Sports

Talented core guides Hamilton to third consecutive state title

BY DREW SCHOTT Contributing Writer

Heading into the 2021 season, Steve Kanner won eight state titles and three national championships at Hamilton High School.

After his Huskies Men’s Golf squad beat 51 schools at the Bart Granger Memorial in Texas, he knew the group was capable of a special season.

“That was really the highlight of the regular season,” Kanner said. “That really spurred us on. It really just confirmed in our minds that we were a strong team and someone to reckon with here in Arizona.”

On Nov. 4, Kanner’s team proved him right. Hamilton brought home its third consecutive and ninth overall state title in the Division I State Golf Championship at the Omni Tucson National. Five Huskies golfers finished with 10 of the best scores — including the top four.

Hamilton played five tournaments ahead of the state championship and won two of them. A Huskies golfer finished in the top four in four of the contests, including junior Wyatt Chapman’s first place finish in the Hamilton Invitational.

Chapman, who couldn’t play until the Bart Granger Memorial due to transferring from Casteel High School, joined Hamilton because of the team’s talent and his interest in pursuing college golf. Alongside players such as senior Mahanth Chirravuri and junior Anawin Pikulthong, committed to the University of Southern California and Arizona State University, respectively, Chapman played his way onto an impressive roster of some of the state’s top high school golfers.

“The level of skill at Hamilton is just unreal,” Chapman said. “We’ll just keep pushing each other like we did all season. Because at the end of the day, we all want to beat each other. That’s just kind of the mindset. It’s a really good (one) and that

From left: Jaylen Choi, Mahanth Chirravuri, Vincent Cervantes, Nick Lippe, Wyatt Chapman, Anawin Pikulthong and Kush Shah are all part of Hamilton’s golf program that won its third consecutive state title under head coach Steve Kanner this season, running away from competition in Tucson. (Courtesy

Steve Kanner)

See GOLF on page 36

Hamilton snaps Chandler’s streak, secures top seed in Open

BY JAKE HEDEBY

Staff Writer

The Battle for Arizona Avenue has always been a rivalry with emotions running high and vital implications to the 6A rankings. In recent history, it has been an even matchup, with both Chandler powerhouses alternating domination in Arizona since 2000. This year proved to be much of the same as it was a close game throughout, with Hamilton prevailing in the end, 21-14 to snap the Wolves’ 45-game win streak.

Chandler had been on a tear in the rivalry, winning the last nine matchups against Hamilton. Before that run, Hamilton burst onto the scene in Arizona high school football, winning 13 straight games against the Wolves. Now, the programs find themselves in less than familiar territory, both ranked nationally in the top 15 fighting to take over the city of Chandler.

It had a big-time feel to it from the start. Chandler began the night adamant about being physical, and it took Hamilton a little while to catch up to the intensity.

“Being physical from the start is big time. It means they may be more scared of us towards the end of the game. You have to get the first hit,” Hamilton wide receiver Christian Anaya said.

Field position was huge Friday for both teams, as Chandler got the ball close to midfield both times it scored in the first quarter.

The first touchdown of the game came from the arm of Blaine Hipa, who connected on a 56-yard bomb to Ohio State commit Kyion Grayes. Less than two drives later for the Wolves, Hipa found Quaron Adams for the long 50yard score.

In between those scores for Chandler, Hamilton answered with a touchdown pass of its own. Anaya set the Huskies up with great field position on a punt return and finished the drive with a 5-yard score, coming from quarterback Nicco Marchiol.

The key to the offense getting on a roll according to the Husky quarterback was pounding the inside zone and running the ball effectively. After that, he can spread the ball around.

“Guys like Christian Anaya, and Tré Spivey, there’s no one else I’d rather go get the ball from me than those two,” Marchiol said.

