By Raymundo Frasquillo
WILLCOX – The Farbod Safavi-coached Willcox Cowboys welcome the Yellow Jackets from “the town too tough to die” on Friday, Jan. 23. It is the first of three remaining region pairings for the Cowboys, with San Miguel (Jan. 17) and Desert Christian (Jan. 29) being the other two.
But first, the Cowboys (2-1 South Region) head to Wildcat Memorial Gymnasium to face Morenci (2-0) on Thursday, Jan. 22.
Already, in a prior Cochise County non-region pairing, Willcox topped Morenci 81-73 (Jan. 9).
This week (Jan. 20-24)
This week (Jan. 20-24) in the South Region, Benson visits Saint Augustine, Desert Christian hosts Morenci, Bisbee hosts Santa Rita, and San Miguel visits Tombstone on Tuesday, Jan. 20; Benson hosts Bisbee, Desert Christian visits Santa Rita, Morenci hosts Willcox, and Saint Augustine visits San Miguel on Thursday, Jan. 22; and Willcox hosts Tombstone on Friday, Jan. 23.
Non-region contests include Tombstone visiting 1A South Region Nogales Lourdes Catholic on Wednesday, Jan. 21; Benson hosting 3A South Region Tanque Verde, Morenci visiting Phoenix Country Day School, Saint Augustine hosting 3A South Region Catalina, and Bisbee visiting 1A South Region Saint David on Jan. 23; and Desert Christian hosting Tucson’s The Gregory School on Saturday, Jan. 24.
For the 2A East Region members, San Tan Charter hosts Arete Prep, Pima hosts Gilbert Classical, and San Carlos visits Chandler Prep on Jan. 20; Miami hosts Leading Edge on Jan. 21; San Tan Charter hosts Leading Edge, Pima hosts Miami, San Carlos hosts Lincoln Prep, and Gilbert Classical visits Arete Prep on Jan. 23.
Non-region contests include Arete Prep hosting 2A West Region Avondale Saint John Paul II Catholic on Jan. 22; Pima hosting 2A Valley Region Phoenix Arizona Lutheran, and San Carlos hosting 2A Valley Region Phoenix Country Day School on Jan. 24.
The 1A East Region has Valley Lutheran hosting Superior, Hayden hosting Ray, and Duncan visiting San Manuel on Jan. 20; Fort Thomas visiting Cicero Prep on Jan. 21; and Fort Thomas hosting Valley Lutheran, Cicero Prep visiting San Manuel, and Superior visiting Ray on Jan. 23.
Non-region pairings include Fort Thomas hosting 1A South Region Saint David on Jan. 20; Duncan visiting 1A South Region San Simon on Jan. 22; Hayden hosting 1A South Region Sells Baboquivari on Jan. 23; Superior visiting 1A South Region San Simon, and Ray visiting 1A South Region Patagonia on Jan. 24.
This week in the 3A South Region, Palo Verde Magnet visits Sabino, Tanque Verde visits Catalina, and Safford visits Empire on Jan. 20; Thatcher visits Pusch Ridge, Tanque Verde visits Sabino, and Empire visits Catalina on Jan. 21; and Safford hosts Andrada Polytechnic on Jan. 22.
Non-region pairings include Pusch Ridge hosting 4A Gila Region Rio Rico on Jan. 20; Palo Verde Magnet visiting 4A Gila Region Sahuarita on Jan. 22; Tanque Verde visiting 2A South Region Benson, Safford hosting 1A South Region Tucson’s The Gregory School, Sabino hosting 3A Metro Region Northwest Christian, and Empire visiting 2A South Region Saint Augustine on Jan. 23; and Pusch Ridge hosting 3A Central Region Coolidge on Jan. 24.
No. 25 Willcox – 47, No. 35 Santa Rita – 41
A Ty Shull 3-pointer 20 seconds into the region contest gave Willcox the initial lead of the game. Santa Rita sophomore Joshua Parker countered with a field goal 12 seconds later to get within one, but the Eagles would come no closer during the rest of the game.
Another Shull field goal, four consecutive free throws, two each by sophomore Tucker Stamback and junior J.D. Whetten, ensued before Santa Rita connected on an Imani Hashim long-distance shot with 3:07 elapsed.
Willcox led 18-8 at the start of the second quarter when a confused senior Eagle put up an uncontested shot to make it a 12-point, 20-8, deficit with six seconds elapsed. The Cowboys led 23-8 before Santa Rita reached double figures off a Kamran Shaya Alavi steal and subsequent lay-up.
