Apaches overcome Wildkats in four sets
By Raymundo Frasquillo
DUNCAN – The Natalie Quiroz-coached Superior Panthers visit Duncan on Tuesday, Sept. 23. The 5 p.m. pairing is not for 1A South Region play. The teams have both posted wins over San Manuel and Valley Lutheran, as well as a loss to Fort Thomas.
The Kassi Mortensen-coached Duncan Wildkats travel to Scottsdale for a region counter with Cicero Prep on Thursday, Sept. 25. The first serve is 5 p.m. Cicero Prep is unbeaten in seeding matches and 2-0 in the region, while Duncan is 3-3 and 1-0, respectively. Fort Thomas has been a common opponent with the Centurions posting a 3-set win and the Wildkats a 4-set loss.
HAYDEN Lobos
Hayden (0-5 overall, 0-5 seeding, 0-1 region) has played five seeding matches to date, with a 4-set loss and four 3-set losses, to Miami (13-25, 15-25, 25-16, 20-25) on Sept. 9, Superior on Sept.11, Heber Mogollon on Sept. 12, Cicero Prep (7-25, 7-25, 17-25) on Sept. 16, and Ray on Sept. 18.
The Marisa Gallego-coached Lobos are competing in the 8-member 1A East Region with the Duncan Wildkats, the Fort Thomas Apaches, the Kearny Ray Bearcats, the Phoenix Valley Lutheran Flames, the San Manuel Miners, the Scottsdale Cicero Prep Centurions, and the Superior Panthers.
Fort Thomas Apaches
Fort Thomas (7-8 overall, 4-3 seeding, 0-1 region) has played seven seeding matches to date, with three 3-set wins, over Valley Lutheran (25-18, 25-17, 25-18) on Aug. 27, over Superior on Sept. 9, and over San Manuel (25-12, 25-10, 25-16) on Sept. 11, and a 4-set () win over Duncan on Sept. 16; along with losses of 0-3 to Pima on Aug. 28, 1-3 to San Carlos (15-25, 15-25, 25-20, 21-25) on Sept. 3, and 0-3 (15-25, 14-25, 12-25) to Cicero Prep on Sept. 18.
The Darcy Barney-coached Apaches are competing in the 8-member 1A East Region with the Duncan Wildkats, the Kearny Ray Bearcats, the Phoenix Valley Lutheran Flames, the San Manuel Miners, the Scottsdale Cicero Prep Centurions, the Superior Panthers, and the Winkelman Hayden Lobos.
SUPERIOR Panthers
Superior (4-2 overall, 3-1 seeding, 0-0 region) has seeding wins of 3-0 over Hayden on Sept. 11, Valley Lutheran (25-17, 25-21, 25-23), and San Manuel on Sept. 18, along with a 3-set loss to Fort Thomas on Sept. 9.
The Natalie Quiroz-coached Panthers have a 13-member roster with six seniors, three sophomores, and four freshmen. The seniors include Lesette Bogenschutz (1), Alyna Cruz (12), Faith Denogean (21), Stephanie Lopez (2), Rose Tomerlin (15), and Kadynce Toner (3); sophomores Audrina Lopez (6), Lessenia Ramirez (5), and Barbara Ybarra (7); and freshmen Noelle Duarte (9), Ashley Lopez (8), Lauryn Lopez (17), and Jailyn Martinez (19).
Superior is competing in the 8-member 1A East Region with the Duncan Wildkats, the Fort Thomas Apaches, the Kearny Ray Bearcats, the Phoenix Valley Lutheran Flames, the San Manuel Miners, the Scottsdale Cicero Prep Centurions, and the Winkelman Hayden Lobos.
