Section 7: AZ First Day Matchups

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This week, <strong>Section 7,</strong> the top scholastic exposure event in the country, takes place at <strong>State Farm Stadium</strong> in <strong>Glendale</strong>. Close to 100 teams and over 1000 players will participate on <strong>June 14</strong> and <strong>15</strong>. <br><br><strong>Here I look at some of the first day matchups of Arizona high school teams:<br></strong><br><strong>Peoria Liberty High School</strong> vs <strong>Scottsdale Saguaro</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='640352' first='McKenna' last='Johnson'] and senior [player_tooltip player_id='859866' first='Emma' last='Koker'] lead Liberty out of the 6A Desert Valley region. Junior <strong>Lilliana Welstad</strong> is another solid player for the Lady Lions.<br><br>Saguaro, representing the 4A Desert Sky region, is led by the dynamic senior duo of [player_tooltip player_id='558897' first='Alexa' last='Simpson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='530983' first='Erica' last='McGadney']. Senior <strong>Jada Mitchell</strong> is another nice contributor to the Sabercat's success. <br><br><strong>Page High Schoo</strong>l vs <strong>Peoria Sunrise Mountain</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defending 3A state champions look to continue to build on this past season's success. They return the senior twins<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1208368' first='Leikara' last='Yazzie'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='924662' first='Lelaura' last='Yazzie']</strong> from last season's team. They have a good crop of young players coming as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lady Mustangs return most of their scoring from last season's team. Versatile senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='608973' first='Savanna' last='Dotray'] and junior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='837250' first='Addison' last='Wiemann']</strong> lead them. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='855693' first='Jaden' last='Maza'] is a big part of what they do as well. <br><br><strong>Mohave Accelerated Learning Center </strong>vs <strong>Seton Catholic Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mohave Accelerated, representing the 2A West region, is led by Juniors <strong>Megan Jones </strong>and <strong>Tanner Banks</strong>. <strong>Haley Leslie</strong> also is a solid all-around contributor for the Patriots. <br><br>Seton Catholic, one of the better small school programs, looks to make some noise this weekend. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='655631' first='Carmella' last='Gallardo'] and [player_tooltip player_id='660334' first='Mia' last='DiPuccio'] will lead them. They could be the best 1,2 punch in 3A next season. <br><br><strong>Miami High School</strong> vs <strong>Tucson Sunnyside</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Vandals are a team that should make some noise in their bracket. They return their top four scorers from last season's 2A title runner-up squad. The ring leader is sophomore point guard [player_tooltip player_id='673100' first='Tamia' last='Pietila'] and her sister senior [player_tooltip player_id='821247' first='Savannah' last='Pietila']. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='673101' first='Demetria' last='Dosela'] is among the more versatile players in the state. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sunnyside Blue Devils lost do-everything forward Nayeli Nidez-Acuna to graduation but return plenty of firepower. I expect them to do well in their bracket. They are led by sophomore guards [player_tooltip player_id='788336' first='Ylena' last='Gross'] and [player_tooltip player_id='837943' first='Dora' last='Medina']. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='921151' first='Janae' last='Pritchett'] and Junior [player_tooltip player_id='836774' first='Esabella' last='Barajas'] are also major contributors. <br><br><strong>Eastmark High School</strong> vs <strong>Tucson Sahuaro</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Firebirds represent the 4A East Sky region and return the bulk of their contributors. They return senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1211418' first='Anna' last='LaFountain']</strong> and junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='808127' first='Ella' last='LaFountain']. They also have sophomore <strong>Kaitlynn Bennett</strong> doing damage in the post.<br><br>The Lady Cougars represent the 4A Kino region. They are rebuilding after losing three seniors. They do return Seniors <strong>Biale Silka</strong> and <strong>Maggie Boyd</strong>. <br><br><strong>Glendale Prep</strong> vs <strong>Dobson High School</strong><br><br>The Griffins look to continue the momentum built from an Elite 8 finish in last season's 2A State Playoffs. They return most of their contributors, including seniors [player_tooltip player_id='718332' first='Senna' last='Smith'] and <strong>Maddie Caspers</strong>. Look for contributions from <strong>Maggie Hawkins, Ally Moore, Sydney Pettingill, Natalie Whipple</strong>, and <strong>Mikayla King.</strong><br><br>The Mustangs will be looking to make some noise in their bracket this week. Senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='614445' first='Jaziah' last='Billey'] leads them. Jaz is among the best passers in the state and will undoubtedly put on a show. Dobson also has sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1246733' first='Lana' last='Shirley']</strong>, junior<strong> Aliana Garcia</strong>, and rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='788467' first='Amya' last='Malone']. <br><br><strong>Gilbert Highland High School</strong> vs <strong>Chandler High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hawks return a roster that lost only one senior. They are led by juniors <strong>Emilee Searle</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172779' first='Addison' last='Riggs']</strong>. They also return sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='751755' first='Bailey' last='Williams'], junior <strong>Megan Kalkman</strong>, and sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172768' first='Emery' last='Wright']</strong>. They will also unveil a possible top-5 freshman in the state, [player_tooltip player_id='797283' first='Peyton' last='Jacobsen'].<br><br>The Chandler Wolves are another young team that looks to build momentum. They also return the majority of their varsity contributors from last season. This list begins with junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='481475' first='Averi' last='Mehlberg'], among the best shooters in the state. They also return a trio of juniors [player_tooltip player_id='598326' first='Markayla' last='Shirley'], [player_tooltip player_id='598325' first='Karis' last='Hurd'], and [player_tooltip player_id='754707' first='Jesminda' last='Garcia']. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->