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Sports Notebook...with Brian Gomez
11 Aztecs travel ‘Down Under’ for football cultural exchange

By Brian Gomez

One of the Corona del Sol High School varsity football program’s most storied traditions continued this month in record-setting fashion.

Head coach Gary Venturo took 11 Aztecs to Australia for the Arizona Gridiron Cultural Exchange, a two-week program in which some of the state’s top seniors play abroad. It marked the most players from Corona since the school started participating in the program in 1989.

“The game is nice, but it’s a chance for them to experience other parts of the world,” said Venturo, whose group spent three days in Hawaii before visiting Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. “It’s something they’ll always remember.”

Corona has sent 68 players to Australia over the past 14 years. This summer’s team included outgoing seniors Mike Pollak, Brett Nenaber, Justin Giannonatti, Henry Todd, Trevor Lutz, Robbie Collins, Tyler Markichevich, Zac Griffin, Ben Harris, Dale Scheufler and Brandon Sisson.

The Aztecs are scheduled to begin training camp July 28 in Snowflake. They’ll start fall practice Aug. 11, giving them plenty of time to prepare for their Sept. 5 season-opener against Mesa Dobson at Hascall Henshaw Stadium.

Rosencrantz down again

Corona’s girls varsity basketball team went 4-2 this month in a tournament at UC Irvine, but not without paying a price. Junior guard Amy Rosencrantz suffered a badly-sprained right ankle only a few months after being sidelined with a stress fracture in her left foot.

Students get redemption

Banned from playing for Corona’s boys varsity soccer team by head coach Fran Bader, seniors Zach Baker, Zack De Francis and Kegan Reilly will compete in the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships next week in Germantown, Md.

The No. 3-ranked Sereno ‘86 Golden Eagles won six games in as many days last month at the Far West Regional Championships in Honolulu. Representing Region IV, the squad is scheduled to face teams from Illinois, Maryland and Georgia in the preliminary rounds.

Scott’s team advances

After winning five games in six days last month at the Far West Regionals, Corona senior defender/midfielder Shaylyn Scott’s club soccer team will begin play next week at nationals.

The No. 2 Sereno ’86 Golden Eagles outscored their opponents 10-1 in six outings in Honolulu. Their lone draw came in the form of a scoreless tie against the De Anza Sharks of Cupertino, Calif.

Vanney eyes Gold Cup

Former Marcos de Niza defender Greg Vanney is playing this month in the CONCACAF Gold Cup as a member of the U.S. national soccer team. Having defeated El Salvador and Martinique during preliminary action, the U.S. hosts the quarterfinals this weekend in Foxboro, Mass.

“The ultimate goal is to qualify for the World Cup,” Vanney said. “Winning this championship is very important. We won it last year and now we’re back to defend the title.”

Softball rule change

The National Federation of State High School Associations Softball Rules Committee last month voted to keep the designated player and FLEX positions intact for the upcoming season.

The rule states that the DP and the FLEX (the defensive player for whom the DP is batting) can play defense at the same time. Two years ago, the designated hitter and the player for whom she was batting were prohibited from playing defense simultaneously.

This change gives coaches more flexibility in their lineup by allowing them to switch from nine to 10 players (and visa versa) as many times as they want during the course of a game.

Five states, including Arizona, used the rule last season on an experimental basis. The rule will be adopted by all 50 states next spring.

Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@wranglernews.com or visit him online at http://sundevils.freeyellow.com/briangomez.html.

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