APRIL 2026 34 PHOTO COURTESY OF BROPHY PREP By Alex Gross Winter is a busy time of year for sports in Arizona, as our warm climate allows for soccer season to take place alongside basketball. Playoffs wrapped up in February, so let’s take a look at how teams at Arcadia, Brophy, Veritas and Xavier fared.  BOYS BASKETBALL In Head Coach Greg Richards’ second year with the program, the Titans won their first state title in school history. His arrival last year marked the school’s fourth head coach in four years. After an offseason with consistent coaching, however, the Titans improved from 14-13 to 24-6, with all six losses coming against teams who made it to the semifinals in their state conferences. Ranked No. 2 in the 4A state playoffs, the Titans took down No. 1 Deer Valley 57-51 in the Skyhawks’ fourth-straight championship appearance. Freshman Jacobi Thompson won MVP of the championship game, a bright spot for the future of a team with newfound success. “When I was interviewing for the job, I said, ‘This is a school that has basically everything that we need to be successful,’” Richards said. “I was coming in and just trying to lend some stability and structure while also not expecting that people were going to trust me any differently.” A 3-1 showing with victories over Chandler and Campo Verde at the Fear the Hop Thanksgiving Tournament were early indications that this team had what it took to win it all. After a first round loss to 5A state champs Central High in the open division bracket, it was do-or-die. En route to their title, the Titans took down Prescott and Saguaro – two teams they lost to last year. “All of us were experiencing this on a different level,” Richards, who had never coached in a championship game, said. “We made sure that we were really focusing on ourselves and taking in how cool the experience was.” Senior and four-year varsity guard Mason Kendrick surpassed 1,000 career points this season and set school records for rebounds and steals. Though a strong senior class helped set a championship standard for the program, Richards now has to “figure out ways to fill shoes” of three captains and starters. GIRLS BASKETBALL The Lady Titans went 2-20 in a season plagued by injuries and a tough region schedule. Freshmen stars showed promise but were sidelined for much of the year. Emily Burnett missed two months with a broken back, Nina Tawney hurt her ACL only four games in and Layla Ramirez suffered a broken ankle. “We had a tough season, but the girls kept coming back after getting hit in the mouth,” Head Coach Gavin Tolan said. “They grew as individuals and as young ladies.” Many games had to be played out with a roster of only five starters and no substitutes. Their squad featured six underclassmen and is only graduating two seniors. Similar to the boys’ program, Arcadia girls’ varsity has struggled to find consistency in recent years. Before Tolan’s arrival, the team cycled through four coaches in just two and a half years. Seniors Greta Patterson and Julianna Gonzalez Martell helped the team “weather the storm” of defeat. Patterson led the squad in points, assists and rebounds per game. BOYS SOCCER Their 11-9-1 record, as well as 4-1 region record, landed the Titans a 12th seed playoff berth. They lost in the first round in double- overtime fashion to No. 5 Sahuarita. They bounced back from a 2-4-1 start to the season, hitting their stride in a four game win streak in early January and a gritty extra time win against Saguaro to close out conference play. “The boys were always good about snapping back and coming back into action, making sure they’re ready for the next game,” Head Coach Andrew Lang, who finished his first season at Arcadia, said. Junior Octavio Lopez Perez led the squad with 12 goals and four assists on the season. Defenders Alan Munoz-Ortega and Christian Cotto also landed spots on the all-region first team. “Even in the playoffs, Octavio had two amazing goals to put us ahead or to tie up the game,” Lang said. “He was fantastic and did a great job making other players around him better.” GIRLS SOCCER Though they got out to a 1-5 start, the Lady Titans salvaged enough wins late in the season to clinch the last spot in the 4A state