Welcome to PHXFan!
PHXFan is the leading sports blog for Arizona High School and College sports. It is the next generation of SportZine Magazine, which hit high school campuses throughout the Valley in 2003. More About PHXFan...
Arizona Sports (AZCentral)- Source: Phoenix Coyotes GM Don Maloney close to contract extension May 23, 2013
- Arizona Diamondbacks' Adam Eaton doesn't have structural damage in elbow May 23, 2013
- Arizona Cardinals' Ryan Williams says he was playing scared May 23, 2013
- ASU football head coach Todd Graham 'twice as prepared' to face tough schedule May 23, 2013
- LeBron James saves Miami Heat at buzzer of Game 1 May 23, 2013
Archive for May, 2009
-
Mountain Pointe senior key to state volleyball title
Posted on May 31, 2009 | No Comments
Jared Morrison wrapped up his senior season on the Mountain Pointe boys volleyball team with a hitting percentage of 50 per cent, something few players ever achieve, and then capped off a great team season by being named Boys Volleyball Player of the Year.
His outstanding play this year also resulted in a second straight 5A-I state title for The Pride.
Morrison, who is normally an outside hitter, found himself also playing setter this year. He had 161 kills and 38 aces on the season. He was named the team's Most Valuable Player and also earned MVP honors in two tournaments during the course of the season, and then ran the table by being selected Player of the Year for the Div. I Central Region.
Joining Morrison on the All-Arizona first team: Colin Kennedy, senior, Sahuaro HS; Pat Tunnell, senior, Salpointe Catholic HS; Parker Del Re, senior, Highland HS; Jordan Sunderhaus, senior, Red Mountain HS; and Garrett Voge, senior, Catalina Foothills HS. Second team honors: Kevin Villela, junior, Deer Valley HS; Alex Hamill, senior, Mountain Pointe HS; Jeff Dumbrell, senior, Boulder Creek HS; Kyle Webb, junior, Gilbert HS; Nate Usevitch, senior, Mesquite HS; and Kyle Tatum, senior, Sahuaro HS.
Honorable mentions... (continued next page) -
Holy 'Hoosiers'! It's old-school basketball championships!
Posted on May 28, 2009 | No Comments
Hey, if your high school didn't win a basketball championship this year... you get another chance this summer!
The Grand Canyon State Games (GCSG) and Arizona Basketball Coaches Association (ABCA) have put together the first annual Arizona State Summer High School Basketball Championships for boys and girls teams. And it's not just for varsity teams; JV and freshmen will also compete for the trophy and bragging rights.
Teams will qualify by finishing first or second in any one of 33 different summer leagues, summer tournaments, or team camp events. A list of participating events is included on page 2 of this article - check to see if you're going to a qualifier.
The three divisions of boys and girls teams will run concurrently, beginning June 29 and will crown the winners on July 2. Skyline High School in Mesa will host the boys events, and Maricopa High School's new 3-gym facility will be the site for the girls' championship.
Organizers have decided to use the "Indiana Old-School" (shades of the movie, "Hoosiers"!) single-elimination tournament because they feel it will allow teams from all regular high school divisions to compete for one champion. That way, they say only the best varsity, JV, and freshman teams will be crowned the summer state champions.
Qualifying events on next page; more info at gcsg.org or azbbcoaches.com.
-
High School basketball tips off on the big stage
Posted on May 25, 2009 | No Comments
Sixty-five high school basketball players showcased their game over the weekend, as the Arizona Basketball Coaches Association and the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury hosted the second annual Boys All Star Games at US Airways Arena in downtown Phoenix. A crowd estimated at 800-900 was on hand for the match-up between the East and West squads in the senior compeition, which was followed by a sophomore/junior All Star game.
Suns coach, Alvin Gentry, played a big part in the program, addressing the teams before the game and then greeting each player individually as they went on the floor. ASU center and All Pac 10 selection, Jeff Pendergraph, made a guest appearance.
Dan Davignon from ArizonaVarsity.com provided a follow-up summary to Valley coaches. Here's a portion of that report:
The closest game of the evening was the 4A-5A Senior contest. The North team was led by Nick Markovich with 19 (Basha), Booker T Washington with 14 (Chavez), Eric Hunt with 11 (MVT), and Marques Edwards with 11 (Chavez). Hunt and Edwards led the team on defense and shut down the middle on the South. Aaron Anderson led the South with 16 (Marana Mt. View), Danny Maman had 14 (Desert Mtn.), Tyler Miller with 13 (Basha), Marcus Ayala with 11 (Maryvale), and Jon Hawkins with 9 and a fistful of assists (Greenway). Brandon Duliakis (Ironwood Ridge) was a force in the middle on both ends on the glass and defense. It was a seesaw battle near the end but the North pulled it out 90-89. The story of the game was Washington who had a tremendous slam that brought the crowd up, excelled in all facets of the game, and won the overall state shooting. (Continued...) -
If you get your bell rung, sit it out for awhile
Posted on May 22, 2009 | No CommentsA new study is telling athletes at all levels that it's just plain stupid to return to play too quickly after suffering a concussion on the field.
The study was done by the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH. It adds to the growing concern in the sports community about the long-term effects of concussions, and whether schools have adequately-trained personnel on the sidelines to make sound decisions about these injuries.
An article by Janice Lloyd in USA Today points out the latest research indicates as many as 40.5% of the athletes that suffer concussions return to play too soon, and that concussions account for almost one in 10 of sports injuries. And, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 3.5 million sports-related concussions occur each year in the U.S.
