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Winter high school sports are scheduled to start play Tuesday, Jan. 5, through rising COVID-19 case numbers.
Most of Mountain Ridge’s team sports remain in the 6A conference. Some sports, like wrestling, retain the old division system, and Ridge is in Division I for those sports.
West Valley Preps and the Glendale Independent asked the school’s coaches about their teams. Here are their responses.
Boys Basketball
Coach: Craig Marcus (second stint as Mountain Ridge coach, third year coaching Mountain Lions overall)
2019-20 Record: 10-14 overall, 3-7 region
Region: 6A Desert Valley
How many years have you coached boys basketball? This is my 20th year coaching high school basketball, and my fifth as a head varsity coach, and as you know a return to Mountain Ridge.
What is your team’s best attribute entering this season? We have a group of guys that really enjoy being around one another. They are always cheering for one another, and helping one another even when competing against each other.
What will your team need to improve for the season to be a success? Our ability to score the basketball more consistently. I think we can score, we just need to be more consistent on that end of the floor.
Who are your team leaders? They all lead in their own way. Anyone on our team, and in our program, can be a leader. Each day guys step up to lead: in a drill, in our class, before and after practice.
Who are newcomers to the varsity squad who could make an impact? We are young, as far as experience goes. We have some returners, but their roles weren’t as big as they will be this year. We have one senior coming back that played last year. I think any one of these guys on a given night can make an impact.
What needs to happen for your squad to reach the state tournament, or achieve the goals you have set this season? We need to be consistent night in and night out, on both ends of the floor. I feel if we play to our values of effort, attitude, toughness and trust it will give us the opportunity to be successful. Of course in a year like this year, we need to be as healthy as we can, as long as we can.
Boys Soccer
Coach: Andrew Lang (fifth year)
2019-20 Record: 7-12-1 overall, 0-4-1 region
Region: 6A Desert Valley
How many years have you coached soccer? This is year six with the boys; coached the girls for six years in the past.
What is your team’s best attribute entering this season? Young and ready to learn.
What will your team need to improve for the season to be a success? Playing better through the lines, defensive to mids to offense.
Who are your team leaders? Rehan Zafar is our team captain.
Who are newcomers to the varsity squad who could make an impact? 10 out of 14 on the varsity squad are returning players, all players have had significant growth as a result of playing with their clubs.
What needs to happen for your squad to reach the state tournament, or achieve the goals you have set this season? The students always look forward to playing schools that are close to our school. They have friends on these teams, even some on their club teams.
Girls Basketball
Coach: Jaime Carreon (third year as Mountain Ridge coach)
2019-20 Record: 15-11 overall, 2-8 region (reached 6A play-in)
Region: 6A Desert Valley
Top Returnees: Arielle Parker, Sr., F (8.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg); Lauren Maza, Sr., G (8.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
How many years have you coached girls basketball? 21st year overall, third year at Mountain Ridge.
What is your team’s best attribute entering this season? Our biggest attribute is we have our nine returners. We have been lucky enough to have been practicing since August. And our starting lineup changes every game, so we are a complete team with a great group of girls.
What will your team need to improve for the season to be a success? We’ve taken great strides to become a tougher overall team. We have adjusted things to become tougher on defense.
Who are your team leaders? Senior Arielle Parker is going to light up the stat sheet with her relentless hustle and effort. She works so hard and the rest of the girls feed off of it. Junior Kylie Dennis has also been one of our most consistent players since her freshman year. We also have sophomores Hannah Uhlenhop, Janae Floyd and Alyssa Fraulino, whose productivity has grown since being freshmen on varsity last year.
Who are newcomers to the varsity squad who could make an impact? Junior Stella Wesson, and freshman point guards Madison Green and Ariella Goren are new to the team and will make an immediate impact with their hustle alone.
What needs to happen for your squad to reach the state tournament, or achieve the goals you have set this season? This year with all that has changed in our region and so many returners and new added talent, we are aiming for a region title this year, and we want to host a state tournament game at Ridge. We know it will be tough but with such a talented team and only two seniors we feel this is our time to set new expectations in phase two of building our program.
Girls Soccer
Coach: Peter Evans (Thirs year at Mountain Ridge)
2018-19 Record: 4-8-1 overall, 0-5 region (6A play-in)
Region: 6A Desert Valley
What is your team’s best attribute entering this season? 15 years coaching. Three years as varsity girls coach at Mountain Ridge
What will your team need to improve for the season to be a success? We will need to stay healthy this year to be successful. We had too many injuries last season.
Who are your team leaders? Sidney Mikes, Rylee Ratcliffe, Madalyn Wnenta and Gersi Gomolski.
What are some of the more anticipated games on your schedule? Liberty, O’Connor and Chaparral.
Richard Smith Associate Editor | Surprise & West Valley Preps @rsmithYWV
Richard Smith has been with Independent Newsmedia since 2016, and worked at a Sun City-based news outfit covering the Northwest Valley for 22 consecutive years.
An NAU alum and lifelong Arizona resident, Richard began as a copy editor and page designer at Surprise Today and the Daily News-Sun, then rekindled his love of sports writing by taking the reins on West Valley Preps in 2008.
For most of the mid-2010s he was the Surprise editor and West Valley Preps reporter. Now he’s the West Valley Preps Editor and Surprise Associate Editor.
As COVID restrictions slowly lift, Richard is cautiously optimistic he will visit book stores, football fields and gyms again this fall.
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