playoffs. They lost 2-1 in a close-fought matchup against No. 1 Crimson. Head Coach William Christenson hopes that the end of their season will be a preview of what’s to come next year. “Since we only lose three players, there’s not going to be quite as much turnover,” Christenson said. “Hopefully we can get the ball rolling a little earlier than we did this season.” For 9 of the 17 players on the squad, it was their first year on varsity. Senior and four-year varsity vet Claire Christensen found the back of the net 10 times, one of which was a game- winner. Junior Savannah Flores had eight goals and sophomore Kaidyn Beller had six. Junior center back Lyla Brannon joined Christensen on the 4A all-region team and is expected to take over captain duties next season. Most of the Titans’ six wins came in blowout fashion, holding teams to just one goal and scoring 47 when they came out on top.  BASKETBALL The Broncos fell in the state open division quarterfinals 53-49 to rival No. 1 Sunnyslope, who went on to win the tournament. Despite their early exit, Brophy finished ranked No. 7 in the state and No. 4 in the 6A division. The Winter high school sports wrap-up 2026 (front) Oliver Burbach, Aiden Williams, Donovan McNabb, Jr., Enoch Reasy, Brady Lauer, Cooper Frakes. (second row) Colin Goossen, Amaru Williams, Tyrese Holmes, Daylen Sharper, Parker Mohrhauser. (back) Hale Hansen, Team Manager Grant Lodwick, Head Coach Matt Hooten, Assistant Coach Mike Schwertley, Student Manager Zack Jaros, Rocket Schwertley. Xavier Prep varsity basketball. PHOTO COURTESY OF XAVIER PREP Veritas varsity soccer members Benita Bonilla, AJ Broome, Aine Hilowle, Emma Lopez, Izabella Loza, Aaliyah Maio, Adeline Dymek, Isabella Martinez, Vivian Marvin, Isabella Moreno, Luciana Murcia, Regan Rassas, Lucy Ratschan, Cate Schneider, Natalia Sotelo, Mila Stege, Giselle Strickland, Skielr Tabor. PHOTO COURTESY OF VERITAS PREP AHS boys varsity basketball – also known as the 4A State Champs! PHOTO COURTESY OF AHS

35 APRIL 2026 Broncos’ 19-8 record included six losses to the top three teams in the state. “We were really competitive against teams that had high rankings and high profile players,” Head Coach Matt Hooten said. Seniors Daylen Sharper and Rocket Schwertley closed out four-year varsity careers. Senior and Montana State commit Hale Hansen averaged 21 points and nine rebounds, the highest scoring a Brophy player has totaled in over a decade. Hansen also put up 41 points in the Broncos’ victory over Loyola High to secure third place in the Nike Tournament of Champions, a game that Hooten called season-defining. Though they didn’t repeat their first state title won last season, his philosophy hasn’t changed. “We approach each season with the goal of playing at our best in February,” Hooten said. “We didn’t end up winning a championship, but I think we played our best the last game of the year.” SOCCER Though their season was tainted by a red card in the 20th minute of the open division state semifinal match, leading to a 2-0 upset at home by No. 9 Sunrise Mountain, Head Coach Marc Kelly is excited about the future of his team. “Our freshman class is just unbelievable,” Kelly said. “I probably have five or six freshmen in our program who could have played varsity.” The Broncos’ defense only allowed 11 goals all season, thanks in large part to defensive back Alex King and goalkeeper J.P. Odden. “As a center back and a goalkeeper you need a lot of chemistry,” Alex, a two-year captain and three-year varsity player, said. “That bond with the rest of the back line helped us keep it pretty secure.” Alex and J.P. are among 15 graduating seniors from this year’s squad, though Kelly does get to keep leading scorer junior Joey Fritz. The sideline was also bolstered this season by assistant Anthony Hidalgo, who assumed some day-to-day responsibilities with the players and helped manage formations. “This was the first year in a while that I’ve had a really, really great coaching staff behind me,” Kelly said. “I swear, I thought the team had it this year.”  