CICERO PREP Centurions
Cicero Prep (12-4 overall, 7-0 seeding, 2-0 region) has seeding wins of 3-0 (25-9, 25-9, 25-7) over Salome on Aug. 29, 3-0 (25-13, 25-19, 25-19) over Phoenix Great Hearts Anthem on Sept. 5, 3-2 (26-245, 19-25, 25-13, 24-26, 15-11) over Phoenix Horizon Honors on Sept. 8, 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-23) over Chandler Lincoln Prep on Sept. 9, 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-18) over Saint David on Sept. 11, 3-0 (25-7, 25-7, 25-17) over Hayden on Sept. 16, and 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-12) over Fort Thomas on Sept. 18.
The Kirsten Frey-coached Centurions have a 14-member roster with one senior, seven juniors, five sophomores, and one freshman. The team includes senior Ella Palamo (7); juniors Nicole Damian (15), Bella Engber (3), Kate Harrington (14), Claire Hodgson (5), Layla Hrabe (2), Sasha Hruby (12), and Makenzie Peil (13); sophomores Sophia Banning (11), Penelope Burman (9), Zoe Felix (10), Kira Myers (1), and Evelyn Thomas (17); and freshman Grace Combs (18).
Cicero Prep is competing in the 8-members 1A East Region with the Duncan Wildkats, the Fort Thomas Apaches, the Kearny Ray Bearcats, the Phoenix Valley Lutheran Flames, the San Manuel Miners, the Superior Panthers, and the Winkelman Hayden Lobos.
DUNCAN Wildkats
Duncan (3-9 overall, 3-3 seeding, 1-0 region) has seeding wins of 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-19) over San Manuel (Sept. 4), 3-1 over Valley Union (Sept. 11), and 3-1 (25-19, 21-25, 25-8, 25-22) over Valley Lutheran (Sept. 13) along with losses of 0-3 (17-25, 23-25, 19-25) to Pima (Aug. 27), 2-3 (17-25, 25-20, 17- 25, 25-11, 14-16) to San Simon (Sept. 2), and 1-3 (23-25, 26-24, 22-25, 12-25) to Fort Thomas (Sept. 16).
The Kassi Mortensen-coached Wildkats have a 14-member roster with seven seniors, three juniors, two sophomores, and two freshmen. The seniors include Karleigh Capel (10), Sierra Chamberlin (15), Madison Chatman (13), Lara Elmer (3), Emily Evans (9), Allyssa Garcia (12), and Brendy Paz (2); juniors Lily Ford (11), Sophia Harris (4), and McKenzie Jones (8); sophomores Haley Bigler (5) and Taylor Workman (14); and freshmen Emma Harris (7) and Josie Wright (6).
Duncan is competing in the 8-member 1A East Region with the Fort Thomas Apaches, the Kearny Ray
Bearcats, the Phoenix Valley Lutheran Flames, the San Manuel Miners, the Scottsdale Cicero Prep Centurions, the Superior Panthers, and the Winkelman Hayden Lobos.
1A East Region
Region member standings as of Sept. 20 were Scottsdale Cicero Prep (7-0 seeding, 2-0 region), Duncan (3-3, 1-0), Fort Thomas (4-3, 0-1), Superior (3-1, 0-0), Kearny Ray (3-3, 0-0), Phoenix Valley Lutheran (0-5, 0-1), San Manuel (1-6, 0-0), and Winkelman Hayden (0-5, 0-1).
Three region matches have been played to date, with results of Duncan over Phoenix Valley Lutheran in four sets (25-19, 21-25, 25-8, 25-22) on Sept. 13; and Cicero Prep over Hayden in three sets (25-7, 25-7, 25-17) on Sept. 16 and over Fort Thomas in three sets (25-15, 25-14, 25-12) on Sept. 18.
This week (Sept. 22-27), region pairings have Valley Lutheran hosting Hayden on Sept. 22; Cicero Prep hosting 1A West Region North Phoenix Prep, Duncan hosting Superior, Fort Thomas visiting Hayden on Sept. 23; Valley Lutheran hosting 2A Valley Region Eloy Santa Cruz on Sept. 24; Cicero Prep hosting Duncan, Superior visiting Ray, San Manuel hosting Hayden on Sept. 25; and Cicero Prep will be attending the Mesa Dobson tourney on Sept. 26-27.