Halftime adjustments were everything in this matchup. Marchiol set to

be more efficient, started running quick pass plays. Anaya was a big part of helping his quarterback settle down. “Yeah, slants, outs, one step passes, everything we did helped us win,” Anaya said. The second half was filled with two defenses that did not want to be the ones who gave up the score that broke the tie. Getting down to the red zone was tough for both teams, as long drives were hard to come by all night, which was why there were two huge turnovers that decided the game. Hamilton got into scoring position and before it could even kick a field goal, Chandler’s Amar Elmore recovered a fumble by the Huskies.

Immediately following, Chandler lost a fumble of its own. Zdebski credited his player’s experience for not getting too high or too low when things like that happen.

“That’s what they’re used to, they are very levelheaded. On to the next play,” Zdebski said.

Marchiol took advantage of being

Hamilton’s 21-14 win over rival Chandler last Friday in the Battle for Arizona Avenue ended the Wolves’ 45-game win streak. It was also the first time Chandler lost to an in-state opponent since 2017. (Zac BonDurant/Contributor)

See HAMILTON on page 36

GOLF from page 35

motivates us to practice.”

Despite the upcoming graduation of Chirravuri and Nick Lippe, sophomore Vincent Cervantes — the top individual golfer at the state championship (134) — is optimistic that the team will continue its success. A glimpse at the Huskies’ future came at the Hamilton Invitational.

Without Chirravuri, Cervantes and Pikulthong due to their participation in individual tournaments, Hamilton took on five other schools at the Bear Creek Golf Complex in Chandler.

Chapman and Lippe tied for first — Chapman won on a scorecard playoff — Kush Shah finished fifth and Jaylen Choi placed ninth.

“Winning that tournament, it really showed the depth of our team,” Lippe — a senior — said, “(and) that we have a lot of skill.”

Throughout the season, Kanner witnessed the development of his championship squad and recognized their camaraderie. He credited the team with a “tremendous” work ethic and a drive to improve on the course.

From the practice range to the weight room, the longtime coach saw how his team was enjoying the process of improving.

“That really says a lot about them,” Kanner said. “To be able to do that and then carry it over in a competitive environment like a tournament collectively, not only individually.”

This mentality was evident in the state championship. The Huskies won by 27 strokes. The top four finishers — all Huskies — all shot between a 134 and a 140. Hamilton’s fifth golfer — Lippe — shot a 144 and finished tied for seventh place.

Its success in Tucson continued a historical streak for the program, as the Huskies made the postseason for the 23rd year. It also created new marks. According to Kanner, Cervantes is the first sophomore to win since Richard Lee, a 31-year-old Hamilton graduate who currently plays on the Asian Tour.

Despite Brophy College Preparatory winning the first two tournaments of the season, Hamilton’s five golfers and late season victories have continued to establish it as the elite program of Arizona high school golf.

Two of those five are Chirravuri and Lippe, who recently concluded their final seasons of high school golf.

“We both played all three state championships that we won the last three years,” Lippe said. “We’ve contributed a lot to the team and helped bring back a lot of wins. I feel like we’ve been a part of a lot of winning tournaments.”

Even though the season doesn’t start until next fall, Cervantes is excited for the upcoming campaign and expressed confidence in the returning roster.

“Next year, we’ll do our best and give it all we got,” Cervantes said.

HAMILTON from page 35

gifted the ball back so soon, hitting Spivey for a 7-yard touchdown. This scoring play broke the tie for the first time in the second half and ended up being the decider in this unbelievable rivalry.

It was also Marchiol’s second touchdown pass of the night, finishing with 79 yards passing on 12 of 19 attempts. The West Virginia commit also added 24 yards rushing on 11 carries, however, most of those were Chandler defenders chasing him out of the pocket

Hamilton continued to be stifling on the defensive end as Chandler had one last chance to put together a game-tying drive at the end, but the Husky defense stood strong and sacked Hipa three times in a row, capping off a stunning victory in the Battle for Arizona Avenue.

Zdebski was not surprised with how his team stuck together till the end, finishing the regular season undefeated was just one of his goals.