Santa Rita went on to outscore the Cowboys 33-24 during the rest of the game, but it was not enough to offset the 10-point deficit of the initial eight minutes.
Willcox led 18-8 following the first quarter, 28-21 at halftime, and 39-28 heading into the fourth quarter.
For the game, Willcox totaled 17 field goals (one 3-pointer) plus 12-15 free throws compared to 15 field goals (three 3-pointers) plus 8-16 free throws by Santa Rita.
Whetten tallied a team-high 12 points on five field goals plus 2-2 free throws, and Stamback 11 on two field goals plus 7-8 free throws. Junior Jahir Reyes added six points, Shull and sophomore Asher Ward five apiece, junior Carder Wyatt four, and sophomore Steele Romney two.
Six Eagles scored with Parker netting a game-high 19 points on seven field goals (one 3-pointer) plus 4-4 free throws. Junior Titan Heines added nine points, Hashin seven, Alavi four, and both senior Samuel Thompson and sophomore Caleb Bastick one each.
“It was an awesome experience,” Shull said of playing in The McHale Center, the same venue where the nation’s current top-rated men’s team plays.
“I watch them play all the time,” Shull said. The Cowboys walked out of the McHale Center with a region win and “a cool experience.”
“It was a very positive experience,” Willcox spirit line captain Cienna Ward said of cheering on the Cowboys in the University of Arizona facility. A dozen of the 14 spirit line members were in the house doing just that.
“It was exciting and nice to get that experience,” co-captain Samantha Chavez added.
“You could tell both teams were very nervous,” Willcox athletic director Paul McInnes said.
The two teams met at the McHale Center in the first of eight 2026 Martin Luther King Day Classic pairings, sponsored by the Tucson Unified School District and presented by Coaches for Charity.
2A No. 25 Willcox Cowboys (6-4 seeding, minus 0.9621 rating)
Willcox (13-5 overall, 6-4 seeding, 2-1 region) is averaging a 57-50 (1,026-899) score per game or a 7-point margin through 18 games.
An 11-member roster includes a senior, four juniors, five sophomores, and a freshman. The senior is Ty Shull (2); juniors Bryan Cuevas (4), Jahir Reyes (12), J.D. Whetten (10), and Carder Wyatt (13); sophomores Ryan Burchett (24), Saul Medina (3), Steele Romney (5), Tucker Stamback (11), and Asher Ward (1); and freshman Alex Shull (14).
The Farbod Safavi-coached Wildcats are competing in the 9-member 2A South Region with the Benson Bobcats, the Bisbee Pumas, the Morenci Wildcats, the Tombstone Yellow Jackets, along with the Tucson schools Desert Christian Eagles, Saint Augustine Catholic Wolves, the San Miguel Catholic Vipers, and the Santa Rita Eagles.
2A No. 3 Pima Roughriders (8-0 seeding, 14.9808 rating)
Pima (20-3 overall, 8-0 seeding, 2-0 region) is averaging a 67-45 (1,539-1,045) score per game or a 22-point margin through 23 games.
A 12-member roster has four seniors, seven juniors, and a sophomore. The seniors are Keaton Bryce (2), Keegan Corona (14), Charles Richardson (32), Isaac Thompson (1); juniors Nash Bodily (13), Gilbert Bryce (0), Joel Mattice (23), Stratton McRae (12), Brendan Skiba (15), Tanner Smith (3), and Haydn Wilkins (5); and sophomore Van Papa (10).
The Cliff Thompson-coached Roughriders are competing in the 9-member 2A East Region 2A East Region with the Chandler Lincoln Prep Lightning, the Chandler Prep Titans, the Gilbert Leading Edge Spartans, the Gilbert Classical Spartans, the Gilbert San Tan Charter Roadrunners, the Miami Vandals, and the San Carlos Braves.
2A State Rankings
The statewide rankings for the Top 24 of 52 statewide 2A schools at noon on Jan. 20 were Gilbert San Tan Charter (12-0 seeding, 24.5182 rating) No. 1, Phoenix Country Day School (10-1, 17.1064) No. 2, Pima (10-1, 16.5180) No. 3, Phoenix North Valley Christian (9-1, 14.7618) No. 4, Scottsdale Christian (8-4, 12.5753) No. 5, Fountain Hills (10-3, 12.5371) No. 6, Phoenix Arizona Lutheran (7-2, 12.0890) No. 7, and Glendale Prep (8-3, 11.2116) No. 8.
