SPORTS
WEST VALLEY VIEW NEWS | MAY 19, 2021
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Westside golf tourney supports student-athletes BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI West Valley View Executive Editor
T
he foursome of Jeff Lopez, Santino Coronado, Vince Iniquez and Robert Coronado won the 28th annual Cinco de Mayo Benefit Golf Tournament May 1 at Palm Valley Golf Course.
Sanchez...continued from page 16 (I worried) I was going to go out irrelevant in my senior year for my cross-country season,” Sanchez said. “But once you get on that line, and the competitive juices start flowing again, I was like, ‘Dang, I’m out of the boot. I have to go now. This is what I’m built for. This is showtime.’” After such an incredible comeback, Sanchez was dealt an even tougher blow in March. His grandmother, Barbara Jo Mitchell, died less than a week shy of her 57th birthday at her Kansas home. She fought cancer for seven years.
Coronado, Iniquez and Coronado witnessed the hole-in-one shot by Lopez on the par 3, hole 8 on the north course. The second-place winners were Sammy Garcia III, Mike Avila, Kenny Williams and Steve Cruz. Mike Rudolfo Sr., Brian O’Hare, Matt Lucci and Remington Coates took third.
The event featured community and business leaders from across Arizona and is an annual fundraiser event for the Westside Recreational Program. The program has served West Valley youth for more than 50 years and continues to support student-athletes in southwestern Maricopa County.
In addition, the organization provides financial aid to local eighth graders promoting to high school, as well as provides a Christmas party for low-income families. The program thanked the city of Avondale, Rudolfo Brothers Masonry, R-Stucco, Coke and Walmart for their support.
Sanchez lived in Kansas until moving to Arizona in second grade. He said she supported him — before and after the move. “When I was in Kansas, whenever I had a game, whether it was T-ball or just soccer at the rec center … she would always make the drive. She would always be there to cheer me on,” Sanchez said. “She was a very competitive lady, so she instilled that competitive nature into me. She believed in me. (Even after we moved) she would always text me good luck before my big games.” The senior year of high school can be tough for a lot of people as they
prepare for their next steps in life. But even with all that was thrown his way, not to mention the pandemic, Sanchez said he will miss his time at Youngker — especially his running teammates. “I love these dudes,” Sanchez said. “I know it’s cliché or whatever, but these guys are obviously more than teammates. These guys are brothers,” Sanchez said. “It’s just been amazing to see the younger guys grow up with me, and the people in my class have grown up with me. It’s just been fun to watch them get so good.” There is a lot for him to look back on, but he has his sights set on the future.
WOU awaits him in the fall, and he said he couldn’t be more excited. “I think Western Oregon has a lot of pretty places to run,” Sanchez said. “In Arizona, it’s kind of difficult sometimes to get out of bed, like, ‘Hey, let’s go run in the morning,’ because you just run with dirt.” He said he was impressed by his future team’s assistance with cleaning up after a storm during which tree branches fell. “There, I’ll be able to push myself with those guys and work hard with those guys, and seeing them succeed is going to help me succeed, so that’s what I’m looking forward to,” Sanchez said.
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