This is part one of a two-part series previewing the upcoming high school football season in Scottsdale.

Expectations are high for the Swim teams at Chaparral High School.

After losing a summer of its famous Goalie School, Behind The Mask welcomed students back to the Ice Den for five days of on-ice training. 

Desert Mountain junior catcher Luke Moeller was looking for a bit of an escape from a heartbreaking reality when he entered the 5A state baseball championship with his team.

Desert Mountain junior catcher Luke Moeller was looking for a bit of an escape from a heartbreaking reality when he entered the 5A state baseball championship with his team.

The Notre Dame Prep hockey team reached new heights this season that hasn’t been seen in over a decade in the Saints program. 

The Coronado High School boys soccer program has long established itself as one of the premier teams in the state, winning three state titles in six tries since 2012. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented its fair share of challenges for every level of sports over the course of the last 10 months.

Just days after the Arizona Interscholastic Association Executive Board voted to cancel the winter sports season amid the surge in COVID-19, the board reversed its decisions Jan. 12.

The start of the coronavirus pandemic last spring resulted in the stoppage of sports across the world. From the professional level down to various youth leagues, sports were put on hold as the United States and the world faced the new virus head on. 

The Arizona Interscholastic Association is pushing back the winter sports season for a second time, moving from a Jan. 5 to Jan. 18 start.

The start of the 2020 football season for Chaparral was met with turmoil as the program was forced to cancel its first three games of the season due to COVID-19. 

The start of the 2020 football season for Chaparral was met with turmoil as the program was forced to cancel its first three games of the season due to COVID-19.

The 2020 football season is nearing its conclusion – a feat many might deem incredible, given the impact of the pandemic. 

Saguaro, the third-ranked team in this year’s Open Division playoffs and last year’s runner-up, has been forced to end its season due to COVID-19 cases within the program.

Two local golf advocates from Scottsdale and Gilbert have been elected into office for the Professional Golf Association of America, the world’s most prestigious organization for the classic game. 

A tumultuous 2020 swim and dive season in Arizona has come to a close with Chaparral, one of the state’s most dominant programs, sweeping the Division I boys and girls finals and capturing two state titles. 

The future of fall sports in Arizona became clearer Wednesday as the Arizona Interscholastic Association released a revised schedule.

As football programs  navigate through summer workouts, some have fallen victim to COVID-19 infections among players. 

A new training facility that caters to the needs of athletes and everyday fitness recently opened its first location in Scottsdale.

As the world continues to deal with the impact of COVID-19, a novel strain of the coronavirus that has killed more than 3,000 people and infected more than 95,000 others across the world, concerns have seeped into the Arizona sports community.

Fried food, the crack of a bat, and home runs are back. Spring Training kicks off with a full slate Saturday, Feb. 22, in the Valley.

The Scottsdale Aquatic Club has been a breeding ground for college-level swimmers for nearly six decades, sending swimmers across the country to continue their careers in the pool. 

Notre Dame Prep’s football program is preparing to open the 2020 season in style, as the Saints will travel nearly 5,000 miles across the world to Dublin, Ireland. 

Ohio State coach Ryan Day has made the long trek from Columbus to Arizona before. 

It was billed as arguably the biggest game in the history of high school football in Arizona. 

As a preferred walk-on, freshman Ethan Spry knows he has a long way to go to earn a full-ride scholarship from Grand Canyon University, but he is ready to put in the work to get there.

After leading his team to its seventh straight championship appearance, Saguaro head football coach Jason Mohns has been named the Arizona Cardinals High School Coach of the Year.

It was billed as arguably the biggest game in the history of high school football in Arizona.

It’s finally happening. 

Saguaro football has made a habit of playing deep into November and early December each football season, but its final game in 2019 presents a new challenge.

It’s a sport that has rarely ever been seen in Arizona, and one that has never had a team representing the Grand Canyon State. 

Saguaro earned a chance to play for yet-another state championship, as the Sabercats finished a comeback 20-16 win over Hamilton in Saturday’s Open Division football semifinal game.

As a girl, Karina Kimery would walk out of her family’s horse property in the cover of nightfall to recite the names of neighbors’ horses and wish them a good night’s rest. 

Three Scottsdale-area high schools make up the eight football teams that will compete in the inaugural Open Division playoffs for a state championship. 

The Phoenix metropolitan area is one of 13 markets in the country with teams from all four major professional sports leagues.

On a scorching Arizona morning in August 2018, Notre Dame Prep tight end J.D. Roberts was taking part in a pre-season scrimmage with his teammates. 

The Scottsdale Preparatory Academy (SPA) girls’ swim team finished first in their dual meet against Saguaro and Seton Catholic Preparatory high schools on Thursday, at Eldorado Aquatic and Fitness Center.

In a game with Open Division playoff rankings on the line, the Horizon Huskies handed the Notre Dame Prep Saints their first-ever loss on Bemis Field in a thrilling 35-34 double-overtime win. 

Family and recognition are the twin values that Nikita Denisyako, the new Scottsdale Preparatory Academy (SPA) swim and dive coach, has learned to prioritize within the sport he’s been a part of for over a decade.

Scottsdale Preparatory Academy (SPA) swam into third place amongst all Division III opponents at Phoenix Country Day School’s (PCDS) Eagle Invitational on Saturday morning. 

As the lights shone down on the field at Desert Mountain High School, Notre Dame Prep sat in the visitors’ locker room listening to the words of head coach George Prelock.

After a slow start in the first half of the game, Saguaro was able to claw its way back to a 38-24 victory over Chaparral on Friday night.

Every inch matters in football, especially when involved in a heavy-weight bout involving two of the top 50 teams in the nation.

With the first week of the prep football season in the books, Saguaro High School is preparing for a trip to San Diego for the 2019 Honor Bowl. 

Horizon High School baseball coach Jeff Urlaub knew it would take a valiant defensive effort to knock off Nogales in the 5A state championship.

Saguaro High School junior Kelee Ringo sat on a high jump landing pad in the shade to change out of his track shoes and into sneakers as swarms of track and field athletes passed by.

A smile rarely left the face of former Saguaro High standout Byron Murphy during his Arizona Cardinals introductory press conference April 28, but for good reason.

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly’s road to the big leagues has been “different,” which, he said, he needed.

Conditions were different – with heavy rain, cold, wind and their first 6A final – but the result was the same for the Chaparral High girls soccer team on Feb. 21 in the state-championship match.