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COMBS
Girls’ Volleyball – Senior Landry Armstrong, a setter and outside hitter, was recently recognized as the azcentral.com Female Athlete of the Week. Armstrong currently leads the Yotes in kills, aces, digs, and is second on the team in assists.
The Coyotes went 1 – 5 at the Estrella Foothills Wolves Classic Invitational last weekend, defeating Mingus 2 – 1 (20-25, 25-18, 15-11) in their final match of the event. Landry Armstrong had 14 kills in the win. Senior Nikki Ruiz had a team-high 10 assists and Cydnee Colpaert recorded 10 digs. The Yotes defeated San Tan Foothills (3 – 0) on Sept. 22 before a 3 – 0 loss at Apache Junction last Thursday. Upcoming schedule: Sept. 29 vs. Arete Prep, Oct. 1 vs. Benjamin Frankling, and Oct. 6 at Globe (6 p.m.). All matches are scheduled for 5 p.m. unless noted otherwise.
Football – Combs made another long road trip last Friday to battle Show Low, the Yotes’ second-straight top-ten-ranked opponent. After a dramatic win two Fridays ago against Payson, the Yotes came out on the short end against the Cougars in a 49 – 22 loss.
“Traveling is a part of the game and we’re in a division where we have to do some of it,” head coach Jesse Hart told the Ledger. “But that’s definitely not an excuse; Show Low is a really good football team. They were hyped up and ready to play.”
Show Low jumped out to a 28 – 0 halftime lead, but the Yotes made some adjustments and were able to put up some points in the second half.
Offensive Player of the Game Josh Espinoza rushed for a team-high 75 yards and scored one of the Yotes’ three second-half touchdowns. Special Teams Player of the Game Trey O’Haver and junior quarterback Skylar Johnson, who made his first start of the season, scored the other two.
“We definitely came out and played a better second half,” Hart said. “But to give up 28 points in the first half, it’s tough to come back from that.”
Defensive Player of the Game Todd Goodman led the Yotes’ defense with 10 tackles.
The Coyotes take on Florence this Friday, their first of two-straight home games.
“We’re excited to be home and not be on the road again,” Hart said. “It’s going to be good to play in front of our fans and the community.”
Friday’s kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
QUEEN CREEK
Girls’ Volleyball – After going 2 – 5 at the Westwood Tournament of Champions last weekend, the Bulldogs won both matches last week, defeating both Higley (25-12, 25-17, 25-16) and Desert Ridge (25-14, 25-19, 26-24), 3 – 0. In last Tuesday’s home win against Higley, senior Cassady Leech (11) and freshman Kate Grimmer (10) combined for 21 of the team’s 44 kills in the match. Grimmer also had a team-high five aces against the Knights and tied for with sophomore Tisha Barlow for a team-high eight digs. Sophomore Kennadee Coplen led the Bulldogs with 31 assists in the win. Upcoming schedule: Oct. 1 vs. Campo Verde, Oct. 6 vs. Chandler, and Oct. 13 at Perry. All matches are scheduled for 6 p.m.
POSTON BUTTE
Football – Ninth-ranked Tucson defeated Poston Butte last Friday night, keeping the Broncos winless so far this season after the 54 – 28 loss. Dating back to the 2014 season, the Broncos have now lost eight consecutive games. Junior running Josh Hatfield scored the first of his four touchdowns in the first quarter and gave the Broncos a short-lived 8 – 6 lead. Tucson scored 27 unanswered points in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 33 – 8 lead. Hatfield scored two touchdowns in the third quarter, each of them more than 60-plus yards, but Tucson still held a commanding lead at the end of the third quarter, 47 – 20. Hatfield scored his final touchdown in the fourth quarter, but his outstanding individual performance was not enough to end the Broncos’ losing streak. Upcoming game: Friday at Corona del Sol, 7 p.m.
SAN TAN FOOTHILLS
Football – After a 54 – 7 win at home against Tanque Verde on Sept. 18, the Sabercats had a bye last week. They return to action this Friday versus Globe, looking to win consecutive games for the first time this season. The Tigers enter the game with a record of 4 – 1 after a lopsided 52 – 12 win against San Manuel last week. The game is the section opener for both teams. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
NEWELL BARNEY JR. HIGH
Baseball – The 7th-grade baseball team won their first-ever East Valley Conference Championship, finishing an undefeated season (12 – 0) in ultimate style. The Buccaneers defeated the Payne Panthers in the championship game, 4 – 1. Newell Barney was an offensive juggernaut, outscoring its opponents during the championship season, 159 – 24.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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