After all of the training, workouts, scrimmages and practices, SUSD’s middle and high school fall athletics seasons are in full swing (no pun intended, golf enthusiasts!).
Middle Schools
It all started last Saturday, August 24, with our Middle School Fall Sports Festival. More than 900 6th, 7th and 8th baseball and volleyball players participated in “Tier I,” no-score, practice games and matches at local parks and SUSD high schools.
The festival precedes those sports’ competitive, “Tier 2” seasons that run through this month. Teams comprised of 12-15 student athletes were chosen last week and will play against each other in a competitive season that ends September 30. See the schedule here.
Scottsdale Unified School District is pleased to offer athletic opportunities to its middle school students in eight sports throughout the school year: baseball, basketball, cross country, flag football, soccer, softball, track and field, and volleyball. All students are invited to learn and develop skills in a new sport or improve existing skills.
High Schools
At SUSD’s five high schools, our teams have begun competing against their counterparts from around the Valley and state in Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) play. Fall sees the most number of sports seasons underway at the same time, with badminton, cross country, flag and tackle football, golf, swim and dive, and volleyball all taking place. Check your favorite team’s schedule on the AIA’s AZPreps365 website.
We ask that all spectators please follow our Game Day Guidelines and remember that SUSD enforces its Clear Bag policy at all home sporting events.
Game tickets can be purchased on the GOFAN website.
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Fall Sports are fast approaching, so please get your student signed up in Register My Athlete.
Middle Schools
Quarter 1 starts Aug. 5: Boys baseball, girls volleyball
High Schools
Fall season: Football, girls volleyball, cross country, golf, badminton (Chaparral, Desert Mountain, Saguaro), girls flag football, swim/dive, Spirit/pom/cheer, freshman tennis (Desert Mountain)
All athletes are required to have a physical examination that was conducted after March 1, 2024. Click here for the form that should be completed and signed by a physician.
For Middle schools, the Quarter 1 Festival is scheduled for August 24; schedules have not yet been built. For the Middle School competitive season schedule, click here.
High School schedules can be found at https://azpreps365.com/.
If you have other questions, please reach out to your school Athletic Director and/or coach.
Clear Bag Policy
We want to take this opportunity to remind you that SUSD does not permit most types of bags into athletics events. Refresh yourself knowledge of our policy here so that you get to your seat on time.
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SUSD High Schools Nab Two State Championships
You can call the Desert Mountain High School softball team the two-time 5A champions, having successfully defended their 2023 state title last month! Led by outstanding pitching and a key hit from Lily Goodwin, the #1 Wolves downed #3 Canyon View 3-1 at ASU’s Farrington Stadium on May 13th. Read all about the title game here.
As Desert Mountain was wrapping up its game, six miles away the also undefeated Saguaro High School baseball team was battling against #3 Canyon del Oro at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Fabulous pitching and timely hitting were the mantra there, as well, as the #1 Sabercats avenged their 2023 championship loss to Tucson’s Golden Eagles. Read all about the 2-1 thriller here.
SUSD Summer Camps
Our summer athletic camps are up and running! If your student wants to test the waters of a new sport or hone their existing skills, these camps fit that bill!
Sign up and pay for a summer camp activity here. To find the camp your student wants to take part in, search for the name of the high school at which it will be held.
Fall Sports
Despite the school year having ended just recently, it’s none too soon to be thinking about fall athletics!
At the high school level, that consists of cross country, girls flag football (new!), football, golf, Spiritline, swim and dive, and volleyball.
At our middle and K-8 schools, fall sports are baseball and girls volleyball.
A few things need to happen before our teams take to the fields, floors, water and courts: an updated physical and permission to treat an injury.
Please take this form to your student’s physical to be filled out by the physician.
HonorHealth will provide $25 AIA-approved physicals for SUSD student athletes on Saturday, August 3rd at its Sports Physical Therapy office located at 8630 E. Via De Ventura Blvd., Suite 101, in Scottsdale.
The proceeds from these physicals to go directly back to the five SUSD high school Athletic Training departments which directly assist and treat our student athletes because of SUSD’s HonorHealth partnership.
