What he did: The striker danced his way through opposing defenses to score 33 goals and dish out 15 assists this season. Gaona helped Tucson High win both the Brandon Bean Kickoff Classic and the Chris Maier Invitational and powered the Badgers back to the state tournament, two years after leading them to their first state championship. Gaona, the Star’s 2013-14 player of the year, scored multiple goals in nine matches and accounted for the lone goal in Tucson High’s second-round loss in the Division II state tournament against Phoenix South Mountain, which went on to win the state title.
Top performance: Gaona scored six goals in a 7-2 win over Sierra Vista Buena in the final week of the season but it was another hat trick a month earlier that proved to be much more important. His three goals in a 3-3 draw at Canyon del Oro on a rainy, chilly night helped the Badgers finish the regular season unbeaten. Gaona scored a go-ahead goal with less than 90 seconds remaining but the Dorardos managed to tie the match in the final minute.
What’s next: Gaona will play for coach Dave Cosgrove’s Pima College team the next two years before trying to move on to a Division I program. The Aztecs posted a school-record 21 wins in 2015 and reached the NJCAA nationals for the second year in a row.
Runner-up: Christopher Cooper, Rincon/University. Like Gaona, Cooper haunted opposing defenses on his way to scoring 25 goals and assisting on 12 others. The senior captain also helped the Rangers earn the No. 1 seed in the Division II state tournament and post an 18-5 record. Cooper will also be playing at Pima College next season, along with Gaona.
