim club. Penalizing athletes for moving to another school within the Mesa district for legitimate reasons not involving athletics would be unfair.
As with all hardship appeals, the onus for separating fact from fiction will be on the AIA – another headache the association is willing to take on in an effort to please its member schools while attempting to solve a very real problem. Kudos to the AIA for getting this done.
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.