“This is where we want Hamilton to be. This was the expectation when I took the job, it’s a part of the job

Hamilton senior quarterback Nicco Marchiol threw two touchdown passes in the Huskies’ win over Chandler. The win helped the Huskies earn the top spot in the Open Division playoffs. (Zac

BonDurant/Contributor) requirement,” Zdebski said.

The win catapulted Hamilton into the top spot in the Open Division rankings. Chandler, the top-ranked team all season, fell to No. 2. The Huskies will face 4A foe American Leadership Academy – Queen Creek in the quarterfinals on Nov. 26. The Wolves will host Queen Creek.

Basha, another local Chandler school, is No. 3 in the Open Division. The Bears will host No. 6 Liberty. The other matchup among the top eight teams will take place in Peoria as No. 4 Cactus, a 4A team, hosts 5A Saguaro.

Marchiol described the win as “indescribable.” He now hopes to lead the Huskies to their first state title since 2012.

“It’s indescribable. Knowing the history of these schools, to do it at home in front of our crowd,” Marchiol said. “You can’t describe it. This is what I’ve been thinking about since I was a sophomore.”

Hamilton wins second straight 6A volleyball title

BY ZACH ALVIRA

Sports Editor

Hamilton head volleyball coach Sharon Vanis told her team ahead of the 6A Conference state championship that in order to win, they had to establish momentum early on in the match.

Her players responded. The second-ranked Huskies got off to a hot start against the top seed Sandra Day O’Connor Eagles, utilizing the power from outside hitters Jordan Middleton and Micah Gryniewicz while also playing strong defense at the net.

That combination allowed Hamilton to flourish and eventually go on to win the 6A title for the second straight year in four sets over the Eagles – 26-24, 2522, 25-27 and 25-20.

“I never felt panicked, even when it was 26-24, I felt we had enough firepower that we were going to come through in the end,” Vanis said. “Sandra Day played great. It feels absolutely great.”

The Huskies managed to jump out points to take a 1-0 lead. O’Connor made another late push in the second set with Hamilton again threatening to clinch. But the Huskies didn’t let the Eagles tie again.

The match as a whole went back and forth the entire way through. The two teams traded leads in the third set before strong play from O’Connor’s defense allowed the Eagles to win it. Vanis said for a moment Hamilton’s players began to question themselves because hard-hit balls simply weren’t falling to the floor. O’Connor managed to recover every time.

But Hamilton soon after got back to its basics: feed Middleton and Gyniewicz and play relentless defense at the net.

“Our trust, chemistry and we knew we could do it,” Gryniewicz said of the reasons her team was successful against O’Connor. “If you know you can do it, it comes easy. We picked each other up after every point because we were that

Hamilton High School player hoist up their trophy after beating Sandra Day O’Connor High School to win the 2021 Conference 6A Arizona Volleyball State Championship, Saturday, November 13, 2021, at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Arizona.

VOLLEYBALL from page 36

confident.”

Gryniewicz, an Alabama commit, has been playing alongside Middleton since the two were in eighth grade. The two helped strengthen the Hamilton program, leading the Huskies to the 6A title last season as juniors and played a vital role as sophomores the year before.

The two had always dreamed of winning a state title together. And now they have two.

Middleton, a USC commit, said she looks forward to heading off to Los Angeles with the same goal in mind for the Trojan program.

“This means a lot to me,” Middleton said. “Especially so I can tell my college coaches, ‘hey, I came from a state championship, I’m so excited to bring you guys a whole title.’ It’s amazing.”

While Gryniewicz said she always plays with a chip on her shoulder, the Hamilton team came in with a little extra motivation for the title game.

O’Connor was one of just five teams to beat the Huskies this season. The Eagles were one of just two in-state teams to do it. The last meeting in August saw Hamilton leading 2-0 before O’Connor reverse swept the Huskies in five sets.

Leading 2-0 in the match Middleton said that was on the mind of her and her teammates. They wanted to close out the game this time and not give the Eagles a chance.

