Morenci welcomes Globe on Thursday

Roughriders welcome Lobos on Friday

By Raymundo Frasquillo

GREENLEE / GRAHAM COUNTIES – The Emmett McBride-coached Globe Tigers (1-3 seeding, 0-2 section) visits the Brenda Street-coached Morenci Wildcats (0-2, 0-0) on Thursday, March 12.

In addition, the Brooke Bingham-coached Pima Roughriders (2-0, 0-0) host the Section III Patagonia Lobos (1-0, 0-0) on Friday, March 13.

This Week (March 9-14)

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Safford players display medals earned after placing second during their all-day tourney. The Katie Jones-coached Bulldogs are, from left, No. 1 Lucas Lackner, No. 2 John Archuleta, No. 3 Trae Gaines, No. 5 Nathan Tarnutzer, and No. 6 Jackson Smith. Fourth seed Gunnar Crockett was unavailable.

This week (March 9-14) in the section, Globe visits Morenci on Thursday, March 12; and Pima hosts Section III Patagonia on Friday, March 13.

Safford does not have any matches scheduled this week.

Pima downed Duncan 8-1 and Benson was blanked by Section III Saint David on March 9; and Thatcher shutout Section VII Glendale Prep 9-0 and Miami hosted Globe on March 10; Section II Pusch Ridge Christiandefeated Thatcher 7-2 and Benson downed Duncan 6-3 on March 11.

Division III Section I Standings

The section standing as of March 11 were Thatcher (5-1 seeding, 1-0 section), Safford (2-1, 1-0), Benson (1-2, 1-0), Pima (2-0, 0-0), Globe (1-3, 0-2), Miami (0-2, 0-0), Morenci (0-2, 0-0), and Duncan (0-3, 0-1).

Two section pairings resulted in wins by Thatcher over Globe (9-0, Feb. 26), and Safford over Globe (7-2, March 4).

Thatcher (5-1) is 30-6 in singles and 14-4 in doubles. Top seed senior Isaac Palmer is 1-2, No. 2 senior Braden Huish 6-0, No. 3 junior Jacob Reed 4-2, No. 4 senior Topher Rubalcava 6-0, No. 5 senior RananRubalcava 5-1, No. 6 sophomore Jackson Smith 5-1, sophomore Grady Allen 3-0 in singles.

In doubles, No. 1 Palmer – Huish is 2-1, No. 2 Rubalcava – Rubalcava 4-2, No. 3 Reed – Allen 2-1, Huish – Allen 2-0, Huish – Reed 1-0, Reed – Smith 2-0 and Smith – Allen 1-0.

Safford (2-1) is 11-7 in singles and 5-4 in doubles. Top seed sophomore Lucas Lackner is 2-1, No. 2 juniorJohn Archuleta 2-1, No. 3 sophomore Trae Gaines 2-1, No. 4 freshman Gunnar Crockett 2-1, No. 5 sophomoreNathan Tarnutzer 2-1, and No. 6 sophomore Jackson Smith 1-2.

In doubles, No. 1 Lackner – Archuleta is 2-1, No. 2 Gaines – Crockett 2-1, and No. 3 Tarnutzer – Smith 1-2.

Benson (1-2) is 5-13 (3 forfeit wins) in singles and 3-6 (2 forfeit wins) in doubles. Top seed junior Casey Acuna is 0-3, No. 2 sophomore J.R. Nunez 1-1, No. 3 senior Isaac Garcia 0-3, No. 4 sophomore Guillermo Macias 1-2, No. 5 sophomore Dominic Estrella 1-2, No. 6 freshman Lionel Hummel 2-1, and sophomore Jaxon Davis 0-1 in singles.

In doubles, No. 1 Acuna – Garcia is 0-3, No. 2 Macias – Nunez 1-1, No. 3 Estrella – Hummel 1-1, and Macias – Estrella 1-0, Estrella – Davis 0-1.

Pima (2-0) is 11-1 in singles and 5-1 in doubles. Top seed senior Jackson Paull is 1-1, No. 2 senior Jimmy Smith 2-0, No. 3 junior Colt Lunt 2-0, No. 4 junior Eli Rogers 2-0, No. 5 senior Garth Lunt 2-0, No. 6 junior Hollen Hoopes 2-0.

In doubles, No. 1 Paull – Smith is 2-0, No. 2 Colt Lunt – Rogers 2-0, No. 3 Garth Lunt – Hoopes 1-0, and Garth Lunt – junior Logan McCray 0-1.

Globe (1-3) is 6-18 (3 forfeit wins) in singles and 5-7 (2 forfeit wins) in doubles. Top seed senior SpencerMcBride is 1-3, No. 2 junior Matthew Bolinger 0-3, No. 3 senior Kaden Graham 1-3, No. 4 junior CadenDryden 1-3, No. 5 junior Matthew Pollock 1-3, No. 6 junior Brody East 0-3 in singles, junior Aiden Alvarez 1-0, and junior William Montague 1-0.

