Gaona: Division III soccer playoffs have Southern Arizona flair

The newest addition to the already-stacked field is Division III’s Section III, which has a whopping six of nine teams in line to qualify for the 16-team state tournament that kicks off Tuesday.

When the brackets are revealed on Friday at 2 p.m., Walden Grove, Rio Rico, Nogales, Sahuarita, Pueblo and Palo Verde can all expect to hear their names called. All six were ranked inside the top 12 of the division as of Thursday, and it won’t be surprising if at least one of them reaches the state championship match.

“Who are we going to face in the tournament? Probably one of our own section members,” Rio Rico coach Daniel Rodriguez said after his fourth-ranked Hawks came close to knocking off No. 1 Walden Grove on Wednesday night. “This section is competitive top to bottom; I don’t think anybody can question the bodies of work any of the teams have done to get in.”

Rio Rico, Sahuarita and Walden Grove all reached the state quarterfinals last season and are on track to get back this year, given that all three have been in postseason mode for a month already.

It certainly felt like the state tournament Wednesday night at Walden Grove, when the Red Wolves rallied from a two-score deficit to beat visiting Rio Rico 4-3, thanks to a goal by Isabella Solorza with 91 seconds left in overtime. The week before that, Sahuarita took Walden Grove into extra time, and Solorza came through with the game-winner again.

“We have such strong teams in our section,” Walden Grove coach Carey Bauer said. “Southern Arizona is just dominating Division III.”

In addition to strong teams, there are some top-notch players: Solorza, a sophomore, has scored 34 goals for the Red Wolves, and Sahuarita senior Taylor McClelland has netted 21 in just 12 matches. Meanwhile, Rio Rico junior Veronica Cruz has accounted for 22 goals and 33 assists, and Palo Verde’s Jackie Igulu has scored 33 goals.

Longtime Palo Verde coach Jim Mentz also credited his fellow coaches within the region for taking the competition to another level.

“It’s really beneficial to play in our section because every game is like a playoff game when you’re in the regular season,” Mentz said. “Every game you win, you could be in playoffs, and every game you lose, you could be out.”

Cortez helps Badgers move closer to berth

Tucson High junior Alexis Cortez scored 30 points in a 69-44 win against Catalina Foothills on Wednesday night. It’s the third time in the last five games and seventh time this year she has scored that much or more.

Cortez’s performance has helped the 10th-ranked Badgers win seven straight and move closer to securing a trip to the Division II state basketball tournament. They host Mountain View at 7  p.m. Friday before closing the season with three consecutive road games.

Rosquist scores
45 points for Hawks

The Gregory School’s Nick Rosquist posted a career-high 45 points in a 78-48 win at Immaculate Heart on Tuesday night. To put it in perspective, Rosquist, a sophomore, had scored a total of 51 points over his previous three games.

That same night, Sierra Vista Buena senior Rod Springer scored a season-high 32 points and went 14 of 15 from the foul line as the visiting Colts held off Pueblo 71-62 in overtime.

AIA should add divisions for football

Two days after re-

releasing initial division placements, the Arizona Interscholastic Association’s executive board approved a motion Wednesday to add a fourth division for winter soccer, creating more balance and easing some concerns about the new alignment.

Now the board should consider adding another division for 11-man football rather than have five divisions ranging from 57 to 21 teams.

It would almost be the equivalent of what there was during the previous setup with most Southern Arizona teams in 4A-I and 4A-II. Also, it would keep from having any local programs in the top division and traveling to the Phoenix area on a regular basis only to line up against a school like Chandler Hamilton, with twice as many students.