High school student-athletes from across Southern Arizona tested their skills at the highest level as they competed in the AIA spring state championships over the last few weeks. From becoming first-time champions to earning back-to-back titles, here鈥檚 how Southern Arizona high schools performed this spring.
Baseball
Salpointe Catholic won its second state baseball championship in program history on May 19 after shutting out Flagstaff, 8-0.
The battle for the Class 4A state baseball title included two Tucson high schools, Salpointe听补苍诲 Ironwood Ridge, who competed for the last spot in the final game during the semifinals on May 14. Salpointe defeated Ironwood Ridge, 8-5, to face Flagstaff in the championship game.
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During its journey to the state title, Salpointe took down numerous Phoenix-area schools, including St. Mary鈥檚, Bradshaw Mountain and Mesquite.
Salpointe鈥檚 Johnny Abramian (8) charges past the plate after clearing the bases on his three-RBI inside the park home run against Ironwood Ridge in the first inning of their 4A state semifinal playoff game in Tucson on May 14, 2025.
In the 5A conference, Cienega made it to the semifinals but ultimately fell to Canyon View, 8-0.
Similarly, Canyon del Oro made it to the semifinals but was defeated by Centennial, 2-1.聽
The losses ended both teams鈥 chances for a state championship title this season.聽
Buena and Desert View were eliminated in the first round of the tournament, while Nogales went further, making it to round 3B before losing to Centennial.
In the 3A conference, Pusch Ridge聽made a run for the state title, but came up short in the semifinals against Yuma Catholic, losing 12-0.
For the first time in over 30 years, Tombstone made it to the state championship game.聽The Yellow Jackets were edged by Phoenix Christian, 7-6, on May 17.聽
Softball
Canyon del Oro made it to the 5A state championship but was defeated in the final game by Desert Mountain, 4-0.
The Dorados ended their regular season by going undefeated. Desert Mountain handed them their only loss of the entire season.
CDO聽defeated numerous schools throughout the tournament, including Buckeye Union, Arizona College Prep, Canyon View and Willow Canyon.聽
While CDO star Amelia Streuber played in the final game on May 18, other CDO seniors opted to participate in their high school graduation, which was scheduled for the same day as the championship.
Fortunately, the seniors who chose to participate in the state tournament received a graduation surprise after the game. They were able to receive their diplomas from a CDO administrator as they walked behind home plate in a makeshift graduation ceremony.
Marian Fisher, left, of Empire High School, chases after Mikaela Jackson, of Tanque Verde, to tag her out as the runner got stuck between second and third base in the first inning during a game at Tanque Verde High School, 4201 N. Melpomene Way in Tucson on April 21. No. 6 Tanque Verde upset No. 1 Empire, 5-1.
Empire was able to snag its second consecutive state championship on May 12, before their seniors' graduation.聽
The Ravens defeated Yuma Catholic, 1-0, in extra innings. Empire took down Safford, Sabino and Tanque Verde, who broke the Ravens鈥 39-game winning streak in April, during its quest for another state title.
In the 4A conference, Salpointe's聽six-season state championship run came to an end when Coconino defeated the Lancers in the championship game, 2-1, on May 17.
Walden Grove, Sahuarita and Mica Mountain competed in the tournament, with the Thunderbolts making it to the semifinals before being eliminated by Salpointe.
Bisbee, Benson, Willcox and Tombstone competed in the 2A state tournament, but only Willcox and Tombstone advanced to the quarterfinals. Tombstone was eliminated by Mohave Accelerated, 5-0, and Willcox was defeated by Horizon Honors, 12-2, on May 6.
Boys tennis
Catalina Foothills dominated the Div. II boys tennis state tournament by taking home first place in the team event with a 5-0 win over Notre Dame Prep on May 10.
Senior Austin Cohen took home the state title with a 6-1, 6-2 win in the final round of singles.
Duo Santiago Astengo and Parker Servoss won the state championship 6-2, 6-1 in the doubles event.
In Div. I, Rincon/University鈥檚 Vikram Nerendran took home the state championship title after a 6-4, 6-4 win in the singles event.
In the Div. III team event, The Gregory School made it to the quarterfinals along with Sabino, but both were eliminated.聽
Catalina Foothills senior Austin Cohen chases down a drop shot while practicing with Arizona鈥檚 Herman Hoeyeraal at Himmel Park on April 29.
Pusch Ridge advanced all the way to the championship match, taking down St. John Paul II, Florence and Thatcher on its way there, but ultimately fell to Phoenix Country Day, 5-3, in the final on May 10.
Girls tennis
Salpointe聽snagged first place in the Div. II team event after taking down Canyon del Oro, 5-1, in the final on May 10.
On their way to the team final, the Lancers took down Buena, Catalina Foothills and Saguaro.
Salpointe鈥檚 Lacey Kaufman won the singles state title 6-7(3), 6-1, 10-6.
In the Div. III event, Pusch Ridge took home the state team title after defeating Yuma Catholic, 5-2, on May 10.
