My Super Six selections for the 2016-17 Southern Arizona high school sports year:
1. Turner Washington, Canyon del Oro, track. Washington won another state discus championship, with a state-record throw of 218 feet 7 inches. Then he went a step beyond: At the Tucson Elite competition Thursday at Drachman Stadium, the UA-bound Washington unleashed the No. 1 throw in the nation of 227 feet 10 inches — that’s almost like a high-jumper with a career-best of 6-10 suddenly clearing 7-4 — the fourth-best throw in American history by a high school athlete.
2. Allie Schadler, Rio Rico, distance running. If Schadler didn’t surpass former Desert Vista standout Dani Jones, the current Pac-12 1,500 meter champion, as the top female distance runner in state history, she’s no worse than 1-A. Schadler, who will run for the Washington Huskies, won a fourth straight state cross country title (breaking the course record) and then won the state 1,600, breaking the state record.
3. Kristiana Watson, Amphitheater, softball. At 14, the Panthers infielder hit .753 with 17 home runs and 54 RBI in just 28 games. Those are video-game numbers. The daughter of Arizona All-American shortstop Laura Espinoza Watson and UA lineman David Watson has three more years of varsity softball remaining. She was chosen the state’s 4A co-player of the year with CDO’s Arianna Acedo.
4. Roman Bravo-Young, Sunnyside, wrestling. Now 130-0 in his Blue Devils career, including 47-0 this season with a third consecutive state title, Bravo-Young has committed to wrestle at Penn State, the NCAA’s No. 1 wrestling school.
5. Nick Rosquist, The Gregory School, basketball. No, he’s not slugging it out with the 6A and 5A schools, but Rosquist led his team to a 29-2 record and state championship, averaging 28 points per game, and scored 2,142 career points. Last week he chose to attend Merritt College in Oakland, California.
6. Jacqueline Igulu, soccer, Palo Verde. Not only did Igulu lead the state with 55 goals this season, she had 62 a year ago — a state record. The Titans went 40-7 her final two seasons.
