58 NOVEMBER 2018 8/17 49-0 W vs. Coronado 8/24 40-21 W @ Deer Valley 8/31 38-30 W vs. Washington 9/7 55-39 W vs. St. Mary’s 9/14 32-21 W @ Shadow Mountain 9/21 70-14 L @ Saguaro 9/28 28-8 L vs. Mesquite 10/5 57-29 L vs. Seton Catholic 10/19 48-20 W vs. Poston Butte 10/26 @ Marcos de Niza ARCADIA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE **All games start at 7 p.m. By Mallory Gleich Energy in the locker room of Arcadia High’s football team remains high despite what has proven to be a roller coaster of a season so far, featuring a five-game win streak followed by three straight losses. Coming off of a 2-8 season in 2016 and a winless 2017 season, the Titans entered the 2018 season with a new head coach, new staff, nine seniors on a roster of 40 players, lots to learn and low expectations. And early on, the team surprised everyone. “We want to teach them the basics. How to practice, how to compete, how to study film, things like that. We’re really starting from ground zero,” said first-year head coach Kerry Taylor. The team started off the season with wins against Coronado, Deer Valley, Washington, Saint Mary’s and Shadow Mountain The Titans’ 5-0 season came crashing to a halt at the hands of Saguaro, who beat Arcadia 70-14 to hand the team its first loss. Arcadia then lost a tough one to Mesquite 28-8, where the Titans were held scoreless after putting up 8 points and holding the lead in the first quarter. The Oct. 5 game against Seton Catholic featured a lot of first quarter fireworks, which saw a total of five touchdowns scored between the two teams. After a scoreless second quarter, the teams continued to trade points, but Seton Catholic ultimately outlasted the Titans, winning 57-29. The team rebounded with a win over Poston Butte. Taylor said he’s still working on making sure his players remember their coaching when they’re in live game situations. “The battle is when we’re telling certain players where the ball is going but then they get out there and they don’t trust what they’re seeing on the field and we’re missing it,” Taylor said. “But we will keep teaching and keep developing.” One player echoed Taylor’s sentiment. “Our team has a lot of heart, but sometimes it gets hard to focus when we’re on the field,” said Samuel Coles, a sophomore defense end. Considering the team’s 2-18 combined record for the past two seasons the Titans have already made a lot of strides this year. One point of pride is that Arcadia only scored 29 points total throughout the 10 games of the 2017 season. This year, so far through nine games, the offense has put up 313 points. “There’s a lot of positivity with the strides we’ve made this year alone,” Taylor said. The players have a few ideas on where the team can improve in search of its next win. “The main setback for the game against Seton was our defense against the running game. The defensive backs can lock up the receivers, but our running game was the biggest issue,” said Sysco Rodarte, who plays corner. “We need to work on everybody working together as a team. The linebackers and the defensive line have done a great job,” said Clay Kinkel, a running back. Despite the recent losing streak, Taylor’s approach to the game seems to be shifting the attitude in the Titans’ locker room. “We do a lot of things well, but we need to start doing a lot of things great to get to where we want to get to,” Taylor said. “The kids are walking around school with a sense of pride now and they’re excited to say they’re on the football team.” High hopes for second half of Titan football season Kadin Beler has led the charge for the Arcadia Titans. PHOTO: AUDREA WILSHIRE Escape the Ordinary Escape the Ordinary Scottsdale Waterfront // 480.751.2200 OliveIvyRM OliveAndIvyRestaurant.com

59 NOVEMBER 2018 By Rachael Bouley The Arcadia High School Varsity Volleyball Team made the most of this season, leaving it all out there on the court as they pursued their plans for playoffs. The Titans had a 14-16 record overall with one regular season game left ahead of the opening round of playoffs. All season long, they’ve been building on their roster of young promising talent, mixed in with a few standout veterans. After bidding farewell to ten seniors who graduated this past year, the team welcomed a fresh new group to the varsity squad. With their five returning players and ten new additions, the Titans have managed to play some pretty impressive volleyball. “We’ve had some ups and downs, where some days we’re really good and others we’re not playing as well,” said Head Coach Jackie Bunker. “Our goal now is to be playing our best volleyball as we get into the postseason.” In many of the games that they lost, the Titans still left the court feeling proud of their accomplishments because they played very competitively against tough opponents. “With this group, they’re all very smart individuals who embrace the idea of learning the game,” Coach Bunker added. “Even though we’ve had some games that haven’t gone our way, I’ve never felt that this team has felt defeated. Instead they get back in the gym and continue learning to get better.” Such positive attitudes and determination have been crucial in the team’s development, with many of the younger girls learning a lot by working with highly experienced seniors. ASU Beach Volleyball recruit Lexi Sweeney, along with Helene Hart and Haley Westhoff, have led the way, providing a lot of guidance for the sophomores and juniors. These seniors have offered consistency and strength on and off the court - qualities that their coach greatly appreciates. “We’re still getting better, but for the postseason we are going to have to play cleaner consistently,” Bunker said. “When we are playing at our highest level, we can compete with anyone in the state. It’s just a matter of doing that regularly enough to be a really good team.” Now in her third year of coaching at AHS, Bunker notes that the past two seasons have yielded playoff runs that ended prematurely. This time, they are striving to make it into the top 16 for the second round. For seniors like Lexi and Haley, who have been on varsity for three years now, they want to do more than just make playoffs. They want to get past that first round and be good enough to compete in the state playoffs. “It’s really fun to coach a team that embraces the idea that it’s not always going to be perfect. As long as we keep getting better, there’s success in that,” Bunker shared.” Captain Haley Westhoff surely shares the sentiment, as she says she’s still very pleased with how the team has performed despite some tough losses, and she’s open-minded about their playoff potential. “I want to win state more than anything,” Haley said. “I wanted to get better and enjoy my last year, yet I really want to lead the team to a huge victory.” No matter what happens, Haley says the sense of community that comes from being part of this team makes it all worthwhile. “I am absolutely blessed to be in a program where the girls are both so supportive and competitive,” she said. “We push each other to be our best selves and I love that about our team.” Titans volleyball capitalizes on young talent, hard work AHS Varsity Volleyball Team has made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. 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