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Corona
del Sol’s varsity tennis team continues
to sweep through opponents on its way to
a 9-1 record, and a top three ranking in
state. The hard work that the team
members have put in has paid off more
than they could even imagine.
“This was
kind of unexpected,” senior Rishabh
Date said. “It has been a pleasant
surprise.”
Freshman
Garret Dunn has shown the same
signs of dominance that former Aztec
tennis star Ryan McBride had by taking
the reins of the number one spot on the
team as a freshman.
“He’s a
very strong player that can bring us a
lot of points,” Date said.
Coach
Rick Wanta is able to enjoy a team that
has several senior leaders, combined
with youth at the top positions.
“Coach
Wanta has been working us hard and
keeping us on task,” Date said. “We
don’t just play in practice. He finds
things to work on and then does drills
to improve them.”
Unlike
Corona teams of the past, this year’s
squad contains several players capable
of winning any match from top to bottom.
“The
lower spots have picked it up,” Date
said. “A lot of our wins have come in
doubles and we have been working on
that.”
The only
setback for the Aztecs this season was a
loss to Central Region foe Mountain
Pointe.
It was a
big loss,” Date said. “If we work hard
on doubles and just keep practicing
we’ll be fine.”
With the
state tournament rapidly approaching,
now is the time for the Corona tennis
team to turn up the intensity.
“Our team
goals are to stay in the top three in
state, finish in the top two in region,
and then go on to do well at state,”
Date said.
The Tempe
Union District First Annual Dunk Contest
was a huge success, thanks to the
excitement of an enthusiastic crowd of
fans. Corona was well represented at the
event. Senior Lisa Helmers
competed in the three point contest and
fell just short of winning the event.
Similarly
senior Sean Imadiyi was a
participant in the dunk contest. Senior
Eric Michaelis brought home a
trophy for Corona by winning the three
point contest.
Varsity
softball at Corona del Sol has continued
its string of dominant seasons by racing
through the competition to win the Deer
Valley-Sandra Day O’Connor Softball
Festival.
The
Aztecs are ranked second in 5A division
1 behind Red Mountain High School.
Corona softball appears to be jinxed
when playing high schools with Mountain
in the name, losing also to Mountain
Ridge and Mountain View. The success
this year’s team has had was due to the
hard work put in the last season.
“We
didn’t lose anybody from last year’s
team,” sophomore Ashley Hansen
said. “The new players we gained have
added a lot of value to the team.”
With
Desert Vista losing its top pitcher to a
wrist injury, the main focus of the
Aztecs in region will be Marcos de Niza.
If this year’s squad continues to work
together, the possibility of another
state championship for coach Jeep Ray is
high.
“It’s
such a team sport,” Hansen said.
“In the
end you really have to trust every other
player on the team.”
Our
readers write...
Six
baseball seasons ago, seven boys were
brought together as members of the 2000
Chandler American Little League All Star
team. Six years later they are still
together on this year’s varsity baseball
team at Corona del Sol High School.
Seniors
Ronny Romo, Casey Barnes, Brandon
Adams, Matt Ortiz, Tim Martin, Cameron
Smith and junior Andrew Pollak,
members of that 2000 All Star Team,
are joined on the Aztec varsity squad by
Chris Centanni and Vito Dascoli
from their Little League days.
The boys
took different roads on their way to
Corona, attending Pueblo, Aprende and
Kyrene middle schools. Two of the boys,
Ronny Romo and Cameron Smith,
attended different high schools as
freshmen and transferred to Corona as
sophomores to play with their friends.
The boys
have faced a tough season so far this
year and are counted on by the coaching
staff to be leaders both on and off the
field.
After all
these years of playing baseball together
they will be separated next year as they
leave home for college but along the way
these young men have learned the true
nature of their friendship and
discovered their common love of
baseball. |
