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Sports Notebook...with Brian Gomez
Lady Aztecs set sights on basketball state tournament

By Brian Gomez

If everything shakes out as expected in the Class 5A state tournament, the Corona del Sol High School girls basketball team should advance to the Final Four, most likely crossing paths with unbeaten Phoenix St. Mary’s in a semifinal game at Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum.

But when does everything actually work that way?

The No. 4-seeded Lady Aztecs will attempt to make their goal a reality, starting Feb. 24, when they meet No. 29 Phoenix South Mountain in the opening round of the expanded state playoffs.

“If that’s the road we have to take, we’re going to have a strong challenge, but at the same time, I think that keeps you crisp,” Corona head coach Pat Reed said of possibly playing away from home in the first round. “I think anybody has a chance. We know what we have to do, and we’re willing to try to do it.”

Arizona Interscholastic Association rules state that the region tournament champion must open the playoffs at home, meaning the Aztecs (21-7) likely will be forced to travel to South Mountain if they’re unable to get past No. 2 Desert Vista in the Central Region Tournament.

As the Metro Region regular-season champion, South Mountain has an automatic bid into the region tournament title game, which figures to pit the Jaguars against either No. 34 Phoenix Camelback or No. 39 Phoenix North. South Mountain already has swept both teams this season.

“I don’t think there’s any pressure right now,” said Reed, whose team has received increased production from junior forward Shannon Smith. “Even though we’re fourth in power points, people don’t think we are, so we just go after it.”

Softball

Despite losing five players to the Division I ranks, the Corona softball team returns enough firepower to have a legitimate shot at defending its state championship.

Notre Dame-bound shortstop Katie Laing will carry the load on offense, while senior right-hander Michelle Farrell will get most of the starts in the circle. The Aztecs also will rely on senior catcher Whitney Lebowitz and senior center fielder Kara Sell, along with a pair of sophomore pitchers.

“I expect us to do well, and to be competitive,” said Corona head coach Jennifer Mendes-Ray, whose team opens the season Feb. 23 in a scrimmage against Mesa High.

Boys volleyball

Buoyed by the return of junior setter Jay Swirtz, Corona’s boys volleyball team has its sights set on heading back to the postseason, especially after getting cut short of the state playoffs last spring.

 Swirtz anchors a team that includes senior outside hitters Steven Bartelt and Josh Book and senior defensive specialist Charlie Jones, all of whom played extensively last season, when the Aztecs were eliminated by Marcos de Niza in the Central Region Tournament.

“We’re a lot more experienced, and there’s a great work ethic out there,” Corona head coach Ben Maxfield said. “Their sense of the game is very good. They’re able to read well, and they’re going to be a tough team to beat.”

Boys tennis

The Corona boys tennis team made history in its season opener this past week, beating Mesa Mountain View for the first time in head coach Rick Wanta’s 16 years at the helm.

Freshman Greg Werner and seniors Eric Loring and Dillon Valenzuela each won in singles, and the Aztecs (1-0) marked two doubles points on wins from Valenzuela and senior David Bryce and Werner and senior Kyle Steinke.

“This has to give the guys some confidence,” said Wanta, whose team hosts Chandler High at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 24. “Going in, nobody was really sure how good we were or how good we could be. This is definitely something to build off of.”

Girls tennis

Five players won in singles and three doubles teams were victorious this past week, as Corona’s girls tennis team topped Mountain View 8-1 in the season opener.

Playing at the top of the lineup, Lynley Wasson cruised in straight sets, and senior Meghan Houk, junior Hillary Hood and sophomores Andrea Schams and Tara Prindiville each won their respective singles matches.

“We’re not as deep as we have been in the past,” said Corona coach Carol Sandvig, whose team travels to Chandler at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 24. “We’re relatively inexperienced at the bottom of the ladder.”

Boys & girls track and field

Anchored by the return of defending pole vault state champion Katie Morgan, the Corona boys and girls track and field teams open the season March 3 in a dual meet at Chandler.

Morgan, who signed with California in the fall, will be joined in the pole vault by Beth Hualde, a versatile senior who also can run the 4-by-100-meter relay. Junior Sara Adams will be the team’s top sprinter, and sophomore Katie Cartwright is expected to compete in the intermediate hurdles.

On the boys side, senior Jonathan Kaufman and juniors Daniel McClendon and Jared Mosley will form a 4-by-100-meter relay team that’s without a definitive fourth member for the time being. Senior Jeff Starling returns in the pole vault, and junior David Nolan is back for the high jump.

“We have an awful lot of kids,” Corona head coach Jeff Griffin said. “We just haven’t had an opportunity to look and see where they fit in.”

Girls soccer

Just like last year, and the previous four years, the Corona girls soccer team will attempt to reload after being eliminated from the state playoffs by Scottsdale Horizon.

The Aztecs (20-4) lose four senior starters, but return several key contributors, including freshman Chelsea Bednarz and juniors Angie Fuhrmann, Kaitlin Baum, Ashley Cain and Lisa Roth.

“I think we can take another step forward,” said Corona head coach Matt Smith, whose team’s 20 wins were one shy of the school record set by the 1996 state champion team. “If the kids we have improve the way the previous classes have we’ll be fine.”

Boys soccer

Corona boys soccer head coach Fran Bader prefers not to think about what could have been after his team was upset by Marana Mountain View this month in the second round of the state tournament.

He prefers to look toward next season.

The Aztecs (13-9) return senior central midfielder Matt Webb and senior stopper Alex Hasulak, and welcome sophomore Matt Lloyd, an aggressive forward who sat out this season after transferring from Phoenix Brophy. Senior Kevin Difiore and Cory Tucker are candidates to replace Ryan Kennedy in goal.

Wrestling

Nine grapplers scored points and two grapplers placed, helping lift the Corona wrestling team to a top-15 finish in last week’s state meet at Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum.

Junior Johnny Nguyen took fifth place in the 112-pound weight class, and senior Scott Heward finished sixth at 189 pounds for the Aztecs, who recorded more than 400 individual wins on the season, the most in school history.

“In the end, it just seemed like we were a match or two away from being at the level where we could place,” said Corona head coach Dave Vibber, whose team returns all but two wrestlers next season.

Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@wranglernews.com.

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