San Manuel becomes Duncan home opener
By Raymundo Frasquillo
MORENCI – The 2A South Region Morenci Wildcats (0-0) host the 1A East Region Fort Thomas Apaches (0-0) on Tuesday, Nov. 25. The Wildcat Memorial Gymnasium pairing begins at 4 p.m. for junior varsity and 7 p.m. for varsity.
Last season, the teams didn’t meet in a seeding game, but did so twice during the tournament. Morenci prevailed both times, 69-54 (Dec. 12) during the Round Valley tourney and 60-59 (Dec. 20) at Safford during the 61st Eastern Arizona Holiday Tourney.
Duncan’s home opener is also on Nov. 25 as San Manuel visits for a non-region pairing. The two East Region members will meet in San Manuel for the region counter on Jan. 20.
FORT THOMAS Apaches (0-0)
The Matthew Dona-coached Apaches (1A East Region) open the season in Wildcat Memorial Gymnasium against host Morenci.
Fort Thomas is 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.
In December, the Apaches host 2A East Region San Carlos (Dec. 3), visit 1A South Region Sells Baboquivari (Dec. 5), visit Duncan (Dec. 9), will participate in the Eagar Round Valley tourney (Dec. 11-12), host Superior (Dec. 16), and will participate in the 62nd Eastern Arizona Holiday Tourney (Dec. 18-20).
January has the Apaches hosting Hayden (Jan. 6), traveling to 1A Central Region Heber Mogollon (Jan. 9) and 1A North Region Rock Point (Jan. 10), hosting Duncan (Jan. 13), traveling to 1A North Region Dishchii’bikoh (Jan. 14) and to 1A West Region Salome (Jan. 16), hosting 1A South Region Saint David (Jan. 20), traveling to Cicero Prep (Jan. 21), hosting Valley Union (Jan. 23), traveling to Ray (Jan. 27), and hosting 1A Central Region Joseph City (Jan. 30) and 1A North Region Saint Michael (Jan. 31).
In February, the Apaches host San Manuel (Feb. 3).
Fort Thomas has a 12-member roster of five seniors, four juniors, three sophomores. The roster includes seniors Kaylee Benally (33), Makayla Chapman (25), Leia Begay (5), Raeleigh Hawkins (15), and Kirah Moses (44); juniors Kynnedee Bryce (45), Corey Cody (10), Jamie Johnson (14), and Alycia Sanchez (30); and sophomores Carmen Antonio (34), Tyshara Garland (50), and Leilynn Wesley (3).
Johnson landed on the 1A All-Conference (All-State) First Team, Benally Second Team, and Hawkins Honorable Mention.
At the Region level, Benally and Hawkins were on the First Team; Cody on the Second Team; Bryce, Chapman, and Moses Honorable Mention; and Johnson Offensive Player-of-the-Year.
Class of 2025 member Adaia Lorenzo was selected as the Conference Offensive Player-of-the-Year and the East Region Player-of-the-Year.
Last season, the No. 2 Apaches (30-6 overall, 15-3 seeding, 12.8723 rating, 7-0 East Region for first of eight) finished as the 1A state runner-up, succumbing 55-64 to top-ranked Joseph City.
MORENCI Wildcats (0-0)
The Ruben Leonard-coached Wildcats (0-0 seeding, 0-0 2A South Region) open the season at home against 1A South Region Fort Thomas. The Red and Black is 80-44 overall, 56-26 seeding, 34-17 in the region, 31-15 in Wildcat Memorial Gymnasium, 2-2 in the Play-in Round, and 1-3 in the state meet during five seasons under Leonard.
Morenci is competing in the 9-member 3A South Region with the Benson Bobcats, the Bisbee Pumas, the Tombstone Yellow Jackets, the Willcox Cowgirls, and Tucson schools the Desert Christian Eagles, the Saint Augustine Catholic Wolves, the San Miguel Catholic Vipers, and the Santa Rita Eagles.
Next month, the Wildcats host 3A South Region Empire (Dec. 5), will participate in the Eagar Round Valley tourney (Dec. 11-13), host Tombstone (Dec. 15), visit 2A East Region San Carlos (Dec. 16), and will participate in the 62nd Eastern Arizona Holiday Tourney (Dec. 18-20).
