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Peterson retires, Enders named Red Mtn football coach

BY ZACH ALVIRA

Tribune Sports Editor

Becoming the head football coach at Red Mountain High School has been a dream for Kyle Enders since he played for the program under legendary coach Jim Jones. It was where he got his first opportunity in coaching at the lower level, learning from former coach Ron Wisniewski and most recently, Mike Peterson. It became well-known that Peterson was grooming Enders to take over the program when it came time for him to step away.

That day came on Friday, Jan. 28 when Peterson announced he would officially retire from coaching. Red Mountain’s admin team named Enders just the fourth head coach in program history shortly after.

“I’m super excited for this opportunity. I’m fired up to be honest with you,” Enders said. “I know Peterson is going to be here for any questions I have, and he’s been a great mentor. There’s been other opportunities that have come my way, but this is the one where I always thought if I’m going to make the jump, this is the place I wanted to do it.”

A 2007 graduate of Red Mountain, Enders has been a part of the program for more than a decade, well before he began teaching in the district.

He started off as an assistant, helping with the linebackers and special teams. Peterson, who was the defensive coordinator at the varsity level under Wisniewski, gave him the opportunity at the varsity level when he was just 23 years old. Eventually, when Peterson took over five years ago, Enders moved up and became the defensive coordinator. Since then, Red Mountain has had a stretch as one of the top defenses in the state, catalyzed by high-powered offenses that made the Mountain Lions a well-rounded team.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to work under some really good coaches that gave me opportunities,” Enders said. “Peterson saw something in me that you don’t always see in yourself as a kid.”

Kyle Enders, who served as Red Mountain’s defensive coordinator, was named the program’s fourth head coach after Mike Peterson announced he would step down and

retire. (Courtesy Red Mountain Athletics)

Peterson led the Mountain Lions to the postseason four out of his five seasons leading the program. In 2017, he led them to the semifinals. Two years later, they played and lost in overtime to Liberty in the 6A Conference championship game – the first year of the Open Division. In 2020, the “COVID season,” Red Mountain finished 3-4 but bounced back this past season by making a run to the 6A Conference semifinals.

Peterson said in a text message that he knew it was time to step away. He informed his players of his decision the same morning Enders was announced as the program’s new head coach.

“I told the team this morning: it’s like grandpa says, ‘the two best days & worst days of your life are the day you buy a boat and the day you sell a boat,’” Peterson wrote in the text. “Today is one of those days for me - I’m retiring from coaching.

seeENDERS page 28

Arizona Arsenal to hold tryouts for Premier soccer leagues

BY ZACH ALVIRA

Tribune Sports Editor

Arizona Arsenal Soccer Club, one of the top organizations for youth soccer in the state, is further expanding its empire to cater to adults looking to play at a high level.

Arsenal announced Wednesday it had become the latest club to expand and join the United Premier Soccer League and Women’s Premier Soccer League. The leagues, which cater to players ages 18-30 in a highly competitive club format, are among the largest professional-development organizations in the country and world.

Teams in the two leagues span across the country. The women’s league alone has more than 125 teams with Arizona Arsenal being the latest to join.

“We at Arizona Arsenal Soccer Club are super excited about this,” said Ty Iannone, the general manager of Arsenal’s two team joining the Premier Soccer League. “We’re going to expand into the professional soccer realm now. We want to give something to our youth they can strive for and play with. It will be the top team, in some sense.” Iannone said the process of putting these two teams together and joining the UPSL has been a long one. He, alongside Arsenal Technical Director Dave Belfort, have worked countless hours trying to put the logistics in place for the teams to join as expansions for Arizona.

But they managed to get it done. Now, Arizona Arsenal Soccer Club recently announced it was named an expansion for the United Premier Soccer League, a professional-development league catering to high-level players ranging from ages 18-30. Tryouts will be held in three sessions in February at Bell Bank Park.

THE MESA TRIBUNE | FEBRUARY 6, 2022

Seton girls eye threepeat under legendary coach

BY GABRIELLE DUCHARME

Cronkite News

Always apply full-court pressure. Always force opposing players to their left when they have the ball.

In theory, those simple building blocks explain how Seton Catholic women’s basketball coach Karen Self has built her program and keeps her teams on top.

Under Self, Seton Catholic has won 12 state titles, including the last two 4A championships, and has appeared in 17 championship games. “Play defense,” Self said. “We have made a name for our program by playing outstanding team defense.”