In doubles, No. 1 Bolinger – Dryden is 0-1, No. 2 McBride – Graham 1-1, No. 3 Pollock – East 2-1, McBride – Bolinger 0-2, Graham – Dryden 0-2, Dryden – Pollock 1-0, and Alvarez – Montague 1-0.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Trae Gaines looks to place his serve during the Safford Invitational. The Safford sophomore is 2-1 in both singles and doubles.

Miami (0-2) is 2-10 singles and 0-6 in doubles. Top seed senior Jeffery Askew 0-2, No. 2 junior Jose Zarate 0-2, No. 3 senior Chris White 0-2, No. 4 junior Hector Mariscal 0-2, No. 5 sophomore Joshua Dillon 1-1, No. 6 sophomore Jeriah Palmer 1-1.

In doubles, No. 1 Askew – Zarate is 0-1, No. 2 White – Mariscal 0-1, No. 3 Dillon – Palmer 0-2, Askew – Mariscal 0-1, and Zarate – White 0-1.

Morenci (0-2) is 1-11 in singles and 0-6 in doubles. Top seed senior Jaydon Cueto is 0-2, No. 2 senior Hector Morales 0-2, No. 3 junior Ryan Sullivan 1-1, No. 4 freshman William Henrie 0-2, No. 5 freshman Gabriel Tachie-Menson 0-2, and No. 6 freshman Riley Stephenson 0-2 in singles.

In doubles, No. 1 Cueto – Morales is 0-2, No. 2 Sullivan – Stephenson 0-1, No. 3 Tachie-Menson – Stephenson 0-1, Sullivan – Henrie 0-1, and Henrie – Tachie-Menson 0-1.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Isaac Palmer (LEFT) and David Gonzalez to hydrate during a break between sets. The Sabino top seed defeated Palmer in singles and both posted doubles wins in Thatcher on March 4.

Duncan (0-3) is 4-5 in singles and 1-2 in doubles during head-to-head pairings. Half a full team yields three singles and two doubles matches to each scheduled opponent.

Top seed sophomore Jared Kempton is 3-0, No. 2 sophomore Canyon Carver 0-3, and No. 3 junior AaronZamora 1-2.

In doubles, Kempton – Carver is 1-2.

Safford Invitational (March 7)

Florence captured its second consecutive Safford Invitational title, totaling 24 points Miami was second with 20 points, Safford third (10), and Morenci fourth (zero). Safford ended first in 2024 and Florence was also first in 2023.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Braden Huish begins a serve delivery against Sabino. The Thatcher senior is 6-0 in singles and 5-1 doubles.

Individual singles gold medalists were Florence No. 2 senior Tatiana McKissack, No. 3 sophomore Elizabeth Gurule, No. 4 junior Sophia Billingsley, and No. 5 senior Erin McCabe along with Miami No. 1 senior Jeffery Askew and No. 6 sophomore Jeriah Palmer.

Second in singles were Miami No. 4 senior Jeffery Askew and No. 5 sophomore Jeriah Palmer, Safford No. 2junior Iris Green and No. 3 junior Amanda Neal, and Miami No. 4 junior Hector Marical and No. 5 sophomore Joshua Dillon.

First place doubles teams were Miami No. 1 Askew – Marical along with Florence No. 2 Zaklit – Palmer and No. 3 Thompson – Long.

Florence – 9, Safford – 0 (Round 3)

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Adam Olson fallows the ball across the net after a backhand return. The Sabino No. 2 junior fell to Braden Huish in singles and to Palmer – Huish in doubles.

The Gophers swept the Bulldogs, victorious in all six singles and all three doubles.

It was top seed junior Alfred Zaklit, No. 2 junior Manuel Suarez-Montoya, No. 3 junior Joaquin Wilcox, No. 4 senior Jonathan Palmer, No. 5 sophomore Jackson Thompson, and No. 6 freshman Steven Long 6-1 over Lucas Lackner, 7-5 over junior John Archuleta, 6-2 over sophomore Trae Gaines, 6-0 over freshman Gunnar Crockett, 6-4 over sophomore Nathan Tarnutzer, and 6-1 over sophomore Jackson Smith, respectively, in singles.

In doubles, it was No. 1 Suarez-Montoya – Wilcox 6-1 over Lackner – Archuleta, No. 2 Zaklit – Palmer 6-0over Gaines – Crockett, and No. 3 Thompson – Long 6-2 over Tarnutzer – Smith.

Miami – 9, Morenci – 0

The Vandals swept the Wildcats, winning five singles and two doubles during head-to-head pairings along with receiving two forfeit wins.

