The teams are being assembled and the players are being fitted for their uniforms – the fall sports season is about to begin. Here is a preview of the sports on campus ready to begin the 2013-14 season:
Cross Country
With a talented roster and new eager head coaches, the cross country team is poised for a successful season. The head coaching duties on the boys side will be taken over by John Roberts, formerly the head girls cross country coach at Higley.
Gwen Anthony will be coaching the girls. Senior Gunnar Albrecht and sophomore Cade Burks both return after finishing 19th and 24th at last year’s state championship.
The addition of junior Gabby Ybarra to the girls squad will provide the team with a much needed boost. Ybarra, who transferred from Campo Verde last year, finished a solid 16th at the 2012 division 3 girls state championship.
“The girls team has worked hard all summer, we’ve put in our miles and that will show this season,” Ybarra states.
Football
The Puma football team is preparing to enter possibly its most challenging season yet. After making the leap from Division 2 to Division 1, they will be matched against the likes of Chandler, Mountain View, Gilbert, and Hamilton. They will look for strong leadership from seniors Logan Arredondo, Chandon Herring, and Lane Veach in order to battle through the difficult schedule.
“We’re not expected to win a game this year, but going up a division and not having a lot of seniors we’ll still make the playoffs,” states Herring on what is expected of his team this upcoming season.
The performance of junior quarterback Austin Nightingale will also be a crucial factor to the success of the team. Last season, Nightingale shared reps with former Puma quarterback Taelon Parson but he will now be handling most of the starting duties.
Swim and Dive
The swim and dive team will be heading into the new season with a new coach and some high expectations. Stephanie Carrasco, an assistant coach last season, will be leading the the two squads as the new head coach.
When asked about the team Carrasco states, “We’re going to be a young team, but we have some good freshman coming in.”
The girls and boys will both be hoping to make a large improvement after finishing 27th and 28th at state this past season.
Volleyball
The girls volleyball team sparks up some conversation with new head volleyball coach Fred Mann, and his top-of-the-line coaching staff. Coming off of last years record of 4-13, Mann looks to make several changes in hopes of bringing success to the program. “I’ve got a system that has worked in the past, and I want to implement it [here],” states Mann. He looks forward to not only tryouts, but the upcoming season. “What am I excited about? I feel good about the potential of this team.”
Badminton
Returning badminton coach of the year, Lerina Johnson, previously held open gym for people interested in the sport. This week tryouts are being held in the small gym. Last year the varsity team finished with a record of 13-1.
This year they have high hopes of improving their record and make an appearance at the playoffs.
Golf
With tryouts going on this week at Seville, golfers are disappointed that their sports season is getting cut short from eight weeks to six.
The boys team will welcome the return of senior Mike McGilton who finished 21st at last year’s state championships. The roles of players like senior Alex Shin and sophomore Brady Hatten will be increased due to large amount of seniors who graduated in May. The lady pumas will be led by the “Allie” duo, seniors Allie Ward and Allie Gloss.
