The doubles podium and crowd at the AIA state badminton championships Saturday looked more like an extended family reunion.
Both of the top two teams at Independence High School were from nearby Ironwood, and the third from district rival Sunrise Mountain. Mustangs coach Michele Carter coached girls soccer at Ironwood for nearly two decades and her daughter, Jaycee, who spent some time growing up at Ironwood's stadium and placed third Saturday.
Then there's the sisters on opposite sides of the all Ironwood final, Sasha and Sophia Tijore. Sasha and Alyssa Ridgley entered the final with the top seed while Sophia Tijore and Mariyah Peru-Ray were unseeded.
