SPORTS

Chandler Sports Hall of Fame celebrates latest induction class

BY ZACH ALVIRA

Arizonan Sports Editor

N’Keal Harry’s favorite memory from his time at Chandler High School came in the 2014 state championship game at State Farm Stadium.

Knowing the Wolves had the game secured, he stood on his team’s bench with quarterback Bryce Perkins and athlete Chase Lucas. The trio faced the crowd in their Nos. 1, 2 and 3 jerseys and raised their hands in the air. The crowd erupted in the stands. Chandler’s players erupted on the field moments later when the championship was officially theirs.

Moments like that made Harry an icon in Chandler and the state. What he went on to do after that cemented his legacy as one of the state’s greats, despite his young age.

Another chapter in his legacy was written on Saturday, Feb. 19 at Hamilton High School as the 24-year-old joined

six others — Dr. Camille Casteel, Valley Christian’s Greg Haagsma, Hamilton tennis coach Phil Gonzales, Hamilton alum Cole Luke, Perry and Findlay Prep basketball standout Markus Howard and Basha softball great Sierra Rodriguez as the 17th class to be inducted into the Chandler Sports Hall of Fame. “Just all the hard work I’ve put in throughout the years – all the blood, sweat and tears – to see it all come to fruition, it’s a blessing,” Harry said. “It’s an indescribable feeling.” Harry’s legacy began at Chandler as a junior, where he caught 30 passes for 657 yards and 13 touchdowns. As a senior he was ranked as the top wideout From top left: N’Keal Harry, Mark Tucker, Phil Gonzales, Greg Haagsma, Camille Casteel in the country and enrolled at Arizona and Sierra Rodriguez were all part of the 17th induction class or special recognition to State. the Chandler Sports Hall of Fame Saturday, Feb. 19 at Hamilton High School. Cole Luke He is currently in the top four all-time and Markus Howard were also inducted. (Dave Minton/Staff) for receptions, yards and touchdowns

seeHALL OF FAME page 29

Chandler Raiders win second consecutive flag national title

BY DREW SCHOTT Arizonan Staff Writer

When the Chandler Raiders arrived in Las Vegas, Caleb Ely and Trey Knox felt like they and their teammates would be lifting a trophy after the NFL Flag National Championships.

Since Dec. 2016, the Raiders — led by head coach Harley Ely and assistant coach Percy Knox, the fathers of Caleb and Trey — had numerous reasons to back up the prediction.

They have succeeded on multiple levels of flag football by building a team of players similar in age across multiple seasons.

They have the pedigree of winning big games, earning a title at the 12-and-under level in the 2020 NFL Flag National Championship game.

“I just felt that we had a connection and some of the other teams didn’t,” Trey Knox said. “I just felt like we had this in the bag.”

But there was a more nostalgic reason, as well. Harley Ely said the tournament was “probably the end of our flag football run” due to players moving on to high school and aging out.

So the Raiders made sure to make a lasting memory in what was likely their final game together, winning the 2022 14-and-under NFL Flag National Championship 13-12 over the Apex Predators at Allegiant Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.

“It was just a great way to go out and reward these boys for all the hard work and preparation they put in,” Harley Ely said. “It’s just great to go out on top.”

According to Percy Knox’s calculations, the Raiders — who won back-toFrom left: Percy Knox, Carter Ochoa, Caleb Ely, Ryder Rapp, Gage Baker, Jayden Giacinto, Dylan Quick, Dash Blake, Trey Knox, Alphonso Gloria, Jack Lewis and coach Harley Ely are all part of the Raiders football program that claimed the 14U national champion-

at ASU. He was named a freshman AllAmerican and a three-time All-Pac12 performer. Harry declared for the NFL Draft after his junior year at ASU and was selected in the first round in 2019 by the New England Patriots.

The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder had always dreamed of not only representing his family, but Chandler and Arizona State. He’s done that well and added another chapter to his legacy by being inducted into the Chandler Sports Hall of Fame.

“Being in a setting like this, I’m getting inducted with some of the guys I grew up with,” Harry said. “It takes you back and it really lets you remember what it took to get to this point.”

Harry and Luke were the two football players inducted into the Hall of Fame this class. Luke, who was a standout cornerback at Hamilton, helped lead the Huskies to the 2012 state title.

He received several high caliber offers from programs and decided on the University of Notre Dame. In his career for the Irish, Luke became top three all-time in single season passes broken up with 11. He also ranks in the top 10 for most career pass break ups.

Drafted in 2017, he signed as a free agent with the Carolina Panthers and made his NFL debut two years later. He also spent time with the Washington Football Team in his career.

