54 DECEMBER 2021 By Cliff Summerhill The sports teams at Veritas Preparatory Academy, Arcadia High School, Brophy Prep and Xavier Prep enjoyed numerous successes as their sports seasons concluded this fall. ARCADIA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL The Arcadia Titans ended their football season in second place in the 4A Black Canyon region with a 5-5 standing. Having won their homecoming game against Tempe High School with an impressive score of 55-7, the team gained upward momentum into the rest of the season. Unfortunately, Arcadia High did not make it to the playoffs; the score of their last game was 35-20, with Poston Butte taking the win. GOLF The boys golf team ended in third place after the state championships, while the girls team placed eighth overall after a 6-2 ratio during their regular-season matches. The boys team was full of younger players this year and it was Coach Stephen Danford’s first time coaching golf, but he said by the end of the season, the players discovered who they were as a team. “We played the absolute best on the last day of the state championships,” Danford said. “All of our guys contributed this season; it was truly a team effort.” According to Coach Erica McClurg, the girls team had a very tight bond, which helped them win the district championship and place three of their golfers in the top four. “We had three seniors that have been on the team for all four years,” McClurg said. “They are very close and they welcomed the new players with open arms. We had such a great and fun season.” CROSS COUNTRY Both the girls and boys cross country teams had a difficult season. The boys team ranked 13 out of 15 teams in the Division II East Section and the girls team ranked eighth overall in the same division. “The Arcadia boys and girls cross country teams had several successes this season, including resilience, toughness and a willingness for growth,” Head Coach Tyler Moore said. “Our Arcadia boys cross country team showed resilience by pushing themselves in each race and workout. The Arcadia girls team ran with toughness all year long.” Key runners include seniors Luke Sleeth and John Campbell and juniors Mateo Rodriguez, Leo Montoya and Scott Gurley on the boys team. On the girls team, junior Tegan Hendricks, sophomores Kate Marinick and Kialeena Ferguson and freshmen Jenna Mukavitz and Charlotte Hopper all performed above expectations. “We came up short on some team performances. However, we did have some individual successes,” Moore said. “We sent Luke Sleeth and Kialeena Ferguson to the AIA State Cross Country Meet on November 13.” SWIM Arcadia’s swim team remained flexible and worked hard both individually and as a team this season. However, after competing in the Division II State Championships on November 6, the Titans ranked 21st on the girls side and 12th on the boys side. “This was my first season as a head coach and there are so many things that I learned from it,” Coach Wyatt Schafer said. “Coaching for swimming has so many different parts and it is a lot of work to make sure everything is organized and running smoothly. I had my fair share of learning opportunities that will make me a much better coach in the future.” While Schafer believes every athlete is important to the team’s overall success, senior Chase An and junior Emily Dodd scored the most points at meets this season. BROPHY PREP FOOTBALL As the season wrapped up, the Broncos headed into the playoffs with a 6-3 standing after facing off against Williams Field High School. The group won the first round of playoff games on November 19 against Desert Ridge and at press time are heading for the quarter finals against Red Mountain. “I wanted to finish on a high note in the regular season so that we could make a deep run in the playoffs,” Jewell said. The team had 23 passing touchdowns, 476 rushing yards and 242 receptions this season. Senior Benjamin Morrison, who is already committed to Notre Dame and senior Elijah Warner were just a few standout players as Brophy hurtled toward the finish line. SWIM After being undefeated this season, Brophy participated in the Division One State Championships and ranked third overall against 32 other Arizona high school teams with a total score of 296. According to Coach Daren Brubaker, State was a tight race and it came down to some very close scores among the top three schools. Area schools wrap up fall season sports Arcadia High School varsity football Brophy Prep football Veritas Prep middle school football