In fact, one set of statistics claims that 16 per cent of football players said they returned to the field on the same day the concussion occurred. The majority of concussions apparently occur in football and girls soccer.
One state, Washington, has even enacted a law that regulates when a high school athlete can return to games after sustaining a concussion. It's call Zackery Lystedt's Law, named after a 16-year-old football player who suffered a brain injury in 2006 after returning to play after suffering a concussion.
The law, which is the first of its kind in the country, stipulates that a youth athlete who suffers a concussion cannot return to the activity until he/she has written consent from a health provider. (continued next page)
-
Texas running back tops SN 100 list
Posted on May 9, 2009 | No Comments
Marcus Lattimore (photo left), a powerful 207 lb. running back from Byrnes High School in Duncan, SC, was named the No. 1 player in the 2010 class as Sporting News Today released it's Top 100 list of recruits.
The list of players was selected based on discussions with 300 players in the 2010 class. In addition to the usual talent factor, SN also worked character and maturity into the criteria for inclusion in this inaugural list. Lattimore has not committed to a college yet, but made a visit to Auburn.
Here's who made the top 20 on the list:
2) Lache Seastrunk, 5'10" runnng back from Temple HS in Texas 3) Seantrel Henderson, 301 lb. offensive lineman from Cretin-Durham Hall HS in Saint Paul, Minn. 4) Lamarcus Joyner, 5'9" RB from St. Thomas Aquinas HS in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 5) Matt Elam, 205 lb. DB from Dwyer HS in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. 6) Justin McCay, 6'4" WR from Bishop Miege HS in Shawnee Mission, Kan. 7) Jamel Turner, 205 lb. defensive lineman from Ursuline HS in Youngstown, OH 8) Corey Nelson, 200 lb. LB from Skyline HS in Dallas, TX 9) Gabe King, 230 lb. defensive lineman from Page HS in Greensboro, NC 10) DeMarco Cobbs, 6'2" WR from Central HS in Tulsa, OK (continued)
-
Confidence is a key to top athletic performance
Posted on May 8, 2009 | No CommentsPrior to Super Bowl III, New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath made one of the boldest statements in the history of sports when he guaranteed victory against the powerful and heavily-favored Baltimore Colts. Namath and the Jets made good on his claim, however, and defeated the Colts in what many consider to be one of the greatest upsets of all time. Broadway Joe (as Namath was called) certainly wasn’t short on believing in his ability to achieve his goals – and neither should you.
Former NBA great Michael Jordan once said that you have to expect things of yourself before you can do them. What MJ is really talking about is confidence, or your overall belief in your ability to be successful in your sport. Keep in mind that ultimately your performance will be determined by how you think, feel, and act during a competition. You need to realize that your confidence plays a very important role in how you think, feel, and act. More specifically, research in sport psychology suggests that confident athletes:
· think more productively,
· feel more positive emotions and less negative emotions,
· and act in ways that lead to greater achievement.
To get a better idea of how your confidence level might affect the way you think, feel, and act while you play, let’s look at William, a very confident pitcher for his high school baseball team. (Continued)
-
4A, 5A state tennis championships have great storylines
Posted on May 4, 2009 | No Comments
You had to enjoy the feel-good stories that played out in the 5A II state tennis championships, as Pinnacle High School's girls picked up two more tennis titles Saturday after winning the team championships earlier in the week, the school's first ever in tennis... and the 5A II state singles title went to a freshman. Meanwhile, in 4A play, the storyline revolved around brothers competing together - and against each other!
Pinnacle's No. 2 seed, Priscilla Annoul, won the singles title by defeating Shannon Contreras of Tucson Ironwood Ridge HS, 6-2, 6-0. The doubles title went to Pinnacle's Katie Metz and Mackenzie Onofry after their 6-2, 6-3 victory over Alyson Fix and Brittany Brewer of Deer Valley HS.
On the boys' side, it was the top-seeded freshman from Horizon HS, Nicholas Montoya, winning the singles title from No. 2 James Carr of Marcos de Niza HS, 6-2, 6-4. And Ironwood Ridge was guaranteed a win in the doubles as both teams were from that Tucson school. No. 1 Timothy Holten and Dillon Kennedy teamed up to defeat teammates Josh Taylor, seeded No. 2, and Conor Spiegel, 7-5, 6-1. It was Holten and Kennedy's second straight doubles title.
In 5A I competition, Kelsey Lawson of Corona del Sol won the girls singles title by defeating Tucson Salpointe Catholic's Maggie McGeorge in dominating fashion, winning 6-1, 6-1. But Salpointe Catholic fared better in doubles competition, as Lauren Amos and Courtney Amos (cousins) won the doubles title over Xavier, 7-6, (8-6), 6-1.
On the boys' side in 5A I, Mountain Pointe High School's Andy Nguyen climbed back to the top of the, closing out his high school career with a second state title, 6-4, 6-2, over No. 2 Garet Dunn of Corona del Sol HS. Nguyen was the title-holder his sophomore year. In doubles, second-seeded Kyle Ogren and Alex Lawson of Corona del Sol HS defeated Brophy Prep's Chris Salvatore and Eric Chalmers, 7-6, 3-6, 7-5.
In 4A competition, the Notre Dame Prep girls picked up a couple of titles in 4A II and Chaparral HS did the same in 4A I play. (Continued)