COOLIDGE — It will be a busy Thanksgiving weekend for the Coolidge boys basketball team and other teams in the Pinal County area that will be competing in the Joe Partain Memorial Classic.
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ELOY — They became known as the Chavez boys in the wrestling circuit back when Sergio Chavez’s two oldest sons, Sergio Jr. and Diego, began wrestling.
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ELOY — With the 2022 World Air Sports Federation event coming to a close, competitors from around the globe will return to their homes, some with medals around their necks and some with hopes for better performances in the future.
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ELOY — Whenever the Sequoia Pathway Pumas and Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils meet on the gridiron, a highly competitive grudge match is expected. It was no different on Friday night, as the Pumas and Dust Devils played with an extra dose of intensity at Townsend Field in Eloy.
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WINTERHAVEN — Through the first three weeks of the season, Santa Cruz Valley looked like a far cry from the team that won a state championship in 2020. However, after starting the season 0-3, the Dust Devils are back on the right track, as their 62-0 win over Winterhaven San Pasqual on Frida…
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1. Florence (7-1, previously No. 1)
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GILBERT — In a game marred and delayed by lightning strikes, the Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils crushed the Gilbert Arete Prep Chargers 68-6 Friday night.
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CHANDLER — The Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils used two fourth quarter touchdowns to come back to beat the Chandler Prep Titans 34-27 on Friday night.
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Since we’re past the halfway point in the season for half of the Pinal County teams, it’s a good time to put out PinalCentral’s first official football rankings of the year.
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ELOY — The Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils might have gotten their first win under coach Thomas Cortez a week prior, but that one came from a forfeit following a rain delay against Phoenix North Pointe. It feels much sweeter to put together four quarters of domination like they did Friday nigh…
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GLENDALE — Going into their matchup against the Phoenix North Pointe Prep Falcons, the Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils desperately needed a win.
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ELOY — The Coolidge Bears overcame a determined Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils team in Eloy on Friday night, beating their rival 22-0.
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ELOY — The Santa Cruz Valley football team is still trying to find its footing in the new season.
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ELOY — Going into the new season, it was expected that the Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils would deal with growing pains.
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ELOY — With a new head coach and saying goodbye to some strong senior talent, the Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils hope the few returning players along with the new youth can produce a quality start to their season.
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ELOY — The Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils football squad will look slightly different this season compared to its 2021-22 counterparts.
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FLORENCE — If there’s one thing that high school athletics learned in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s how to make quick adjustments when it comes to scheduling opponents.
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ELOY — Known for skydiving and its fair share of dust, those who travel into the heart of Eloy know that the city has another claim to fame: producing athletes who play on Sundays.
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It’s finally August and that can only mean one thing — football season is just around the corner. Here in Pinal County all teams have started some form of practice or conditioning as the start of the season will be divided up with smaller schools starting on Aug. 19 while 4A-6A schools kick …
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CASA GRANDE — It’s certainly been a crazy ride for former Vista Grande and Santa Cruz Valley running back Alec Wyble-Meza, but after many twists and turns he has found his way back to Arizona after transferring to Northern Arizona.
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CASA GRANDE — It was absolute domination by two Pinal County teams in the 1A Conference as they secured the top two seeds in the playoffs and ended up in the state title game.
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Player of the Year: Danika Bryant (SR, Superior)
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ELOY — There are some coaches who truly embody the spirit and passion of the school they work for, and Jay Denton was one of those coaches. With his time in Eloy spanning around 35 years, Denton made a lasting imprint on students, athletes, parents and other staff.
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ELOY — Although he has been around the game for quite some time in different capacities, Thomas Cortez never really saw himself as being a head coach.
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Player of the Year: Ethan Hatch (SR, Poston Butte)
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CASA GRANDE — Continuing on with the second part of taking a glimpse at this upcoming high school football season schedules and highlighting some potentially interesting matchups.
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ELOY — After former coach Rishard Davis departed Santa Cruz following a 2020 state title victory, James Fitzgerald was brought in to keep the winning tradition alive. However, after only one year, Fitzgerald has decided to leave the program.
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PHOENIX — The calling card for the Santa Cruz Valley softball team had been to play fast and aggressive both in the field and at the plate, while relying on their strong young core to lead the way. However, facing a tough Kingman Academy squad, the Dust Devils’ bats couldn’t keep up, ending …
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PHOENIX — Before the season even began, Santa Cruz Valley head coach Andrea James told her team that the goal for them was to win the state championship. Now, after a 16-6 win over Heritage Academy-Laveen, the Dust Devils take the first step in achieving that championship goal.
ELOY — Mulligans, wacky costumes and running the bases in the opposite direction. These ideas may not work in a regular softball game, but they make for an afternoon of fun for the Robson Ranch Softball Club. Last Friday the club hosted a charity softball game, with all proceeds going to the…
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ELOY — In front of a packed house at Santa Cruz Valley Union High School, the Dust Devils softball team took down to its Pinal County rival Coolidge 15-4 in five innings.