Phoenix Veritas Prep (9-2, 10.0195) was No. 9, San Carlos (8-4, 9.2675) No. 10, Phoenix Madison Highland Prep (9-3, 7.6323) No. 11, Saint Johns (6-3, 7.5401) No. 12, Gilbert Classical (10-2, 7.3131) No. 13, Benson (7-3, 7.2478) No. 14, Scottsdale Rancho Solano Prep (8-6, 7.0322) No. 15, and Flagstaff Northland Prep (6-3, 7.0433) No. 16.
Bullhead City Mohave Accelerated (7-5, 5.8095) was No. 17, Phoenix Horizon Honors (6-6, 5.1711) No. 18, Eagar Round Valley (7-5, 3.5720) No. 19, Camp Verde (4-7, 3.5365) No. 20, Phoenix Christian (4-6, 2.8103) No. 21, Chandler Lincoln Prep (7-5, 2.6301) No. 22, Avondale Highland Prep West (5-5, 2.1718) No. 23, and Willcox (7-4, 1.5512) No. 24.
The state rankings for the other seven 2A South Region members were Tucson Saint Augustine (7-2, minus 0.8825) No. 26, Morenci (4-6, minus 1.8422) No. 27, Desert Christian (6-4, minus 2.6309) No. 29, Bisbee (5-2, minus 2.6941) No. 30, Santa Rita (6-8, minus 8.0653) No. 37, San Miguel (3-10, minus 18.2827) No. 50, and Tombstone (1-8, minus 20.8682) No. 51.
2A South Region Standings
Standings in the 2A South Region as of Jan. 19 were Benson (11-5 overall, 7-3 seeding, 2-0 region), Tucson Desert Christian (7-8, 6-4, 2-0), Morenci (8-13, 4-6, 2-0), Willcox (14-5, 7-4, 3-1), Bisbee (8-4, 5-2, 1-1), Tucson Saint Augustine Catholic (10-4, 7-2, 1-2), Tucson Santa Rita (6-9, 6-8, 1-3), Tucson San Miguel Catholic (3-9, 3-10, 0-3), and Tombstone (1-18, 1-8, 0-2).
Region results are Benson over Willcox (51-50, Jan. 6) and Santa Rita (67-38, Jan. 15); Desert Christian over Tombstone (57-25, Jan. 6) and San Miguel (61-24, Jan. 15); Morenci over San Miguel (74-38, Jan. 6) and Saint Augustine (63-51, Jan. 15); Willcox over Saint Augustine (60-36, Jan. 8), Bisbee (66-52, Jan. 15), and Santa Rita (47-41, Jan. 19); Bisbee over Tombstone (58-44, Dec. 8); Saint Augustine over Santa Rita (58-47, Jan. 6); and Santa Rita over San Miguel (64-32, Jan. 8).
2A East Region Standings
Standings for 2A East Region members as of Jan. 17 were Gilbert San Tan Charter (15-3 overall, 11-0 seeding, 2-0 region), Pima (20-3, 10-1, 3-0), San Carlos (12-5*, 8-4, 2-1), Gilbert Classical (12-3*, 10-2, 2-1), Chandler Lincoln Prep (10-10, 7-5, 2-2), Miami (8-12, 3-7, 1-2), Gilbert Arete Prep (8-11, 3-7, 0-2), Gilbert Leading Edge (2-14*, 2-10, 0-2), and Chandler Prep (0-11, 0-11, 0-3).
Region results are San Tan Charter over Lincoln Prep (94-26, Dec. 2) and San Carlos (89-64, Jan. 12); Pima over Chandler Prep (98-16, Jan. 9), Arete Prep (78-36, Jan. 12), and Leading Eadge (94-23, Jan. 15); San Carlos over Arete Prep (79-34, Jan. 9) and Gilbert Classical (51-46, Jan. 15); Gilbert Classical over Miami (82-36, Jan. 9) and Lincoln Prep (65-30); Lincoln Prep over Leading Edge (53-43, Jan. 9) and Miami (69-29); Miami over Chandler Prep (52-51, Jan. 12).
The state rankings for the other four 2A East Region members were Arete Prep (3-7 seeding, minus 5.2428) No. 34, Miami (3-5, minus 9.7400) No. 39, Leading Edge (2-8, minus 10.5566) No. 44, and Chandler Prep (0-9, minus 13.5648) No. 48.
3A No. 10 Thatcher Eagles (9-2 seeding, 12.2208)
Thatcher (15-2 overall, 9-2 seeding, 2-0 region) is averaging a 62-52 (1,186-997) score per game or a 10-point margin through 19 games.
