••
16
SPORTS
THE MESA TRIBUNE | DECEMBER 5, 2021
TheMesaTribune.com @EVTNow /EVTNow
Mesa schools succeeded on �ield, in pool BY DREW SCHOTT Tribune Contributing Writer
W
inter sports have commenced across the East Valley, marking the end of an eventful fall season for Mesa high schools. Here’s how each of the city’s high schools performed over the past few months.
Red Mountain The Lions have the chance at a much bigger venue: Sun Devil Stadium. Following a 9-2 regular season, Red Mountain faced top-seed Highland in the 6A semi�inals Friday for a spot in the 6A championship. See eastvalleytribune.com/varsityxtra for the game results. Red Mountain’s Girls Swim team �inished second in the Division 1 State Championship behind a �irst-place �inish by Sophia Jahn in the 50-yard Freestyle and a �irst-place mark in the 200-yard Freestyle relay. The boys �inished 23rd. Red Mountain’s cross-country squads �lourished. The boys team placed fourth overall behind a ninth-place �inish from Noah Czajkowski and the girls team �inished seventh in the state championships. At Tucson National Golf Course, the Lions’ Boys Golf team �inished fourth in the state, while the girls squad only registered two top-75 �inishers. Additionally, the Girls Badminton team made it to the semi�inals as a No. 5 seed before falling to top-ranked Chaparral.
Mountain View Mountain View The Boys Cross Country team saw two runners �inish in the top 15 – including Brady Eager, who �inished �ifth with a time of 16:27.6. While Tessa Christensen �inished 24th, the girls squad earned sixth place. The Toros’ football team won their �irst four games before falling to Red Mountain. They earned a spot in the opening round of the state playoffs but lost 40-35 to Mountain Ridge.
Red Mountain football coach Mike Peterson has enjoyed success since taking over as the program and this year is no different. The Mountain Lions played Highland Friday in the 6A semifinals with a trip to their second title game in three years on the line. (David Minton/Tribune Staff)
Mountain View boys and girls swim teams �inished fourth in the state championship. The Toros notched a secondplace �inish in the Boys 200-yard Freestyle relay and a third-place nod in the Girls 200-yard Medley Relay. Toros’ volleyball defeated Cibola to clinch a berth in the state tournament after going 10-0 in league play but failed to make the championship.
Desert Ridge Just two years ago, both of Desert Ridge’s Swim teams notched top-10 �inishes. While the girls squad �inished No. 10 in the state championship, the boys �inished last among 32 teams. Kailee Patters �inished fourth in the 200-yard freestyle and �ifth in the 100-yard freestyle. Kate Bluford added a third-place performance in the 100-yard backstroke. For the boys, Sutton Harr and Aeneas Simpson �inished 16th and 24th, respectively, in the 500-yard freestyle. The Jaguars earned the No. 12 seed in 6A football after losing all four of their division games. Kiyante James had a breakout senior season with 1,128 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Desert Ridge golfers Annika Miyata and Alyssa Hoglund �inish in the top 40 in the
Westwood football coach Kyle Ide led the Warriors to one of their best seasons in recent years before announcing his retirement in November. (Zach Alvira/Tribune Staff)
state championship while Bryan Beyer �inished 24th overall in the state tournament.
Skyline In boys 1 meter diving at the Division 1 State Championship, Skyline had two of the three top performances. Daniel Knapp earned top honors with a score of 554.75, while Josiah Knapp �inished third and notched a 456.65. However, the boys team �inished 17th, while girls placed 25th. Skyline struggled on the gridiron by �inishing 1-9, with its only win coming against Tucson High Magnet School. The Coyotes also failed to make the 6A Division state championship in volleyball. Westwood Coach Kyle Ide sparked a turnaround for Westwood’s football program, tripling its win total after a 2-6 season in 2020. Quarterback Gavin Letourneau threw for 2,140 yards and 16 touchdowns, Ryan Willis rushed for 1,113 yards and 15 scores, while wide receiver Korwyn Brantley-Ellis reeled in 1,062 yards and 13 touchdowns. Following Westwood’s best season in years, Ide announced his retirement. An alum of Westwood, he set a foundation for what will hopefully be a
strong program moving forward under new direction. Warriors Cross Country runner Sienna Riggs �inished 124th with a time of 25:21.4. She was the only �inisher from Westwood in the AIA Cross Country Championships. Mesa For the second time in as many seasons, Mesa’s football team �inished below .500. Mesa volleyball earned the No. 22 seed heading into the play-in tournament but lost three sets to zero against Basha. One Jackrabbits Badminton doubles tandem was defeated in a Round One matchup by Chaparral, the runner-up in the Division I Doubles Championship.
Dobson Despite Dobson’s Boys Swim Team �inishing 18th overall in the state championship, Carson Hamblin had a spectacular showing. He �inished third in the 200yard freestyle and the 100-yard butter�ly. The Mustangs had a doubles badminton team make it to the second round of the state championship before a loss to Perry. On the football �ield, Dobson improved their 2021 record to 4-5 from 2-6 last year.
