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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 26, 2021
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Basha’s Cole Martin joins suicide prevention effort BY ZACH ALVIRA Sports Editor
Basha junior defensive back Cole Martin is one of 15 Arizona high school football players who have pledged to raise awareness of teen suicide in Arizona. Martin, one of the top players in the country in the 2023 class, is starring in videos that carry messages of hope to teens struggling with depression, anxiety or suicidal thoughts. Often these teens feel like they have nobody to talk to. Martin and the 14 other players, in partnership with Teen Lifeline and the Grand Canyon State Gridiron Club, hope to show them that is not the case. “They help teens that are in need with suicide support,” Martin said. “It’s a great thing that I’m excited to help with. It’s something that, when they asked. I was more than willing to step up for. To be able to have my voice and have Basha High School be there to help support teens in need, it’s something I was excited to be a part of.” Martin joined Sandra Day O’Connor linebacker Brandon Craddock in a video posted earlier this month about teen suicide. They told them about Teen Lifeline and the availability of people they can turn to.
Left: Teen Lifeline Clinical Director Nikki Kontz became involved with the organization 27 years ago as a sophomore at Xavier Prep after one of her close friends died by suicide. Since then, she’s made a career out of making sure teens know they aren’t alone in their fight with mental illness. Right: Basha junior Cole Martin is one of 15 Arizona high school football players involved in an initiative with Teen Lifeline creating public service announcements for teens struggling with their mental health. (Pablo Robles/Progress Staff)
More public service announcements will continue to through the end of September. They are primarily posted on social media, where Teen Lifeline Clinical Director Nikki Kontz says they
are the most effective. “People have reached out on the hotline after seeing the videos on social media,” Kontz said. “Sometimes all it takes is the right person at the right
time to be listening to that video on Insta(gram).” Kontz has been involved with Teen Lifeline for 27 years. She began volunteering with the group when she was 16 years old as a sophomore at Xavier Prep after losing a close friend to suicide. She continued working with the group through college while she obtained her degree. Since then, she has made a career out of helping teens. “I immediately fell in love,” Kontz said. “As a teenager, it’s hard to know or feel like you’re making an impact and that your voice is also recognized as important. Teen Lifeline was that for me. I felt like with every phone call I could make a difference in someone’s life.” Teen Lifeline provides an anonymous phone and text line for teens struggling with their mental health. Just in 2020 alone, the organizations received 23,341 calls and 11,497 text messages from teens struggling with mental health. Kontz said the pandemic, which forced teens to be isolated and take online classes, played a major role. Of those calls, Teen Lifeline says 23 percent were from teens 13 or younger. Thirty-seven percent were from those ages 13-15, and 31 percent from teens See
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Hamilton golf seeks third consecutive title under Kanner BY DREW SCHOTT Contributing Writer
2020 was a statement season for the Boys Varsity team at Hamilton High School, as the Huskies won their eighth state title and third national championship. Since its opening in 1998, Hamilton has grown into one of Arizona’s best high school golf programs. Its alumni can be found on college golf rosters, as well as on professional tours across the world. A constant of the Huskies’ success: coach Steve Kanner. At the helm of Hamilton’s program for 21 of its 24 seasons, Kanner grew the program into a destination for local players and those who recently moved to the Grand Canyon State. From 2005 to 2009, Kanner led his squad to five straight state championships. Heading into this season, raising another trophy is the goal. “We have some hopes to do it again this year for the third year in a row, but it’s not gonna be easy,” Kanner said. “There are some really good teams out there that will give us a good challenge for sure.” The Huskies already can infer who their main contenders will be when the postseason arrives. Brophy College Preparatory has won the first two tour-
Left to right: Vincent Cervanyes, Wyatt Chapman, Kush Shah, Nick Lippe, Mahanth Chirravuri and Anawin Pikulthong, all part of Hamilton’s golf team, recently competed in and placed first at the Bart Granger Memorial, a premier high school event in Texas that pinned them up against some of the best programs in the country. (Courtesy Steve Kanner)
naments of the season, something that Kanner said separates them from other teams in the state, including his own. Yet there is a lot of time between now and the state tournament in November. Hamilton, attending in-state events as well as the Bart Granger Memorial Tournament in Fort Worth, Tex-
as, fields a talented roster. The group is led by senior Mahanth Chirravuri and junior Anawin Pikulthong, who Kanner called a “one-two punch.” Chirravuri, committed to the University of Southern California, finished with the best score (-10) in the Arizona Interscholastic Association Division I
Boys State Championship last fall, while Pikulthong finished third at -3. He is committed to Arizona State. Meanwhile, Kanner said senior Nick Lippe and sophomore Vincent Cervantes are two players who have improved recently and will be contributors to Hamilton’s quest for more hardware. Additionally, junior Wyatt Chapman, who transferred from Casteel High School in Queen Creek, has been practicing with the team and going through qualifiers. Chapman, whose performance has been separating him from teammates, is a good fit in the starting lineup, according to Kanner. The Bart Granger Memorial was his first tournament with the Huskies. “I think this program can achieve a four-peat,” Chirravuri said. “We’ve already got two, aiming for one this year. And then I think next year, we should be in good hands as well. I think a four-peat would be the biggest thing we could accomplish as a team.” That goal is realistic for a coach like Kanner, because he has done it before in the mid-to-late 2000s. However, Kanner’s biggest emphasis, according to Pikulthong: staying “cool” on the course. Chirravuri added that his coach See
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