Sept. 23, 2006

With one month on the books, it’s time to look back at the achievements and disappointments competition has brought to athletics at Corona del Sol High School.

Football

The football program has jumped out to a 2-1 record, celebrating wins versus Tucson High and most recently Desert Mountain. One loss was handed down by the #1 ranked team in the state, Gilbert.

In the two wins the team has compiled, defense has been a strong point. The Aztecs shut out Desert Mountain and only allowed seven points against Tucson. On the offensive side, running back J.R. Hamm has been the spark plug on many scoring drives.

“We have a really unified team this year with tough players,” senior linebacker Erik Lorenz said.

“We feel that the first three games showed we can play with the best teams around. We need to win the next few games to build momentum going into region play.”

Girls Volleyball

At the Westwood Tournament of Champions, the Lady Aztecs showed why they are a top contender for state. Taking fifth out of 32 teams and defeating formidable contenders Hamilton and Highland, the girls are now ranked third in the state with an 11-5 record.

Setter Taylor Kestleoot and seniors Michelle Hein and Adriene Busch have established themselves as leaders and consistent performers for the team.

Boys & Girls Golf

Boys golf, starting off the season with a 4-0 record in matches and a second and fifth in tournaments, is looking to keep building upon their successes. The first two match-ups of the year pitted perennial contender and defending state champion, Hamilton, against Corona.

The team pulled the upset by two strokes led by Sophomore David Logston.

The next match also showed the boys’ resiliency. The team fought against Brophy, last year’s state runner-up, once again to come away with a close victory.

However, the two tournaments for the Aztecs did not prove to be as successful. Second- and fifth-place finishes, led by the swings of seniors Jake Golembiewski and Kevin Kruft, were not the exact results the team was looking for.

The girls team has impressively posted a 5-1 record and won the Tempe Girls Invitational on Sept. 16. Leading the way on this young team are junior Kelly O’Brien and sophomores Hailee Axelsen, Kelsey Hoyt and Lindsey Kohl.

Cross Country

Boys and girls varsity runners have gotten off to a strong start. The girls squad gave a impressive performance at Tumbleweed Park last week. Katie Kahler received 10^th place; Frankie DiCesare finished with 11^th; Tori Papp, 15^th; Christina Freeman, 19^th; and Katie Huch, 23^rd.

Swim & Dive

On Sept. 9, the Aztecs participated in the Mesa Relays and received an honorable second-place finish.

The team had first-place finishes in the boys backstroke relay, raced by swimmers Taylor Haws, Brian Liu, Adam Small and Ryan Telep.

The dive team also had first place medallists. Max Hacker, Max Harding, Dave Phipps and Chris Suriano all took home the blue ribbon.