Self’s players practice two hours a day, six days a week. They travel across the country, from New York to sunny California, to chase the best competition the nation has to offer. Late-night film sessions are followed by 6 a.m. weightlifting.

“Everybody’s gunning for you when you’ve won state the last two years, and 12 overall,” Self said. “Everybody’s always gunning for us.”

Coaches like Self don’t become legendary without maintaining high expectations.

That was evident midway through the third quarter of a recent game against St. Mary’s. The Sentinels were headed for another victory but Self called a timeout, visibly frustrated after one of her young forwards committed a foul. “Play defense!” Self shouted. “Stop letting people drive by you so you can block their shot. That is horrible defense!”

Seton’s defense strangled the Knights after that timeout and Seton went on to win 53-33, outscoring St. Mary’s 25-14 in the second half. Senior captain Sasha Daniel led the way with 21 points.

Teams haven’t always been gunning for Seton, which was the Valley’s smallest Catholic school before a fire destroyed most of its old campus near downtown Chandler in the 1980s. Self arrived at Seton’s new campus near Ray Road and Dobson in 1992 as a 22-year-old, a year removed from playing basketball for Arizona State. “My first season, we went 12-14 and I thought ‘I don’t know if I can do this.’ Self said. “I was so afraid to tell them that I didn’t want to come back. It got to be a couple weeks before the season. My husband and I talked about it, and we’re like, ‘Well, I can’t really tell them now.’” In year two, her system “clicked,” Self said. The Sentinels won their first state title in her fifth season. Seton has been clicking ever since, and Self is in her 30th season.

“It’s unbelievable to look back and think how quickly this has gone, how many people who have touched my life,” Self said.

Seton Catholic coach Karen Self has won 12 state championships and is hoping for a 13th in her 30th season. (Courtesy of Seton Catholic) “And just being a part of, you know, going to this wedding or going to this baby shower (over the years).” This year’s team is young, with four freshmen, one sophomore and just two seniors. As always, Self relies heavily on her team captains – Daniel and junior guard Amelie Cartagena – to lead the young players and ingrain Seton’s teamfirst culture. Daniel and Cartagena grew up in the program, winning a state title in 2020 a week before the COVID-19 pandemic really took hold. They won again while playing under strict COVID-19 protocols in 2021. Then, they were appointed captains of one of the youngest teams in program history and tasked with handling the pressure that comes with pursuit of a three-peat. “It’s pretty intense,” Daniel said. “There’s never a day where we just kind of slack off. Every day has meaning.” Daniel never stops competing because she’s on a mission to maintain the program’s level of excellence.

“When you look at the wall and see all the championships from girls basketball, you see that’s a big legacy to live up to,” Daniel said. “At school, people expect (us) to win all the time. You live up to this really big legacy.”

It’s been a tough season for Cartagena. During a practice in early November, the two-time state champion started feeling her throat close up. She was diagnosed with an allergic reaction. But to this day, doctors don’t know what caused it.

Then two weeks later, Seton traveled to San Diego for a tournament. Four minutes into their first game, Cartagena stepped on a player’s foot, causing a painful sprain. She was sidelined again. During the St. Mary’s game, Cartagena sat next to Self and assistant coach Kayla Refner, cheering on her teammates.

“I wouldn’t expect anything else from her,” Self said. “She’s a very intense player. She’s very smart and has a very high basketball IQ.”

As a former player for Seton Catholic and Self, Refner has mentored Cartagena the same way she has supported many Seton players through the years.

“I really tried to focus on individuals a lot,” Refner said. “So Karen has a big picture in mind and can see that very, very

see SETON page 29

ENDERS from page 27

It’s time, it’s a young man’s game.”

He went on to reiterate his desire for Enders to take over the program.

“I’ve always said, when I’m done, then Kyle Enders should be the guy & administration has made that possible,” he said. “He’s an energetic, bright young coach who will do great things moving Red Mountain Football forward. I’ll still be here on campus loving Red Mtn kids, staff, coaches, and athletics.”

Not only the school, but the entire Red Mountain community still holds a special place in Enders’ heart.

He always remained in the community even after he began to start his own family. He’s always felt the support from members and knew it was the place he wanted to be even if he had to wait for the opportunity to become head coach.

