When Rylen Bourguet reflects on her high school athletic career and the amount of state championships she compiled over four years, she could almost sound like LeBron James at his Miami Heat introductory sizzle ceremony.
Not one ... not two ... not three ... not four ... not five ... not six ...
Seven βchips with dip.
The Salpointe Catholic multisport star won seven state championships in volleyball, soccer and beach volleyball and leaves the Lancers as one of the most decorated athletes in school history. Seven titles in three sports β especially at a school that consists mostly of one- or two-sport athletes β is unprecedented territory.
Rylen Bourguet is the younger sister of Arizona State quarterback Trenton Bourguet, Sun Devils wide receiver Coben Bourguet and Western Michigan quarterback Treyson Bourguet. There are six siblings total, and Rylen is the only girl.
βShe won one for all of the boys and then won some more for herself,β said Rylenβs father, Toby Bourguet, who won a wrestling state championship at Marana.
Sheβs also currently the only Bourguet sibling to win a state championship. Treyson and Coben starred at Salpointe Catholic during the Bijan Robinson era, and the closest the Lancers got to a state championship was a loss to Chandler in the Open Division semifinals.
βUs three, we never even won one,β said Trenton, Maranaβs all-time passing-yards leader. βIβm not surprised at all. The way she competes every day, whether itβs in school or in volleyball or soccer, sheβs going to compete and bring everyone else around her to play better.
βSheβs made some great memories, and weβre the biggest fans there at the games. People know when the Bourguets have arrived because weβre rolling about 50-deep. Being able to watch her win all of these state championships is special.β
Rylen canβt pinpoint which of her state championships is her favorite.
βAll the teams that Iβve been on, theyβve all been so different,β she said, βEvery championship game has been so different. They all hold a place in my heart, but I wouldnβt say one is better than the other.β
Fierce competitor
Being the only daughter of the sports-obsessed Bourguet bunch, Rylen was left no choice but to develop a competitive drive thatβs always burning.
βSheβs a fireball. Sheβs a really fierce competitor,β Toby said. βIn anything theyβve ever done, sheβs been right there.β
Toby founded Tucson Turf Elite, a national-championship-winning 7-on-7 program that has different age groups. Rylen would do anything to be teammates with her brothers, no matter the age gap.
βShe was like, βWell, why canβt I play with my brothers?β So we have games on film of her when sheβs 6 years old and sheβs playing (flag football) with 12U boys β and she could play,β Toby said. βShe has a mindset where she feels like there isnβt anything she canβt do.β
Competing with the boys βreally toughened me up, because I had to step up my game in order to even be at their level,β Rylen said.
βSometimes they knocked me down, but they always picked me up. It was always super competitive, and they taught me a lot. Iβm super grateful for all of them.
βFootball is actually my favorite sport to play. I wish there were more opportunities (for women) to play. Iβm super glad I got to play it at the time. Growing up, I got to play on the boysβ team, and I feel like that helped as a competitor and with my confidence.β
Tucson Turf added girls teams, and Rylen quarterbacked the squad to back-to-back NFL Flag Football 14U girls national championships.
Trenton was the teamβs coach; he was dialed in on the Xβs and Oβs. Coben, meanwhile, βused to pick on me and get under my skin,β Rylen said. It taught her how to cope with trash talk from opponents.
βI knew how to get her fired up and mad, but it ended up turning her into a big competitor, and I feel like I trained her to be how she is now,β Coben said. βThose state titles come back to me.β
Tradeoffs, triumphs
When she first enrolled at Salpointe Catholic, Rylen had some decisions to make regarding her sports of choice. In order to play beach volleyball and soccer, she had to punt her softball and basketball careers.
βThere were a lot of tradeoffs,β she said.
Competing against her older brothers prepped her for varsity sports as a freshman at Salpointe Catholic.
βIt got to a point where every time she stepped on the field, it was all gas,β Toby said. βThat sort of energy is contagious.β
With Rylen as a key contributor in all three sports, the Lancers won. And won. And won.
βItβs a process. ... Itβs several months of training and buying into the process,β she said. βItβs a lot bigger than a championship game, and I think a lot of people donβt realize that.β
Winning looked easy for Rylen, but it truly wasnβt.
βUnless youβve been on a state championship team or won a state championship, itβs just such a hard thing to do,β Toby said. βEach of them has a story a behind it, because thereβs always a hurdle or two or three or four. Every game youβre scratching and clawing because itβs win or go home.
βEach of them has that moment where itβs like, βWow, we did it.β And itβs a team sport, so I love the fact that sheβs been a part of something thatβs greater than herself. It gives her a great aspect in being a winner in life. I think it bodes well for her in the future.β
Tempe twist
Rylenβs immediate future is in Tempe, where sheβll play beach volleyball as a scholarship player for ASU β and reunite with Trenton and Coben.
βItβs going to be super special and super fun to have her in the backyard with us in Tempe,β Trenton said. βThose beach volleyball games are gonna get a crowd theyβve never had up until this point.β
Like Trenton, who quarterbacked the Sun Devils in a Territorial Cup loss to the UA in Tucson last year, Rylen never imagined maroon and mustard becoming a part of her attire.
βI wouldβve never saw that coming,β she said. βIf you wouldβve asked me when I was 10 years old, βAre you going to ASU?β I wouldβve laughed in your face.
βBut thatβs just how things work out. Iβm super blessed and excited for the opportunity to pursue a sport at the college level, even if itβs at ASU.β
Things happen for a reason, right? Life happens. Locations change. Toby Bourguet, an ASU alumnus, has learned that.
βIn my family, we (didnβt) go to ASU,β he said. βBut after going there and getting my degree from there, and my wife (Vanessa Bourguet) got her degree from there, it just opened up my mind that itβs just crazy how your mind is so focused on this rivalry.β
Rylen said her major is βup for discussion,β but she has an interest in sports broadcasting; ASUβs Walter Cronkite School of Journalism is among the top programs nationally.
Whatever the future holds for her, Rylen is indebted to the path it took to get here. She knows the rarity of her storybook journey.
βThe goal going into high school is to always win state, but to do it multiple times, itβs a blessing,β Rylen said. βTo have the coaches that Iβve had, the different teammates and friendships that I formed, itβs a lot bigger than just a few state championships.
βItβs memories I wonβt forget for the rest of my life. Iβm super blessed.β