Sign up your student for an HonorHealth appointment here.
You must also complete and submit this treatment consent form.
Finally, register your athlete for fall competition at Register My Athlete. This registration must be submitted and accepted before participation in fall sports, including tryouts, is permitted.
HonorHealth will provide $25 AIA-approved physicals for SUSD student athletes on Saturday, May 18th at its Sports Physical Therapy office located at 8630 E. Via De Ventura Blvd., Suite 101, in Scottsdale.
Make your student’s appointment here.
Middle school athletes, students headed to summer Scout and cheer camps, community college athletes, younger siblings, older siblings, and family from other schools are also welcome. Just register as "Saguaro" and bring the form required for that activity.
Because of our partnership with HonorHealth, all of the proceeds from these physicals will go directly back to the five SUSD high school Athletic Training departments to be used to directly assist our student athletes.
This opportunity will be offered again on Saturday, August 3rd.
Can’t Get Enough Sports?
From baseball, volleyball, cheer and more, SUSD’s Community Education department offers so many summer camps for elementary, middle and high school students, it will boggle your mind!
If your student wants to try out a sport for the first time or work on their skills, these camps, held at our high schools, are a great way to pass the summer and have fun! Some camps start the week after school is out; others run through most of July.
See the camp schedule here.
Sign up and pay here. To find the camp you’re interested in, look for the name of the high school at which it is to be held.
High School Girls Flag Football
SUSD worked to have a first-ever intramural girl's flag football season this spring with Chaparral and Coronado fielding teams. They played a practice game on April 9th and Coronado participated in a Jamboree at Pinnacle High School on April 13th with teams from the Paradise Valley and Peoria Unified School districts. Our goal is for all five SUSD high schools to have competitive AIA teams this fall.
We will celebrate outstanding high school student athletes in baseball, beach volleyball, softball, tennis, and track and field on May 15th at the final Athletics Banquet of the school year. In the meantime, in some sports, the job is yet undone …
Playoff Baseball
The excitement on the diamonds continued into the postseason for four of our high school baseball teams.
4A: #16 Arcadia shut out #17 Sahuarita 10-0 in a crucial play-in game, but was nipped by a run, 7-6, by #2 Estrella Foothills in the first round.
#1 Saguaro continues to roll, chalking up wins against #16 Sahuaro (4-0), #9 Bradshaw Mountain (8-2) and #4 Salpointe (2-1). The Cats next take the field on May 8 at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Their opponent is not yet determined. Follow the bracket here.
5A: Play-in games proved the undoing of both Chaparral and Desert Mountain. #10 Chaparral fell to #23 Desert View 9-7; #9 Desert Mountain was defeated by #9 Millennium 10-6.
Playoff Softball:
5A: SUSD is home to both the #1 and #2 softball teams in Arizona, Desert Mountain and Chaparral. The Lady Wolves, as you may recall, are the defending state champions and are 2-0 so far in postseason play. They have beaten #16 Centennial (10-4) and #8 Higley (3-0) in their quest to repeat. Chaparral, on the opposite side of the bracket, is doing its best to square off against them for the state title, having successfully fended off $15 Casa Grande (8-7) and #10 Marana Mountain View (4-3). Both teams’ next games are May 4 at Papago Softball Complex at 9:30 a.m. Keep up with the scores and schedule here.
4A: #2 Arcadia will also see action May 4 at Papago, at 11:30 a.m., when it takes on #3 Canyon del Oro. The Lady Titans have beaten #15 Walden Grove (4-1) and #7 Mica Mountain (3-1) to reach the 3rd Round. Follow Arcadia’s progress here.
Playoff Tennis:
The singles and doubles titles have been determined. Team play continues ...
Division I:
Girls: Desert Mountain’s Alexandra Frazier made it to the quarterfinals before falling to the eventual state champion from Boulder Creek. Kaley Gravel fought bravely against another Boulder Creek player, but did not advance.
In doubles play, the duo of Chae Rin Youn and Hannah Fitzgerald won four matches to reach the state championship. It was Xavier that grabbed the crown in a tight, three-set match.