“I take a lot of pride in this community, and I wanted to make a difference with these kids,” Enders said. “The impact this place has had on me, I want to do the same for the kids. Things don’t always work out where you can stay where you went. But I was thankful to have the opportunities for me to grow as a coach. There was never a reason for me to leave here.”

Enders plans to take it this opportunity in stride.

His next goal is to meet with coaches still on staff to go over the 2021 season and look forward to 2022. He said he will begin to fill holes as needed on the staff and begin getting the community excited for the new era of Red Mountain football. “Once I get a core staff together, we will make a decision as a group on how we want to operate moving forward,” Enders said. “Probably in about a week or so I want to address some parents in the community, answer questions and introduce myself.

“A lot of them may know me but I want to get them excited about the season and Red Mountain football.”■ Peterson, who led the Mountain Lions for five seasons, said he felt it was the right time to step away from coaching. He had always believed Enders was the guy who should take over after he called it a career. Now, that became a reality. (Dave Minton/Tribune Staff)

well. And she can see that for other teams.”

Daniel takes a place among the best in Seton history.

“Sasha is gonna be stellar every night, that’s just what she does,” Self said.

Self impacts her players far beyond the court, and she is well aware of the role she can play in their lives beyond their hoop dreams.

“When we are surrounded by strong women who can help these kids develop and follow their dreams, it normalizes something that wasn’t normal for me as a child,” Self said.

An economics and math teacher at Seton Catholic, Self is a mother of four children, including triplets and a child born 21 months before the triplets.

When she was pregnant with her triplets, doctors told Self to go on bed rest over Thanksgiving. But it was the beginning of the basketball season, so hopeful that she could continue coaching, she pushed back.

Naturally, she was persuasive and convinced the doctor to let her coach under strict guidelines. Self used a wheelchair and was hooked up to a terbutaline pump to ease her breathing and help prevent early on-set labor.

She coached all the way up to the state semifinals.

ARSENAL from page 27

comes the fun part: finding players.

Arsenal will hold three tryouts for prospective players for both the men’s and women’s teams. The cost per player to tryout will be $50, which allows them to attend all three days – though not a requirement.

Tryouts will be held Thursday, Feb. 10, Wednesday, Feb. 16 and Monday, Feb. 28 on the turf fields at Bell Bank Park, the new multi-million-dollar sports and entertainment facility that recently opened in Mesa. Bell Bank, which is managed by Legacy Sports USA and partnered with Arsenal, will host all home matches for the two teams in the UPSL. Games will be played inside the main stadium at the park.

“With our staff and with our partnership with Legacy, I think it’s going to be really exciting,” Iannone said. “I’m excited to see where it goes. I’m going to be playing for one of the teams as well.”

Iannone and Belfort are currently in the process of securing sponsors for the

Her children were born just four days after the semifinals. She was unable to attend the state championship game, and the Sentinels lost.

All she could think about was not being present for her team’s heartwrenching loss.

After that season ended, there was still the matter of Self and her husband raising four children all born within 21 months. So she hired what she calls a “basketball nanny” to help navigate the “baby chaos.”

“I would take a portion of my basketball pay and pay them to be there on every game day,” Self said.

Now, Self mentors younger female coaches. She advises many to also invest in a “basketball nanny,” and regularly consults with ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne, who raised three sons while coaching.

Beyond state titles, national tournaments and college scholarships, Self’s program is preparing players for the next chapter in their lives – whether it involves basketball or not.

Self hopes the sport helps her players envision the path to greater accomplishments.

“It just changes the way kids see those possibilities in the future that’s available to them,” she said. ■

team. Iannone hopes, aside from the tryouts, players will not have to come out of pocket for any costs related to playing for the two teams.

In total, they hope to have 40 players per roster.

Arsenal joins FC Arizona and FC Tucson as another club team from the state to join the UPSL. In total, 18 teams are joining as expansions for the 2022 season, including Arsenal. “We are excited to finally get it launched and have the tryouts and get to compete against other teams in the area,” Iannone said. “We are trying to make this as professional as possible and create a stepping stone for our youth and an opportunity for our alumni to play for the summer and get ready for the MLS Draft, college or wherever they may be playing.

“I think this is good not only for Arsenal, but all of Arizona.”

For more information about the tryout process and to register, visit www.

azarsenalsc.org/upsl. ■