Luke and Howard were the two not able to be in attendance for the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Howard attended Perry before transferring to Findlay Prep in Las Vegas, where he became a top recruit in basketball. He went on to star at Marquette and was a two-time All-American, set the school’s all-time career scoring record with 2,761 points and averaged a staggering 27.8 points per game as a senior.

Howard went undrafted in 2020 but signed with the Denver Nuggets, where he has played for two seasons. Just like his older brother Jordan in 2019, he’s now part of the Chandler Sports Hall of Fame.

“When I’m watching basketball, softball or football and they said things like, ‘N’Keal Harry, Chandler, Ariz.,’ it’s just tremendous,” Casteel said. “I’m so glad they are successful and I enjoy every minute of it.”

Casteel admitted she was in shock when she was told she would be part of this year’s induction class. She was never an athlete and preferred watching and supporting them rather than joining them in play.

But she was and still is an icon in Chandler. And under her direction, schools in the district won 94 state championships. She officially retired as superintendent in 2020 following a 25-year stint in the position and 59 overall in the district, where she began as a teacher. Yet she can still be found on a sideline for several district sporting events.

“All of those young students and athletes, what they have accomplished is remarkable,” Casteel said. “It was such a wonderful run and I still enjoy attending the games.”

Casteel said she remembers vividly the accomplishments of Gonzales, who was inducted alongside her last week. He got his start in the district a decade after Casteel, when he was hired to lead the Chandler tennis program in the 1980s.

When Hamilton opened in 1998, he moved down Arizona Avenue to build that program from the ground up. He did it with success.

Under his direction, Hamilton has competed for two state championships and has been in the semifinals five times. He also coached back-to-back doubles champions. Gonzales announced this year would be his last as a coach.

Just like Gonzales, Haagsma has also built an impressive resume as a coach at Valley Christian.

He began his work at the school coaching girls basketball and baseball. He transitioned to boys basketball and has since become one of the winningest coaches in the state with more than 650 wins under his belt.

He’s led the Trojans to six state titles and two runner-up finishes. He also serves as the school’s athletic director and in 2021 was named the 3A Athletic Director of the Year.

Valley Christian is currently the top seed in the 3A playoffs and the favorite to win it all, which would give Haagsma his seventh title as coach.

Winning a state title is special for any coach or athlete. For Rodriguez, it is still her favorite from her time at Basha.

The standout softball player led the Bears to back-to-back titles in 2008-09 before leading Yavapai and Phoenix College to junior college national championships in back-to-back years. While at PC, she batted .535, which is still top five all-time in program history.

Rodriguez went on to star at Arizona State before joining the Mexican National Team and led them to their first Olympic appearance in 2021. She’s accomplished many feats but still vividly remembers the two state titles and representing her hometown on softball’s biggest stage.

“It’s amazing to see your name not only in the spotlight but to say, ‘I’m from Chandler, Ariz.,’” Rodriguez said. “I enjoy representing the city and everyone that comes from it.”

The ceremony also honored all six of Valley Christian’s championship basketball teams and Kerry Croswhite, the beloved Chandler swim coach who passed away in 2020 due to complications with COVID-19.

Mark Tucker, a former All-American at USC who played in the NFL and has been a longtime assistant coach at Hamilton and Phoenix firefighter, was also honored.

Yet again the event put all the talent Chandler has in its past on display, with many more to come.

“It’s an honor to look back at everything I have accomplished and what all of us have,” Rodriguez said. “And there’s no better place to be honored like this than in Chandler.”

RAIDERS from page 28

back national championships — have been one of the country’s most dominant teams in flag football.

Across the last 10 national tournaments, the Raiders have either won the event or lost to its champion, giving the squad a 95 percent rate of making it to the tournament semifinals or farther.

This success can be linked to how the Raiders developed their players. For example, when the program was at 12-andunder status, Harley Ely and Percy Knox led numerous 11-and-12-year-olds so the program would have the veteran experience necessary for a championship chase when the 2019 regionals rolled around.

It paid off in 2020 when the Raiders became the first flag football team from the East Valley since 2013 to win the NFL Flag National Championship.

“Looking back, it’s amazing what we’ve done,” Percy Knox said.

Ahead of the Pro Bowl, the Raiders played in three tournaments. They won the first, a local event called the Hard Count Turkey Bowl, before finishing as runner-ups in the Southwest Showdown a week later to Elite 25.

However, the loss didn’t deter the Raiders, who beat Elite 25 in the regional tournament before winning the regional championship to book a trip to Las Vegas.

In Nevada, the team would have an advantage they hadn’t had since the start of the campaign: a full roster playing together.

“We had two kids that couldn’t play with us at the regional,” Percy Knox said. “So we went into it with eight (players) and won with eight, and then those two, once they were done with what they were doing, they were able to then come in and practice with us. Literally, our first time together was on (Feb. 4) in the pool play.”

