Division II badminton medalists smile and hug after getting their medals Oct. 25 at Independence High School in Glendale. They are, from left, Suri Bai of Arizona College Prep, fourth place; Abigail Daniels of Prescott, second place; Sophia Tijore of Ironwood, champion; and Delight Canale of Sunrise Mountain, third place.
(Richard Smith/West Valley Preps)
The Division II badminton doubles medalists smile atop the podium Oct. 25 at Independence High School in Glendale, They are, from left: Sunrise Mountain's Violet Eisentraut and Nora Brooks, fourth place; Prescott's Annabelle Courtney and Claire Long, second place; Scottsdale Chaparral's Addie and AnnaBelle Scott, champions; and Ironwood's Madison Hutter and Bryanna Moser, third place.
Ironwood junior Sophia Tijore was very fast and businesslike in winning the Division II singles badminton title Oct. 25 by a 21-3, 21-7 score.
Then she celebrated atop the podium with flowers and balloons.
She’s the only returning player from last year’s Division II state champions, though the Eagles are back in contention.
“It was so special, knowing that all of the seniors from last year were gone. But a lot of them were here to cheer me on,” Tijore said.
Last year, she finished second in the doubles tournament with Mariyah Peru-Ray, losing to the team of her older sister, Sasha, and Alyssa Ridgely.
The semifinal against Chandler Arizona College Prep’s Suri Bai was tougher, with Tijore winning 21-15, 21-19.
“It was such a surreal moment to have finally won, especially knowing the game I played before was a very close game,” Tijore said. “So going into the finals I though I really need to bring everything. I didn’t believe it in the moment because I had worked so hard. I came here last year doing doubles and coming in second place because we lost to our own team. The entire season worked up to this point.”
District rival Sunrise Mountain is putting together its best season. Senior Delight Canale placed third in Division II singles, beating Bai in the consolation final 21-15, 21-14.
It was a rebound for Canale, who was upset in the semifinals by Prescott’s Abigail Daniels 21-14, 21-14.
“It was a blast. It sucked that I lost that match, but coming back and winning the next one really made up for it. Top three was my goal,” Canale said.
She moved up from the #2 singles player last year to the top spot for the Mustangs this season.
Coach Michelle Carter has enjoyed watching her grow.
“Delight, I feel, every year she gets better and better. Something kind of clicked,” Carter said. “Even today, she played better. She’s coachable, smart and athletic. It’s been a joy having her.”
With the team tournament coming up this week, Sunrise Mountain is the top seed and Ironwood the second seed. But the Eagles beat the Mustangs 6-3 on Oct. 16.
During the doubles tournament, also Saturday at Independence High School, the teams had a skirmish for the consolation.
Ironwood junior Madison Hutter and sophomore Bryanna Moser beat Sunrise Mountain juniors Violet Eisentraut and Nora Brooks.
The Eagles switched doubles partners halfway through the season.
“We played like, five games together before coming here. It was really nice to at least place our first year,” Madison Hutter said. “I can’t wait to see how far we go next year.
It was seven games, but the point remains.
Moser said the tournament was a bit stressful. First year Ironwood Coach Amy Hutter was impressed with how quickly this duo gelled.
“They both have the ability to do it. The question was, could you deal with the mental toughness it takes to play other players who have played you before,” Amy Hutter said.
Division I badminton medalists smile and hug after getting their medals Oct. 25 at Independence High School in Glendale. They are, from left, Aubrey Baker of O'Connor, fourth place; Lian Pan of Desert Vista, second place; Nihira Sane of Hamilton, champion; and Layton Hunter of Sunnyslope, third place. (Richard Smith/West Valley Preps)
Division I
O'Connor junior Aubrey Baker battled with the big badminton school players and earned a spot on the podiun, placing fourth in Division 1.
She reached the final four and gave eventual champion ihira Sane of Chandler Hamilton trouble in the second set of a 21-5, 21-16 loss.
“When I’ve got someone that can stand up here and compete with all these other schools, it means the world,” O'Connor Coach Paula Cappalletti said. “We’re working on our program.”
Baker was just coming back from a sore ankle, her coach said.
She continues to improve as she embraces the sport.
“It means a lot to me. I think about a year-and-a-Half or two years ago, I started taking lessons from Sunset Badminton. That helped me so much,” Baker said. “I love the whole community everyone has built.”
Richard Smith Senior News Editor | Glendale & West Valley Preps
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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