A 12-member roster has six seniors, four juniors, a sophomore, and a freshman. The seniors are Braden Bryce (13), Chad Johnson (30), Brigham Palmer (3), Isaac Palmer (33), Dylan Riney (31), and Bronson Stringfellow (24), juniors Jay Carter (12), Brant Duncan (2), Wade Hull (11), and Hudson Lopeman (1); sophomore Kase Palmer (23); and freshman JayLeon Way (10).
The Kyle Hull-coached Eagles are competing in the 9-member 3A South Region, along with the Safford Bulldogs, the Tucson schools Andrada Polytechnic Mustangs, Catalina Trojans, Empire Ravens, Palo Verde Magnet Titans, Pusch Ridge Christian Lions, Sabino Sabercats, and Tanque Verde Hawks.
3A No. 22 Safford Bulldogs (5-5 seeding, 4.3955 rating)
Safford (9-11 overall, 5-5 seeding, 1-1 region) is averaging a 59-62 (1,180-1,243) score per game or a 3-point deficit through 20 games.
A 12-member roster includes four seniors, four juniors, and four sophomores. The seniors are Fernando Felix (5), Mason Hatch (3), Grady Lackner (4), and Royal Smith (15); juniors Aaron Barnes (11), Jacob Gomez (22), Dane Jacobson (10), and Cade Kenehan (25); and sophomores Kaybian Chavez (12), Lamar Ellis (20), Trae Gaines (24), and Hayden Larson (14).
The Danny Smith-coached Bulldogs are competing in the 9-member 3A South Region, along with the Thatcher Eagles, the Tucson schools Andrada Polytechnic Mustangs, Catalina Trojans, Empire Ravens, Palo Verde Magnet Titans, Pusch Ridge Christian Lions, Sabino Sabercats, and Tanque Verde Hawks.
3A State Rankings
The initial rankings for the Top 24 of 45 statewide 3A schools at noon on Jan. 20 were Tucson Palo Verde Magnet (10-1 seeding, 22.1561 rating) No. 1, Chandler Valley Christian (10-2, 19.3720) No. 2, Queen Creek Benjamin Franklin (11-2, 18.4076) No. 3, Coolidge (10-2, 17.1398) No. 4, Chandler Seton Catholic (10-2, 16.2848) No. 5, Chinle (10-3, 14.5558) No. 6, Winslow (10-2, 14.5056) No. 7, and Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian (7-3, 13.9784) No. 8.
Gilbert Christian (7-4, 13.9339) was No. 9, Payson (8-3, 13.4564) No. 10, Holbrook (8-3, 13.2982) No. 11, Thatcher (9-2, 12.2208) No. 12, Snowflake (5-5, 9.8051) No. 13, Yuma Catholic (6-6, 8.3472) No. 14, Tucson Sabino (7-3, 8.1469) No. 15, and Phoenix Bourgade Catholic (9-4, 8.0074) No. 16.
Florence (7-5, 7.1665) was No. 17, Queen Creek American Leadership – Ironwood (6-6, 6.7250) No. 18, Waddell American Leadership – West Foothills (7-5, 5.7685) No. 19, Mohave Valley River Valley (9-2, 5.4991) No. 20, Whiteriver Alchesay (6-5, 5.0672) No. 21, Safford (5-5, 4.3955) No. 22, Tuba City (7-6, 4.3686) No. 23, Parker (5-4, 1.0960) No. 24.
The state rankings for the other four 3A South Region members were Tanque Verde (6-3, 0.4354) No. 28, Empire (5-6, minus 0.7498) No. 31, Catalina (0-11, minus 19.3804) No. 43,
3A South Region Standings
Standings for the 3A South Region as of Jan. 17 were Tucson Palo Verde Magnet (13-4 overall, 10-1 seeding, 2-0 region), Thatcher (15-2, 9-2, 2-0), Tucson Tanque Verde (8-7, 6-3, 3-0), Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian (10-4, 7-2, 1-1), Safford (9-11, 5-5, 1-1), Sabino (12-7, 7-3, 1-1), Tucson Empire (6-10, 5-6, 0-2), Tucson Catalina (0-15, 0-11, 0-2), and Tucson Andrada Polytechnic (0-15, 0-12, 0-3),
Region results are Palo Verde Magnet over Safford (81-60) and Pusch Ridge (54-53); Thatcher over Andrada Polytechnic (84-17, Dec. 12) and Catalina (76-29, Jan. 13); Tanque Verde over Andrada Polytechnic (77-22, Nov. 19); Pusch Ridge over Sabino (63-47, Jan. 13); Safford over Catalina (64-33, Jan. 9); and Sabino over Empire (76-58, Jan. 16).