The 10 players would lead the Raiders to a 2-1 record in pool play, enough for a berth in the 12-team single-elimination championship tournament.

Knocking off New England Flag Football 26-12 and Metro Select — a team the Raiders played last season — 6-0 earned a championship clash with Apex Predators, based out of the Las Vegas Valley. It also gave the Raiders a significant upgrade in their playing environment, from fields at Heritage Park to Allegiant Stadium, one of the NFL’s newest stadiums with a price tag of $1.9 billion and a seating capacity of 65,000 people.

“It’s not every day that you get to go to the Pro Bowl and play in Allegiant Stadium,” Caleb Ely said.

But Feb. 6 was one of those days. And it ended in triumph for the Raiders, whose celebratory activities included taking a picture with Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. The players also walked through the AFC and NFC’s locker rooms and saw numerous players warming up for the Pro Bowl.

Next season will likely be the Raiders’ first operating as a seven-on-seven club organization. Yet no one plans on forgetting the team’s storied run as a flag football squad anytime soon.

“We were very successful,” Trey Knox said. “It was great to be able to go through all this and win as much as we did.”

Valley Christian wins 3A state basketball title

BY ZACH ALVIRA

Arizonan Sports Editor

Valley Christian was in unfamiliar territory early in the 3A boys basketball state championship game Saturday, Feb. 26 at Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum.

The Trojans found themselves facing a double-digit deficit against Coolidge at the half. They were being out-rebounded, out-shot and overall, out-played in the first two quarters of the biggest game of the season.

Head coach Greg Haagsma used the long intermission to calm his team down and help them refocus on the fundamentals. It worked.

Valley Christian looked like a completely different team led by senior Caleb Shaw as it went on to outscore Coolidge 34-15 in the second half and defeat the Bears 61-56 to capture the 3A title.

“We needed a long halftime to regroup and how to rebound better,” Haagsma said. “They were missing shots in the first half, too. They were just rebounding better. We stepped up the pressure a little bit certainly.

“They were able to go cold and we were able to play an offense where we got some backdoor cuts, be patient and really attack the glass. Which I think really helped us a lot.”

Coolidge jumped all over the Trojans in the first two quarters of play. The duo of Brayden Gant and Belclem Namegabe caused headaches everywhere on the floor and on the glass. Gant finished with a team-high 18 points and 12 rebounds. Namegabe added 16 points and 10 boards of his own.

Coolidge’s ability to not only cash in from beyond the arc but get secondchance opportunities on the offensive end helped it quickly build a double-digit lead. Valley Christian, aside from the heroics from Caleb and his 19 first-half points, appeared to be worn down by Coolidge’s explosive burst of energy early on.

But once settled down, the Trojans took over.

“We just needed to have more intensity,” Caleb said. “Have more intensity and get after it on defense and rebounding.”

Valley Christian went on a 21-6 run in the third quarter, highlighted by its smothering defense, Caleb’s scoring and contributions from 6-foot-3 freshman wing Kyle Grier and Caleb’s younger brother, 6-foot-1 sophomore guard Luke.

Grier, one of three freshmen for the Trojans this season, finished with 12 points and 7 rebounds. It was a quieter night for Luke, who averages more than 10 points a game. He capped off the season with a 7-point, 4-rebound performance.

Even as Valley Christian appeared to have flipped a switch and out-matched Coolidge, the Bears hung around. At one point in the fourth quarter, the Trojan lead was cut to just two points.

Valley Christian had a chance to extend its lead several times from the free throw line. But during a 3-minute stretch in the fourth quarter, the Trojans missed 8-of-9 free throws. Caleb had seven of those.

“He’s got to get better at those, huh?” Haagsma said. “He put us on his back and carried us. He really did. That’s just the player he is.”

Coolidge’s last opportunity to cut the lead was quickly taken away by Caleb, however, when he finally connected on a pair from the line. Luke added two of his own to ice the game.

Caleb hugged Luke after the team had received the trophy and cut down a piece of the net. A senior, it was his way of passing the torch for the Valley Christian program after capping off his high school career with a 31-point, 10-rebound performance.

He had similar success with his older brother Isaiah, who is now a freshman at Grand Canyon, where his father is an assistant coach and his uncle the head coach. Now, he and Luke have a title together.

Valley Christian had been working toward winning the state championship since the summer when it took part in Section 7, a massive basketball showcase featuring some of the top teams in the country.

It was at that moment Haagsma knew his team was special. And even in their few losses – one of which to Centennial, which is playing for the 5A championship – he felt it would benefit his team and prepare them for a grueling championship run.