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Sports Notebook
A season to celebrate

By Ethan Holly  & Cody Roth

As the current season winds down, Corona del Sol High School once again can claim title as having some of the best athletic teams in the state.

Varsity Girls’ Basketball continued its dominance, clinching a spot in the state tournament. Seniors Sy Janousek and Amy Rosencrantz have led the Aztecs to the position they are in. The two guards will have another four years to perfect their game together, both planning to attend the University of Vermont on full-ride athletic scholarships.

Despite losing to Desert Vista in the last game of the regular season, Varsity Boys’ Basketball remains tied in the lead for Region, and will share the championship with rivals Mountain Pointe and Desert Vista.

Junior Sean Imadiyi capped off his record-breaking season by setting new marks in both blocks in a season and shooting percentage.

Varsity Wrestling went into the second weekend of the state competition with eight members hoping for individual titles, as well as a state championship for the school. Though the odds were stacked against them, with wrestling juggernauts Mesa Mountain View and Highland both qualifying more than 10 wrestlers, the Aztecs were still in the hunt for the title.

Junior Cory Hale was the underdog story of the tournament, overcoming an injury that kept him out for the first half of the season, to take first place honors in the state tournament. Seeded second in the tournament to a Mesa Mountain View senior, Hale finished his season with an unblemished record, defeating his opponent 9-8.

“I did a lot better than I expected,” said Hale. “I came in hoping to place, and I ended up winning.”

Other Aztecs to place in the tournament were junior Robert Holbrook, who took third in the tournament, and senior Johnny Nguyen, who placed fourth. Holbrook attributes much of the team’s success to being able to outlast the opposition.

“We run at least a mile every day. When we wrestle it is always very physical and we are more conditioned than other teams,” Holbrook said.

The Aztecs finished 11^th overall in the tournament.

Girls’ Soccer also had an impressive season, with a final record of 27-1-1, though the Aztecs did not advance in the state tournament as far as they had hoped.

The first-ranked girls fell just short of the finals, losing to longtime rival Xavier. Xavier played without key player Christine Mock, who had been suspended after receiving two yellow cards in the previous game.

Both the Aztecs and Gators struck quickly, scoring in the first 10 minutes of the game. The early antics ceased as the game became a defensive struggle, with both teams shutting out their opponents the rest of the game, and throughout both overtime periods. The game was decided in a 3-4 shootout, which left Corona just short of a championship appearance.

“I think we’re almost as disappointed that we don’t get to be together every day as we are that we lost,” junior forward Katie Cartwright said.

The Seton Catholic girls’ spirit line picked up its third consecutive 3A championship under head coach Evelyn Chavez.

The sentinel squad garnished top honors at the America Nation Competition, held in Las Vegas. Several top finishes, such as this one, earned Seton the right to contend in the USA National competition for the first time in the school’s history.

The Aprende Middle School wrestling team captured its third straight region championship under head coach Tim Felton. The jaguars had six wrestlers take individual region titles.

Among the wrestlers to win region was 88-pound Sean Stang. Stang earned his second Region championship while going 22-0 in the past 2 years.

One-hundred-eleven-pound Derek Felton also won Region for the second time. Felton has an opportunity to become the first three-time champion from Aprende, returning next year to defend his title.

Other wrestlers to take Region were 83-pound Ryan Cox, 93-pound Ryan Miller, 98-pound Kasey Turner and 103-pound Ben Roser. The boys achieved a noteworthy 17-1 record over the past two seasons.

“The boys are amazing. They practice 6 days a week and are very dedicated,” coach Felton said. “It’s remarkable because we only have 30 kids come for the team, while other schools have 70-75.”

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