In January, the Wildcats visit San Miguel (Jan. 6), host 2A East Region Pima (Jan. 8), visit Willcox (Jan. 9), host 2A North Region Round Valley (Jan. 13), visit Benson (Jan. 14), host Saint Augustine (Jan. 15), visit 2A North Region Saint Johns (Jan. 17) and Desert Christian (Jan. 20), host Willcox (Jan. 22), visit Phoenix Country Day School (Jan. 23), host Benson (Jan. 27), and visit Tombstone (Jan. 29).
The Wildcats close out the regular season by hosting Santa Rita (Feb. 2) and Bisbee (Feb. 5).
Morenci returns 11 lettermen in seniors (three) Abraham Cortez (24), Adriana McCallum (12), and Derick Lytle (3); juniors (three) Aymen Abdulqader (11), Damian Espino (35), and Adrian McCabe (12); and sophomores (five) Brennen Burkhead (33), Alejandro LaPrada (34), Sebastian McCallum (32), Deegan Miller (50), and Morgan Petross (31).
Adrian McCallum is a 3-year letterman; Abdulqader, Cortez, and Lytle are 2-year lettermen; and Espino, McCabe, Burkhead, LaPrada, Sebastian McCallum, Miller, and Petross are 1-year lettermen.
Abdulqader was selected to the 2A South All-Region First Team, the Cortez Second Team, and both Adrian McCabe and Adrian McCallum were Honorable Mention.
Leonard was voted South Region Coach-of-the-Year in 2025 and East Region COY in 2023.
Class of 2025 members Noah Chavez was the Region Defensive Play-of-the-Year, Christopher Lopez was on the First Team, and Yedidia Luputa Kanyinda received Honorable Mention.
Last season, the No. 8 Wildcats (16-2 seeding, 10.5027 rating) finished 27-5 overall and 9-0 in the 2A South Region for first of nine.
DUNCAN Wildkats (2-2)
The Brandon Lunt-coached Wildkats (2-2 overall, 0-0 seeding, 0-0 1A East Region) opened the season in Tucson during the 3-day Boyd Baker tourney. Duncan ended 2-2, topping Nogales Lourdes Catholic 49-20 and falling 44-70 to Joseph City on Nov. 20, succumbing 33-40 to Bisbee on Nov. 21, and prevailing 50-38 over Patagonia on Nov. 22.
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.
In December, the Wildkats visit 1A South Region Arizona Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (Dec. 2), host 1A South Region Saint David (Dec. 3) and Superior (Dec. 5), Fort Thomas (Dec. 9), 1A North Region Dishchii’bikoh (Dec. 11), and 1A South Region San Simon (Dec. 16).
January has the Wildkats visiting Superior (Jan. 6), hosting 1A South Region Elfrida Valley Union (Jan. 8) and Valley Lutheran (Jan. 10), visiting Fort Thomas (Jan. 13), hosting Hayden (Jan. 15) and Cicero Prep (Jan. 17), visiting San Manuel (Jan. 20), 1A South Region San Simon (Jan. 22) and Hayden (Jan. 27), and hosting Ray (Jan. 30).
In February, the Wildkats host Willcox (Feb. 2) and visit Valley Union (Feb. 5).
Duncan lists a 12-member team of four seniors, three juniors, and five sophomores. The roster includes seniors Tanner Giacoletti (32), Taygan Jensen (22), Pablo Ruiz (10), and Isaiah Sumner (24); juniors Connor Free (12), and Dayton Penry (4); and sophomores Mark Bejarano (34), Canyon Carver (42), Jared Kempton (44), Karsen Lacey (14), and Wyatt Lunt (40).
Giacoletti, Jensen, Ruiz, and Sumner are 3-year lettermen, while Free, Carver, Kempton, and Lunt have earned one letter each.
Last season, the No. 25 Wildkats (9-11 seeding, minus 11.8449 rating) finished 9-15 overall and 2-5 in the 1A East Region for sixth of eight.
Sumner received East Region Honorable Mention last season and Tucson Southeast Region Second Team in 2024.
Class of 2025 member Isaiah Harris received East Region Honorable Mention last season.