55 DECEMBER 2021 “I think what we did was remarkable for the talent we had,” Brubaker said. “We had great team camaraderie this year. Our boys are resilient, patient and persistent and came within 16 points of being on top.” This season, seniors Jack Sorenson and Thomas Joswiak were the Bronco’s standout athletes with top-five placements for the 200-yard freestyle event, ranking fourth and fifth, respectively and Thomas ranking second in the 500-yard freestyle event. In the diving event, senior Gage Dubois took second place with an overall score of 546.50, meeting a school record. “We swim for each other and that’s a big key,” senior Justin Krueger said. “It’s a big family and brotherhood and I couldn’t swim fast without them.” VERITAS PREP FOOTBALL With 35 athletes, Veritas’ largest roster to date, the Falcons ended their season 5-5 and ranked second in their region. According to Athletic Director Kayla Walsh, every player on the team was dedicated and worked hard for a successful season. “Our students believe they can do whatever they set their minds to and our coaching staff does an amazing job at making their athletic dreams come true,” Walsh said. She attributes Veritas’ standout seniors for their successful season, including Gage Lentz (QB/DB), Eli Ravelo (G/MLB), Will Tork (LB/RB), Anthony Risola-Williams (WR/FS), Levi Galat (OLB/SB), Brody Richter (WR/DB), John Haman (DE/OC), Nathan Gonzalez (G) and Aaron Bill (T/DT). The Veritas Falcons Middle School Football Team finished their season with a championship. The Falcons’ only loss came from the first game of the season against Chandler Prep. The Falcons then won six in a row, finishing 6-1 on the season. Their final game was for the championship, which they won handily 38-18 against Chandler Prep. CROSS COUNTRY Veritas’ cross country season ended on November 13, with the boys team placing third and the girls team placing sixth. “We have a lot of talented, strong-minded runners this year and they were in it to win it,” Walsh said. “Our boys and girls both know what it takes and they pushed for another title. Their mental toughness is second to none.” At their last meet, senior Jonathan Barney placed first, giving Veritas a big win. This season, Barney is among standout students Jacob Soukup, Timmy Soukup, Kishan Bhatnagar, Jake Hirsch, Suzannah Quayle and Maddie Mitchell. SWIM After competing in the state championships in early November, the girls swim team ranked eighth overall with a total score of 116, while the boys team ranked ninth with a total score of 82. This year’s teams comprised freshmen and sophomores primarily, but Walsh believes this will set a strong foundation for future teams. In the boys 100-yard freestyle, senior Jake Marbach came in first place and in the girls 100-yard butterfly, junior Callie Lucero came in first place, giving these two students a stunning standout performance. XAVIER PREP CROSS COUNTRY With the largest team in the school’s history – 47 girls – the Xavier Gators currently rank fifth in Arizona. According to Coach Dave Van Sickle, the team is excellent at setting personal goals, but he believes the team needed to be a bit faster as they raced into the state championships on November 13. In the end, the team placed 6 th in the state. Based on their total numbers, the team’s top three athletes this season are Tatum Goforth, Hannah Wheeling and Catherine Alaimo. GOLF Coach Lynn Winsor said that Xavier took its largest team (18 girls) to the state championships in Tucson and finished second overall with a section win. This ranking is on top of a season standing of 10-0. Since 1974, the golf team has only lost 25 matches and won over 497 matches, having no losses since 1996. “Our kids did very well this season, with two of them ending up in the top seven,” Winsor said. “It was a perfect match and the AIA did a terrific job running the competition.” This season, some key players include junior Annie Dawson, who ranked fifth at state and senior Ivy Song, who ranked seventh at state. Seniors Kate Ryan, Ava Mayberger and Audrey Sanchez also played key mentoring roles this year and helped bring home a big win for Xavier Prep. “You couldn’t ask for a nicer group of kids,” Winsor shared. “It was an ideal year, from a coach’s standpoint.” SWIM Xavier Prep finished seventh overall, compared to other division one Arizona girls teams, after participating in the state championships on November 6. The team ended with a 5-2 standing after doing well in the butterfly and backstroke events throughout the season. “I am really happy with how my first season at Xavier went,” Coach Glen Coy said. “I am proud of all the athletes and their hard work. The future looks really good and the freshman class is really strong and I am looking forward to next season.” Senior Gracie Munk swam to first place in the 100-yard butterfly event and ranked second overall in the 200-yard freestyle relay. In addition, senior Hope Nolan placed fourth in the 100-yard butterfly, awarding Xavier Prep two top five spots in the event. Xavier cross country Veritas swimming Xavier golf F R O M Y O U R F R I E N D S A T ARCADIA NEWS H A P P Y HOLIDAYS