“We knew we couldn’t let this happen again, we do not want it to repeat,” Middleton said. “We knew we had to dial in and get the next set.”

The win was the second-ever state title for the Huskies, who have played in several other championship games under Vanis before.

This year’s team was as battle-tested as the rest, if not more, having competed in national tournaments against some of the top teams in the country. In October the Huskies hosted the Geico Volleyball Invitational where they made it to the championship match against top-ranked Marymount. They fell 3-1 but Vanis said it was yet another learning opportunity for her players.

She hoped back then a tough match against a team of that caliber would help propel the Huskies to another state title. That came to fruition Saturday at Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum.

“This feels just as good as the first one,” Vanis said. “It’s special. This is just about the same group as last time. I know how hard they work so it’s pretty special.”

Hamilton High School player rush onto the court to celebrate after beating Sandra Day O’Connor High School to win the 2021 Conference 6A Arizona Volleyball State Championship, Saturday, November 13, 2021, at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix,

Arizona. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

Valley Christian gets over hump, wins 3A volleyball title

BY ZACH ALVIRA

Sports Editor

Coach Lindy Ramsland and her Valley Christian volleyball team know all too well what it feels like to make a run to the state championship and fall short. It’s happened two years in a row for the Trojans.

Entering Saturday’s 3A title match as the No. 2 seed against top-ranked Snowflake – a team that beat Valley Christian back in October – Ramsland and the two seniors on the roster were determined to not feel the same heartbreak for a third year in a row. And while it was rough during the first half of all three sets, the Trojans prevailed.

Valley Christian swept Snowflake in three sets – 25-21, 25-21 and 25-21 – to win the 3A Conference state championship at Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum.

“We were the better team this year, I knew it was our year,” Ramsland said. “We knew it would come down to the mental game. It’s been a hard season. It feels so good after so many years being so close to finally win it.”

Snowflake entered the title game riding a 14-game win streak in which the Lobos surrendered only five total sets. Their athleticism at the net shined early on in every set, as they often were able to jump out to small leads over the Trojans, forcing them to rally from behind.

But Valley Christian answered the call.

Near the midway point of every set a switch flipped for the Trojans. Fantastic play at the net with key blocks from junior Kate Phillips, who had a team-high three, helped will them back into every set and make runs that forced Snowflake to play from behind. In each instance, the deficit was too much to overcome as Valley Christian ran away with each set win.

Senior Cara Braun had a team-high 15 kills in the match. Junior Korah Nordin had 12 kills and Phillips added nine more for the Trojans. Braun also had the game-winning ace.

“I think this team is a lot different from the other two years,” Braun said. “Not with talent or skill but in our ability to go against the momentum from the other team. We have an ability to flip a switch. That was the difference this year.”

Braun was overcome with emotion as she fell to the floor after her ace to win the trophy, and again when she gathered with her team to hoist it. She is one of two seniors on the team alongside Kylie Wong, who played libero for the Trojans.

Together, the two were determined not to feel the same heartbreak they felt the last two seasons. Wong led the team with 20 digs against Snowflake. Nordin added 11 and Braun 10.

“I’ve never cried like that in my life,” Braun said. “It was the sweetest, most emotional feeling having a big group hug with my team. My family was here and the people who have supported me my whole career … I’m crying again. It’s such an amazing feeling.”

Throughout the match Ramsland would routinely pump up her team in huddles during timeouts. The team is one big family, an extended one from what she and one of her assistants have at home with newborns.

The championship makes the countless hours she spent away from her child worth it. Especially when it involves overcoming two straight championship losses.

“I’ve coached a lot of these girls for 4 years, sometimes more with club,” Ramsland said. “We have a really closeknit community, and they are all really good kids. I tell them my job is to motivate them and if that makes me look like a psychopath then so be it.

“I’m so proud of them. This is such a good group of girls.”

Valley Christian’s volleyball program captured the 3A Conference state championship Saturday against Snowflake at Veteran’s Memo-

rial Coliseum. (Zach Alvira/Staff)