BOYS BASKETBALL A 21-10 record helped the Falcons secure the 11th seed in the 2A state playoffs, where they upset No. 6 Glendale Prep in the first round. They fell to Scottsdale Christian in the quarterfinals. Earlier in the year, Veritas posted a 3-1 record at the Ben Franklin Thanksgiving Classic and a 3-3 record at the Cougar Holiday Classic in Show Low. Dual-sport athlete senior Baylor Arnold led the team in rebounds, assists and steals while junior Miles Perry averaged 14.4 points per game. GIRLS BASKETBALL The varsity girls went an even 9-9, ending their season on a three game win streak that included two dominant performances against Santa Cruz Valley. Senior Valeria Castaneda averaged 18.3 points per game and shot 35 percent from behind the arc. Though they missed the playoffs this year, the team’s younger core highlighted by freshman Margaret Haley shows promise. Only two graduating seniors will leave this offseason, handing over the reins to a squad of six freshmen and sophomores. BOYS SOCCER The Falcons battled past some tough losses to secure a 7-5-1 record and 2A state playoff berth as the No. 9 seed. They lost in the first round 6-2 against No. 8 Phoenix Christian. The squad posted four shutout victories and ended the season with a winning record both at home and on the road. Captain and senior forward Corey White landed a spot on the 2A all-region second team, with freshmen Max Gaedtke and Zak Pivin receiving honorable mentions. GIRLS SOCCER A perfect 5-0 record in the 2A Valley region landed the Falcons the 12th seed in the conference playoffs, where they lost to the fifth-ranked Kingman Academy. Senior defensive back Regan Rassas captained her team to eight shutout wins, earning an all- region honorable mention in the process. Junior forward and former region player of the year Natalia Sotelo will lead the team of only three underclassmen into next season.  BASKETBALL The Gators lost to No. 8 Gilbert in the second round of the 6A state championship, capping a 16-13 season. Head Coach Jennifer Gillom’s squad finished 12th in the division. The up-and-down season was highlighted by wins against rivals Sunnyslope late in the year and Mesa in the first round of the playoffs. Xavier went 4-4 in a 6A Central region that contained open division state champs Millennium. “They were very resilient,” said Gillom, as her squad had to navigate the mid-season loss of 6’5” center Noelle Bofia, who was a top-100 national prospect that exited to play at the University of North Carolina. Without their former leader, the Gators had to “learn how to play with each other all over again.” Gillom said her young squad will only get better with more time and experience. Junior guard Sariah McNabb led the team defensively, averaging 6.8 rebounds and one block per game. She also totaled four double-doubles on the season. SOCCER In a rematch of last season’s open division state championship, Xavier faced Casteel, this time falling in a shootout. The Gators won last year’s inaugural open division playoffs to secure five consecutive state titles. The team pressure to repeat didn’t affect them, however. “We just wanted to have a really good season,” Head Coach Barb Chura said. “Which is what we did.” Senior Olivia Yu led the team with 18 goals, her last of the season coming with three minutes left in regulation to send the championship to extra time. The 14-2-1 Gators bounced back from a season- opening loss at O’Connor to go undefeated until the final. Senior goalie Colleen Cundiff posted 11 shutouts over that stretch. “I just think we kept getting better, every day and every week,” Chura said. “We had a lot of resilient kids; a lot of fighters.” Veritas varsity basketball: Baylor Arnold, Jaspar Loel, Jackson O’Malley, Caleb Barrett, Mathew Atkinson, Gabe Jackson, Charlie Burch, Eliot Twist, Rocco Guido, Jack Mason, Miles Perry, Will Barrett. Xavier Prep varsity soccer. PHOTO COURTESY OF XAVIER PREP Veritas varsity soccer players Kevin Barcenas, Mason Bero, Kilian Cawley, August Engel, Max Gaedtke, Andrew Haden, Jude Holahan, John Larios, Ty Lembo, Alejandro Martinez, Camden Palmquist, Zak Pivin, Connor Quinones, Royce Rock, Rocco Romero, Santiago Soto, Dominic Tiron, Paul Weiland, Corey White, William Young, Uriel Beyo, Aarian Alipourian, Luke Zaki. AHS girls varsity soccer. PHOTO COURTESY OF VERITAS PREP PHOTO COURTESY OF AHS PHOTO COURTESY OF VERITAS PREP