It was senior Jeffery Askew, No. 2 junior Jose Zarate, No. 3 senior Chris White, No. 4 junior Hector Mariscal, No. 5 sophomore Joshua Dillon, and No. 6 sophomore Jeriah Palmer 6-3 over senior Jaydon Cueto, 6-2 over senior Hector Morales, 6-3 over freshman Riley Stephenson, 6-0 over junior Ryan Sullivan, 6-0 overfreshman William Henrie, and by forfeit, respectively, in singles.

In doubles, it was No. 1 Askew – Mariscal 6-4 over Cueto – Morales, No. 2 Zarate – White 6-0 over Stephenson – Sullivan, and No. 3 Dillon – Palmer by forfeit.

Florence – 9, Morenci – 0 (Round 2)

The Gophers downed the Wildcats in five singles head-to-head and two doubles. Florence posted a shutout with two forfeit wins.

It was Zaklit, No. 2 Suarez-Montoya, No. 3 Wilcox, No. 4 Palmer, No. 5 Thompson, and No. 6 Long 6-0 overCueto, 6-0 over Morales, 6-0 over Stephenson, 6-0 over Sullivan, 6-0 over Henrie, and by forfeit, respectively, in singles.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Topher Rubalcava eyes the ball into his racquet against Sabino. The Thatcher No. 4 senior is 6-0 in singles and 4-2 in doubles.

In doubles, it was No. 1 Suarez-Montoya – Wilcox 6-0 over Cueto – Morales, No. 2 Zaklit – Palmer 6-0 over Stephenson – Sullivan, and No. 3 Thompson – Long by forfeit.

Miami – 8, Safford – 1

A lone singles win allowed the Bulldogs to elude a shutout at the hands of the Vandals.

It was top seed Askew, No. 2 Zarate, No. 4 Mariscal, No. 5 Dillon, and No. 6 Palmer 6-3 over Lackner, 7-6 over Archuleta, 6-3 Crockett, 7-6 over Tarnutzer, and 6-2 over Smith, respectively, in singles.

In doubles, it was No. 1 Askew – Mariscal 7-5 over Lackner – Archuleta, No. 2 Zarate – White 6-3 over Gaines – Crockett, and No. 3 Dillon – Palmer 6-4 over Tarnutzer – Smith.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Cade Haggart meets the ball for a return against Topher Rubalcava. The Sabino No. 4 junior fell in singles but teamed up with senior David Gonzalez for a win over Rubalcava – Rubalcava.

For Safford, it was No. 3 Gaines 6-3 over White in singles.

Florence – 6, Miami – 3 (Round 1)

The Gophers captured four singles and two doubles from the Vandals.

It was No. 2 Suarez-Montoya, No. 3 Wilcox, No. 4 Palmer, and No. 5 Thompson 6-3 over Zarate, 6-1 over White, 6-4 over Mariscal, and 6-4 over Dillon, respectively, in singles.

In doubles, it was No. 2 Zaklit – Palmer 6-1 over Zarate – White and No. 3 Thompson – Long 6-4 over Dillon – Palmer.

For Miami, it was Askew 7-6 over Zaklit and No. 6 Palmer 6-4 over Long in singles.

The No. 1 Askew – Mariscal duo prevailed 6-4 over Suarez-Montoya – Wilcox.

Safford – 9, Morenci – 0

The Bulldogs defeated the Wildcats in head-to-head pairings, winning five singles and two doubles along with received two forfeit wins.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Ranan Rubalcava tosses the ball up for a serve delivery against Sabino. The Thatcher senior is 5-1 in singles and 4-2 in doubles.

It was Lackner, Archuleta, Gaines, Crockett, Tarnutzer, and Smith 6-1 over Cueto, 6-3 over Morales, 6-0 over Stephenson, 6-0 over Sullivan, 6-0 over Henrie, and by forfeit, respectively, in singles.

In doubles, it was No. 1 Lackner – Archuleta 6-0 over Cueto – Morales, No. 2 Gaines – Crockett 6-0 over Stephenson – Sullivan, and No. 3 Thompson – Long by forfeit.

Globe – 9, Coolidge – 0 (March 6)

The visiting Globe Tigers blanked the host Bears, leaving Pinal County with head-to-head wins in three singles and one doubles. The other three singles and two doubles were forfeit wins.

Top seed senior Spencer McBride, No. 2 senior Kaden Graham, and No. 3 junior Aiden Alvarez defeated junior Shooter Robinson (6-3, 6-4), junior Gabriel Casillas (6-1 twice), and freshman Raul Molina (6-1, 6-3), respectively, while No. 4 junior Caden Dryden, No. 5 junior Matthew Pollock, and No. 6 junior WilliamMontague received forfeit wins, in singles.

In doubles, it was No. 1 Dryden – Pollock over Robinson – Casillas 8-2 while No. 2 McBride – Graham and No. 3 Alvarez – Montague received forfeit wins.