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CASA GRANDE — After all the craziness from a shortened season last year, many Pinal County boys basketball teams and individual players shined bright this year and provided a lot of memorable moments deep into the postseason.
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ELOY — After a solid 11-3 record in the 2021 season that ended at the quarterfinals round of the 2A Conference state tournament, the Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils softball team has its eyes set on a back-to-back playoff run.
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CASA GRANDE — While some new faces made a splash in the Pinal County girls basketball scene this year, it is two well established seniors who had a tremendous impact on on their individual programs that take the top honors in this year’s all-county team.
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FLORENCE — With their last season ending in a winning record coming in 2016, the Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils are looking to turn things around in 2022.
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LAS VEGAS — In a little over a week from when their high school season came to an end, a handful of Coolidge soccer players returned to their club team, the South Bank SC Rattlers, and headed to compete in the City of Las Vegas Mayor’s Cup International Showcase in mid February.
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PHOENIX — Over the course of their high school careers, Wyatt Ogle and Diego Chavez have witnessed just about everything with the Santa Cruz Valley wrestling team.
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ELOY — Santa Cruz Valley lineman Tanzor Gil became a force for the Dust Devils on both the offensive and defensive line. Although his senior season was cut short due to injury, the 6-foot-5 lineman did enough in his high school career to earn a scholarship to Garden City (Kansas) Community College.
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ELOY — Three local wrestlers out of the Olympus club in Eloy have started off 2022 on top of the world after claiming the No. 1 spot in their respective weight class in the National Youth rankings.
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ELOY — New Santa Cruz Valley basketball coach George Courtney has already made quite an impression in his short time at the helm in Eloy. Not only is he attempting to make the boys basketball program a winner, but he is also shining a spotlight on Eloy, bringing sports, community and hospita…
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CASA GRANDE — After all the craziness that surrounded sports in 2020 due to COVID-19, the new year brought a lot of memorable moments in what seemed to be an effort to make up for that lost time.
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CASA GRANDE — This football season was one for the record books as the 4A Conference championship game came down to Casa Grande Union and Poston Butte; and the two Pinal County teams did not disappoint on the biggest stage at Sun Devil Stadium.
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2021 PinalCentral All-County Football Team
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ELOY — Two Pinal County teams searching for their first win brought two very different styles to the Santa Cruz New Year’s Shootout, but it was the host Dust Devils who shot their way to victory.
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ELOY — Day two of the Santa Cruz New Year’s Shootout brought more growing pains for the Apache Junction Prospectors.
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ELOY — George Courtney has hit the ground running when it comes to rebuilding the Santa Cruz Valley Union boys basketball program.
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CASA GRANDE — Day two of the Central Arizona Holiday Classic saw two Pinal County teams square up, as the Vista Grande Spartans took on the Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils.
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CASA GRANDE — The Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils were hoping to show what they can do at the Central Arizona Holiday Classic in Casa Grande, but the competition was too tough on Monday afternoon as they lost to Tucson Empire 74-50, and still searching for their first win of the season.
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ELOY — The Santa Cruz Valley boys basketball team has hit a rough patch in the program’s history. The Dust Devils have not finished with a winning record since the 2016-17 season. However, new coach George Courtney believes that he has the young talent available to turn the program back into…
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ELOY — Although the Santa Cruz Valley football team did not get a chance to defend its 2020 2A State Championship title, some individual members of the team are receiving recognition for their performances and the effort they put in during the season.
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ELOY — For the Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils, the objective all week was simple: win and you’re in.
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COOLIDGE — It will be a busy Thanksgiving weekend for the Coolidge boys basketball team and other teams in the Pinal County area that will be competing in the Joe Partain Memorial Classic.
ELOY — They became known as the Chavez boys in the wrestling circuit back when Sergio Chavez’s two oldest sons, Sergio Jr. and Diego, began wrestling.
ELOY — With the 2022 World Air Sports Federation event coming to a close, competitors from around the globe will return to their homes, some with medals around their necks and some with hopes …
ELOY — Whenever the Sequoia Pathway Pumas and Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils meet on the gridiron, a highly competitive grudge match is expected. It was no different on Friday night, as the Pum…
ELOY — After a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Arizona Department of Education released letter grades for Arizona schools for the first time in two years.
ELOY — Coming into her first year as superintendent and principal of Santa Cruz Valley Union High School, Chrystal Reyes’s biggest goal was to get a budget override passed. However, throughout…
TOLTEC — When all votes are tabulated, Toltec School District residents will have chosen three board members.
ELOY — Students in the two newly formed graphic design classes met on Sept. 28 to organize their SkillsUSA chapter for the year. The classes are new to the Career and Technical Education progr…