By Raymundo Frasquillo
MORENCI – The Renee Stills-coached Morenci swim team hosts Coolidge on Thursday, Oct. 2.
The Wildcats visit Globe on Oct. 7, Chandler on Oct. 11, and Paradise Valley Phoenix Country Day School on Oct. 14 to complete their regular season. The Southern Arizona final state qualifying meet will be held at the Oro Valley Aquatic Center on Oct. 25. The Division III state meet is at Phoenix Country Day School on Nov. 7-8.
Thus far, the Wildcats have competed in Maricopa (Sept. 4), Florence (Sept. 11), Tucson Palo Verde Magnet (Sept. 18), Canyon del Oro (Sept. 20), their own meet with Florence on Sept. 25, and the Higley Williams Field Knight’s Invitational on Sept. 27.
Morenci has a 9-member roster with two seniors, a junior, five sophomores, and a freshman. The seniors are Maxwell Clancy and Bryce McGahee; junior Robert Hobbs; sophomores Landon Curtis, Matthew Goodman, Carson Hobbs, Christian Kudadiri, and Ryan Sullivan; and freshman Adrian Gonzalez.
Knights Invitational (Sept. 27)
The Morenci boys totaled 32 points for 11th of 15 teams competing in the Gilbert-held Knights Invitational on Sept. 27. The top three teams were Gilbert Higley with 381 points, Chandler Heights Casteel second (296), and Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor third (277).
Individual times for Morenci were 50 freestyle: Goodman with 28.85 for 29th of 43, Robert Hobbs with 40:44 for 42nd, and with Carson Hobbs 45.44 for 43rd; 100 Free: Curtis with 1:09.61 for 35th of 43, McGahee with 1:13.70 for 38th, and Robert Hobbs with 1:38.24 for 43rd; 100 Butterfly: Kudadiri 1:18.66 for 12th of 13; 100 Backstroke: Clancy 1:23.42 for 15th of 25 and McGahee 1:40.50 for 22nd; 100 Breaststroke: Sullivan 2:02.88 for 28th of 28; 200 Free: Kudadiri 2:18.07 for 15th of 26 and Clancy 2:19.74 for 17th (200 Free); 500 Free: Goodman 6:32.51 for 12th of 15 (500 Free);
The 200 freestyle relay team of Curtis, Goodman, Kudadiri, and Clancy clocked in with 1:52.54 for ninth of 11.
Other teams scoring were ALA Gilbert North had 192 points, Tempe McClintock (186), Glendale Mountain Ridge (178), Gilbert Williams Field (147), Florence (106), Queen Creek Benjamin Franklin (102), Queen Creek Crismon (45), Morenci (32), Gilbert Mesquite (28), and Avondale Agua Fria (9).
Payson and Avondale West Point did not score.
Individual event winners were 50 Free: Higley sophomore Nathaniel Larson with 22.42, 100 Free: Higley senior Grant Kellis with 49.54, 50 Fly: Casteel senior Lincoln Bellgraph with 53.01, 100 Back: Casteel sophomore Jett Holbrook with 54.84, 100 Breast: Larson with 59.61, 200 Free: Kellis with 1:48.33, 200 IM: Holbrook with 1:58.51, and 200 Free: Higley sophomore Riley Price with 4:44.88.
The winning relays were Casteel junior Tye Becki, junior Jaden Napue-Robinson, Holbrook, and Bellgraph with 1:33.15 in the 200 Free Relay; the Higley quartet of Kellis, junior Aaden Amoranto, Larson, and Price with 1:40.86 in the 200 Medley Relay; and the Higley quartet of Kellis, Price, Larson, and Amoranto with 3:20.65 in the 400 Free Relay.
Canyon del Oro Classic (Sept. 20)
The Morenci boys scored 20 points during the 21-team Canyon Del Oro Classic on Sept. 20. The top three teams were Tucson Salpointe Catholic with 320 points, host CDO second (308), and Phoenix Desert Vista third (262).
Individual times for Morenci were 50 Free: Kudadiri with 28.04 for 49th of 72, McGahee with 30:63 for 57th, Curtis with 31:95 for 61st, and Sullivan with 35.99 for 71st; 100 Free: Kudadiri with 1:00.43 for 26th of 62, Goodman with 1:04.18 for 37th, and Sullivan with 1:19.10 for 58th; 100 Back: Goodman with 1:16.04 for 22nd of 40 and Curtis with 1:29.05 for 32nd; 100 Breast: Clancy with 1:21.97 for 25th of 45 and McGahee with 1:32.88 for 40th; and 500 Free: Clancy with 6:22.57 for 15th of 20.
In the relays, the 200 Free Relay of Carson Hobbs, Robert Hobbs, Sullivan, and McGahee finished with 2:35.11 for 17th of 17; the 200 Medley Relay of Goodman, Clancy, Kudadiri, and Curtis with 2:13.23 for 14th of 16; and the 400 Free Relay of Clancy, Curtis, Goodman, and Kudadiri with 4:27.61 for 14th of 15.
Other teams scoring were Tucson Tanque Verde with 227 points, Tucson Rincon/University (183), Marana (170), Sierra Vista Buena (121), Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian (104), Douglas (74), Vail Cienega (66), Sahuarita Walden Grove (64), Oro Valley Ironwood Ridge (57), Tucson Sabino (55), Tucson Desert Christian (45), Tucson Mica Mountain (35), Tucson Magnet (24), Morenci (20), San Tan Valley Poston Butte (16), and Tucson Saint Augustine Catholic (7).
Tucson’s The Gregory School and Palo Verde Magnet did not score.
The individual event winners were 50 free: Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian senior David Landis with 22.42, 100 Free: CDO junior Jacob Callahan with 49.54, 100 Fly: Tucson Tanque Verde senior Zachary Duerkop with 53.01, 100 Back: Desert Vista senior Joseph Luken with 54.84, 100 Breast: Duerkop with 59.61, 200 Free: Callahan with 1:48.33, 200 IM: CDO junior Luke Weibel with 1:58.51, 500 Free: Weibel with 4:44.88.
The first place relays were: the CDO quartet of sophomore Colt Nehrmeyer, senior Cooper Dale, Callahan, and Weibel in the 200 Free Relay with 1:31.24; the Salpointe quartet of sophomore Diego Torres, senior Edgar Torres, junior Ryan Hough, and senior Corbin Le Peau with 1:42.60 in the 200 Medley Relay; and the CDO quartet of Weibel, freshman Aiden Custer, Callahan, and Dale with 3:18.07 in the 400 Free Relay.