In team play, #1 Desert Mountain meets #5 Corona del Sol on May 3 at Scottsdale Ranch Park at 1 p.m. Should the team succeed overall in the six singles and three doubles matches there, it will advance to the state final against the winner of the other state semifinal between #2 Xavier and #3 Hamilton, also at SRP Friday afternoon. The state championship will be contested at 11 a.m., May 4, at Paseo Raquet Club in Glendale.
Boys: Congratulations to Desert Mountain’s#4 singles player Arnav Hingorani , who saw semifinal play in the Division I state tournament. Over the course of three matches, he allowed his opponents to only win a combined three games!
Over in doubles play, Chaparral and DM competed. The Firebirds’ Conor Cruse and Ethan Wallace saw off pairs from Rincon/University, Millennium and Hamilton before falling to the eventual state champs from Brophy. Desert Mountain’s Daniel Yuke and David Chin lost I the quarterfinals, but not before taking down teams from Millenium and Corona del Sol before their defeat to another strong Brophy team.
In team championship play, Desert Mountain shut out Highland in first round play, but ended up falling to Mesa Mountain View 5-4 in the quarterfinals.
Division II:
Saguaro’s Rianna Muntean and Rylan Bratspis make deep runs in the state singles tournament, picking off, respectively, players from Verrado and Ironwood Ridge, and Canyon del Oro, Prescott and Az College Prep.
In doubles, the Arcadia teams of Cowley & Johnson and Williams & Atwood both advanced to the second round.
Beach Volleyball:
In Division I, the Desert Mountain duo of Olivia Colletto and Kara Hairston made it to the second round before their defeat at the hands of the team from Desert Vista in three, hotly contested games.
In Division II team play, Arcadia made it to the state semifinals, where it ran into Salpointe Catholic, and that was that. In the pairs competition, it was an all-SUSD fight to the finish with Arcadia’s Lane Sheedy and Alexa Helms downing Saguaro’s Bella Reyes and Ava Cotton May 2nd at Casteel High School to take the state championship!
Track & Field
The boys and girls state track & field championships will be held May 10-11 at Mesa Community College. Strong performances heading into the finale include Chaparral sophomore Gabbie Banning, who ran 44.89 in the 300-meter hurdles at the Northeast Valley Championships. That’s the eighth fastest time in Arizona! In that same meet, Saguaro junior Reiss Rinaldi ran 48.21 in the 400 meters to wipe out the school record and move to No. 5 in the state. Rinaldi also plays wide receiver for the Sabercats.
Follow the meet girls championship here.
Follow the meet boys championship here.
Middle Schools
It’s track season for our middle schoolers, with a full complement of competitions this month. All meets take place at Coronado High School and start with the field events at 4:30 p.m., followed at 5 p.m. with all running events.
Meet dates are:
- April 11th
- April 18th
- April 25th
- May 2nd: Middle School Championships
High Schools
The SUSD high school track meet is set for April 16-17 at Saguaro High School. Both days’ events get underway at 3:30 p.m.
Playoff season is fast approaching, too. Check on the brackets for your favorite sport to see the matchups and schedules.
- Baseball - https://azpreps365.com/brackets/baseball
- Beach Volleyball - https://azpreps365.com/brackets/volleyball-beach
- Softball - https://azpreps365.com/brackets/softball
- Boys Tennis - https://azpreps365.com/brackets/tennis-boys
- Girls Tennis - https://azpreps365.com/brackets/tennis-girls
- Boys Track & Field - https://azpreps365.com/championships/track-boys
- Girls Track & Field - https://azpreps365.com/sports/track-girls
Coaching Kudos
We are proud to report that Saguaro High School varsity boys basketball coach Lucas Ramirez has been named the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ 2024 Guardian of the Game for Inclusion. Coach Ramirez has headed up Sabercats hoops since 2020. His teams have reached state post-season play three times and won a regional title. Ramirez brought college and grassroots level experience to the Saguaro post and has helped grow the influence and impact of the Latino Association of Basketball coach as a resource for coaches of Latino descent nationwide while serving as that organization’s vice president.
Coach Ramirez and this year’s four other honorees will receive their awards at the NABC convention in Phoenix on April 5.
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