Pusch Ridge duo Estelle Fetsis and Taryn Martin won the doubles state title 4-6, 6-3, 10-0.
Jordan Crawford, a tennis player at Canyon del Oro High school, hits a forehand in the second game during a match at Sahuaro High School on April 17.
Rincon/University, Buena, Catalina Foothills, Ironwood Ridge, Nogales, Walden Grove, Tanque Verde and The Gregory School all made efforts to advance in the team tournament, but were eliminated in the early rounds.
Track and field
While no Southern Arizona high school won the state track and field championships, a couple of schools cracked the top 15 in the overall team rankings.
In the girls category, Catalina Foothills tied with Queen Creek for eighth place with 30 overall points in 18 events. Mica Mountain tied with Highland for eighth with 23 points in 18 events in the boys category. Pueblo and Buena took home 11th and 12th place in the boys category.
During the girls 1600-meter run, Catalina Foothills鈥 Katherine McNulty finished first with a time of 4:52.74. Rincon/University track star Amelia North snagged second place in the event with a finish of 4:55.63.
Rincon/University cross country runner Amelia North climbs a hill with a teammate on the first lap of a 5K during a meet at Reid Park on Oct. 1, 2024.
McNulty took home first in the 3200-meter run, as well.
Cienega鈥檚 Cayla Jones placed third in the girls triple jump with a mark of 37-05.50 +0.0.
In the girls shot put event, Sahuaro鈥檚 Liz Ugwu finished third with a mark of 41-07.75.
Pueblo鈥檚 Nevaeh Anderson had quite the run in the tournament with a third-place finish in the boys 200-meter dash and a first-place finish in the boys 400-meter dash with a winning time of 47.36.
In the boys 800-meter run, Mica Mountain鈥檚 Noah Macias placed third with a time of 1:53.47. Mica Mountain also placed third in the boys 4x100-meter relay.聽
Buena snagged first in the boys 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:17.64.
Ironwood Ridge鈥檚 Jett Merrill took home second place in the boys 110-meter hurdles, finishing with a time of 14.10 -1.6.
Sean McCarthy from Canyon del Oro placed third in the boys high jump (6-06.00) while Salpointe鈥檚 Isaac Moyle dominated the boys javelin event with a mark of 208-04.
Boys volleyball
A few Tucson-area schools made a run for the boys volleyball state title this season, but only Salpointe聽made it to the final round of the 4A tournament.
However, the Lancers were defeated by ALA - Queen Creek, 3-0, on May 17.
In the 5A tournament, Cienega made it to the semifinals but was eliminated by Arizona College Prep, 3-0, on May 15. Mountain View聽was defeated by Centennial, 3-0, in the quarterfinals.
Back in 4A, Mica Mountain and Ironwood Ridge were ousted, both 3-0, by their opponents in the first round of the tournament.
Rincon/University鈥檚 Timothy Tran (1) hits the ball over the net during a game against Salpointe Catholic, April 12, 2025.
Lastly, in the 3A tournament, all Tucson-area schools, including Sabino, Pusch Ridge and Palo Verde, were out in the first round of the tournament.
Co-ed golf
The spring season is home to Div. III co-ed golf in Arizona, and while only a few local schools competed in the tournament, it was a Tucson-area high school that took home the win.
Pusch Ridge won its first state championship after edging Phoenix Country Day and Valley Christian with a score of 603.
Pusch Ridge golfer Mark Stypa placed second individually with a 3-under 141.
Benson junior Bianka Goerke finished 13th with a score of 151.
Beach volleyball
A couple of Tucson-area high schools competed in the state beach volleyball tournament, but none made it past the semifinals.
鈥淚 just love the feeling of having relationships with teammates that are in different grades and how you can all just come together,鈥 said CDO freshman Rilynn Brown.
In the Div. I team event, Catalina Foothills was defeated by Queen Creek, 5-0, in the first round in mid-April.
In the pairs event, Canyon del Oro duo Rilynn Brown and Abbey Garner made it to the second round of the tournament but were defeated by a duo from Sunnyslope.
Ironwood Ridge and Salpointe聽were the two Tucson representatives in the Div. II team tournament.聽
Salpointe knocked out Ironwood Ridge, 3-2, in the quarterfinals, but was later eliminated by Arcadia, 3-2, in the semifinals.
In pairs, Salpointe's Chloe Zhang and Amelia Bartfalvi made it to the quarterfinals but were defeated by a duo from Fountain Hills.
Ironwood Ridge鈥檚 Kallie George and Ameila Cutting also made it to the pairs quarterfinals but were eliminated by a duo from Estrella Foothills.聽
Up next: Fall sports, including football, soccer, cross country, swim, volleyball, golf and more.
Contact Elvia Verdugo, the Star's community sports editor, at聽everdugo@tucson.com.聽A journalism and history graduate from the University of Arizona, she shares stories highlighting what makes Tucson and its community special.
Elvia Verdugo
Community Sports Editor
Tucson teens continue to test their skills at the high school state championships
