Rather than schedule a few softies in a 2011 mid-March softball tournament, Canyon del Oro High School softball coach Kelly Fowler agreed to play seven games in three days against the following:
Mesa Red Mountain, which would win a second consecutive Class 5A-I state championship that spring.
Chandler Basha, which would finish No. 2 in the 5A-I state playoffs.
Traditional 5A-I state softball powers Mesa Mountain View, Scottsdale Desert Mountain and Gilbert Mesquite.
Over those three days, CDO went 7-0 and outscored those opponents 64-27, including a two-game sweep over Red Mountain, then the acknowledged No. 1 softball program in Phoenix.
Two months later, Fowler’s Dorados completed a 35-1 season, winning the 4A-I state championship by beating defending state champion Cienega 11-1 in the title game.
It was a historic season for Canyon del Oro, with both the most victories in a season for a Tucson prep softball team and what I consider the most formidable offense in Tucson prep softball history.
ESPN ranked the Dorados No. 2 in the country. If that’s not the best high school softball team in Tucson history, what is?
Tucson teams have won 54 state softball championships dating to 1980, but matching CDO’s 2011 numbers — and quality of schedule — likely isn’t possible. The Dorados outscored their opponents 407-67, winning the school’s fourth state championship in five years.
Senior shortstop-pitcher Mattie Fowler hit .569 with 17 home runs and a state-record 91 RBIs. She was also 17-0 as the club’s No. 1 pitcher. The coach’s daughter and younger sister of CDO’s three-time state championship pitcher Kenzie Fowler accepted a scholarship to Nebraska.
Junior Kayla Bonstrom hit .554 with 65 RBIs. She was also 10-0 as the No. 2 pitcher. Bonstrom became the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year at Stanford.
Freshman catcher Sammy Nettling hit .444 with six homers and 44 RBIs and went on to become a four-year starter at Northwestern of the Big Ten.
Junior third baseman Sammi Noland hit .422 and accepted a scholarship to Oregon State.
Senior outfielder Kayla Henry hit .566 and became an all-conference player at Grand Canyon University.
The only loss in CDO’s 2011 season was a 2-1 squeaker to Sahuaro in mid-March, breaking a 24-game winning streak. The rivals would have a May rematch in the state semifinals at Cherry Field. This time, CDO won 13-1 to advance to the state finals.
Fowler went 4 for 4 and hit two of the club’s five home runs in the semifinals.
“Obviously, the bigger picture here was that it was the state semifinals,” said Nettling. “But that loss (in March) was in the back of our minds. We had a little vengeance in mind.
“I knew coming in the dynasty this program was, but to actually accomplish what we have this season has been truly unbelievable.”
Canyon del Oro’s Sabrina Roman tags out Cienega’s Jenna Carson during the 2011 Class 4A-I finals.
Two days later, CDO won the state championship by routing Cienega.
“We had the team to do it,” said Kelly Fowler, as CDO hit six home runs in the championship game, a school record.
“Everyone stepped up in their own way this season,” said Mattie Fowler. “But I don’t think anyone saw us being this dominant.”
CDO players congratulate Kayla Henry, far right, for an inside-the-park home run during a state playoff win over Scottsdale Saguaro.
CDO has won more state softball championships (nine) than any team in Tucson history. Sahuaro has won eight, Salpointe Catholic six and Sabino five. In CDO’s series of state titles, from 1992-2019, it has been coached by five women — Fowler, Kathy McQuown, Dee Dinota, Amy Cislak and Stephanie Nicholson — and produced dozens of Division I college softball players.
But the 2011 Dorados left a legacy of dominance that will stand for years.
Photos: 2011 Canyon del Oro High School softball
2011 CDO softball, Tucson
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Univeristy of Arizona pitcher Kenzie Fowler, left, congratulates her little sister Canyon Del Oro player Mattie Fowler, after the win over Cienega in the 2011 4A Division 1 State championship softball game at Cherry Field.
2011 CDO softball, Tucson
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Canyon Del Oro player Mattie Fowler pitches during the 2011 4A Division 1 State championship softball game against Cienega held at Cherry Field.
2011 CDO softball, Tucson
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Canyon del Oro High School's Kayla Henry, right, beats the throw at first base with Scottsdale Saguaro High School's Taylor Secemski, left, in the first inning during the second round of the 4A-I state softball tournament at CDO on May 10, 2011.
2011 CDO softball, Tucson
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Canyon del Oro High School's Sammi Noland pats dust off of herself after stealing second base in the game against Scottsdale Saguaro High School in the fifth inning during the second round of the 4A-I state softball tournament at CDO on May 10, 2011.
2011 CDO softball, Tucson
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Canyon del Oro High School's players come to the plate to congratulate Kayla Henry, far right, after she had an inside the park home run on an error that scored three runs against Scottsdale Saguaro during the second round of the 4A-I state softball tournament at CDO on May 10, 2011.
2011 CDO softball, Tucson
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Canyon del Oro High School's Sammy Nettling hits a sacrifice bunt that moved the runner up to second base in the game against Scottsdale Saguaro High School during the second round of the 4A-I state softball tournament at CDO on May 10, 2011.
2011 CDO softball, Tucson
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Canyon del Oro High School senior Ryan Craig holds up a photo of pitcher Mattie Fowler in the game against Scottsdale Saguaro High School during the second round of the 4A-I state softball tournament at CDO on May 10, 2011.
2011 CDO softball, Tucson
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Canyon del Oro's Mattie Fowler, left, celebrates with teammate Emily McSherry after CDO run-ruled Sahuaro, 13-1, in five innings in the semi-finals of the 2011 4A-I girls softball tournament at Cherry Field.
2011 CDO softball, Tucson
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Kyle Henry goes through the serious business of getting his game face painted on by his dad Gary prior to the start of Canyon del Oro's game against Sahuaro in the semi-finals of the 2011 4A-I girls softball tournament at Cherry Field.
2011 CDO softball, Tucson
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Canyon del Oro first baseman Katherine Peters can't glove the throw from third baseman Sammi Noland in time to throw out Sahuaro's Secret Schellenberg in the semi-finals of the 2011 4A-I girls softball tournament at Cherry Field.
2011 CDO softball, Tucson
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Canyon Del Oro teamfates celebrate Sammi Nettling's home run during the 2011 4A Division 1 State championship softball game against Cienega at Cherry Field.
2011 CDO softball, Tucson
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Canyon Del Oro player Kayla Henry dives for a line drive during the 2011 4A Division 1 State championship softball game against Cienega held at Cherry Field.
2011 CDO softball, Tucson
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Cienega player Dyandra Santa Maria tries to catch a home run hit by a CDO player during the 2011 4A Division 1 State championship softball game held at Cherry Field.
2011 CDO softball, Tucson
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Canyon Del Oro player Sabrina Roman tags out Cienega player Jenna Carson during the 2011 4A Division 1 State championship softball game held at Cherry Field.
2011 CDO softball, Tucson
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Canyon Del Oro coaches celebrate the victory for the 2011 4A Division 1 State softball championship against Cienega at Cherry Field.