1A No. 1 Fort Thomas (12-0 seeding, 16.0465 rating)
Fort Thomas (20-4 overall, 12-0 seeding, 3-0 region) is averaging a 73-51 (1,745-1,224) score per game or a 22-point margin through 24 games.
A 14-member roster includes seven seniors, three juniors, three sophomores, and a freshman. The seniors are Damarae Dosela (31), Koby Hunter (23), Leondro Kenton (14), Justin Olivar (25), Michael Olivar (34), Kobe Pearson (20), and Channing Wilson (11); juniors Brian Sign (50), Tayshawn Stanley (45), and Keon Williams (44); sophomores Aaden Anderson (55), Amare Ethelbah (15), and Malachi Johnson (10); and freshman Elijah Titla (35).
The Matthew Dona-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.
1A No. 15 Duncan (6-7 seeding, minus 1.5029 rating)
Duncan (8-9 overall, 6-7 seeding, 1-3 region) is averaging a 42-44 (716-751) score per game or a 2-point deficit through 17 games.
A 12-member roster includes four seniors, three juniors, and five sophomores. The seniors are Taygen Jensen (22), Pablo Ruiz (10), and Isaiah Sumner (24); juniors Connor Free (12), Dayton Penry (4), and Aaron Zamora (30); and sophomores Mark Bejarano (34), Canyon Carver (42), Jared Kempton (44), Karsen Lacey (14), and Wyatt Lunt (40).
The Brad Roof-coached Wildkats are competing in the 8-member 1A South 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 State Rankings
The initial rankings for the Top 24 of 42 statewide 3A schools at noon on Jan. 13 were Fort Thomas (12-0, 16.0465 rating), No. 1, Tucson’s The Gregory School (9-3, 8.6765) No. 2, Phoenix Valley Lutheran (10-1, 8.6660) No. 3, Joseph City (10-3, 8.0899) No. 4, Winkelman Hayden (10-2, 7.6296) No. 5, Bagdad (14-0, 6.1866) No. 6, Williams (9-2, 5.7772) No. 7, and Phoenix Great Hearts Anthem (8-2, 2.6086) No. 8.
Saint David (8-3, 2.5927) was No. 9, Heber Mogollon (7-5, 1.2411) No. 10, Dishchii’bikoh (7-5, minus 0.3122) No. 11, Rock Point (8-4, minus 0.3698) No. 12, Kearny Ray (9-2, minus 1.0535) No. 13, Seligman (7-4, minus 2.7900) No. 14, Sells Baboquivari (7-4, minus 2.9930) No. 15, and Flagstaff Basis (6-4, minus 3.2735) No. 16.
Wellton Antelope Union (7-3, minus 3.3169) was No. 17, Scottsdale Cicero Prep (4-8, minus 3.9048) No. 18, Duncan (6-7, minus 4.7396) No. 19, Teec Nos Pos Red Mesa (8-5, minus 5.6909) No. 20, Peach Springs Music Mountain (8-5, minus 5.9336) No. 21, Saint Michael (7-6, minus 7.4615) No. 22, North Phoenix Prep (7-7, minus 9.3389) No. 23, and Colorado City El Capitan (7-6, minus 9.480) No. 24.
The state rankings for the other two 1A South Region members were Superior (3-10, minus 11.8974), No. 27, and San Manuel (1-11, minus 17.9479), No. 35.
1A South Region Standings
Standings for the 1A East Region as of Jan. 17 were Fort Thomas (20-4 overall, 12-0 seeding, 3-0 region), Phoenix Valley Lutheran (15-6, 10-1, 4-1), Winkelman Hayden (12-5, 10-2, 3-1), Scottsdale Cicero Prep (4-8, 4-8, 2-1), Duncan (8-9, 6-7, 1-3), Superior (5-13, 3-10, 1-3), Kearny Ray (12-5, 9-2, 0-2), and San Manuel (1-15, 1-11, 0-3).
Region results are Fort Thomas over Superior (87-34, Dec. 16), Hayden (85-68, Jan. 6), and Duncan (78-43, Jan. 13); Valley Lutheran over Ray (71-70, Dec. 12), Cicero Prep (56-45, Jan. 6), Duncan (48-44, Jan. 10), and San Manuel (75-18, Jan. 16); Hayden over San Manuel (68-35, Dec. 16), Valley Lutheran (58-44, Jan. 13), and Superior (51-29, Jan. 15); Cicero Prep over Ray (72-51, Jan. 9) and Duncan (58-52, Jan. 17); Duncan over Superior (52-41, Jan. 6); and Superior over San Manuel (52-40, Jan. 13).
