GILBERT - Marisa Davis had come too far on one good leg to be stopped just short of the trophy.
The Valley Vista senior forward had been through a roller coaster of emotions in the year since the last 6A title game with Chandler Hamilton — leaving and returning to the Monsoon program, changing college destinations and playing all year through a painful knee injury despite not being fully cleared.
"Honestly it made this win so much sweeter because in the beginning I was hurt and everyone else stepped up for me. Then Jennah (Isai) ended up getting surgery and I knew it was my time to step up and be that leader. It feels great because I was able to fight and keep pushing with Alanis (Delgado) leading us. I think everybody thought Hamilton was going to win, but deep down I knew we were going to win," Davis said. "I was never cleared to play and I'm still not 100% cleared. It might be a little stiff in the morning. It makes this so much more rewarding because I knew I had to do this for our team. I want to win and go out with a bang. I don't want to leave Arizona on a losing note."
