Earlier this year, the Arizona Daily Star launched a new high school “Student-Athlete of the Week” series, highlighting student-athletes from across Southern Arizona who are doing amazing things. Southern Arizona is filled with exceptional student-athletes who have high GPAs, play multiple sports and are destined for bright futures as college athletes, doctors, engineers and more.
With the fall sports season coming to an end, we’re rounding up our fall Student-Athletes of the Week in one place for you to learn more about them and their accomplishments.
Ryann Brooks,
Marana High School
Marana’s Ryann Brooks helps her teammates in their pre-game drills as she sits out the Tiger’s season opener against Desert Ridge on Sept. 14
Ryann Brooks is a 17-year-old senior at Marana High School. She is a multi-sport athlete who began playing flag football when she was just 10 years old. Brooks also participates in her school’s youth city council and works as an athletic training intern.
“She’s an amazing athlete. I can only imagine how she is in track because of her speed,” said Shaun Lara, Marana’s flag football head coach. “Now, obviously, her having the knee injury right now, she’s still moving, she’s still breaking people’s ankles and we did statistics for our tryouts and she was still faster than half our team and that’s coming off a knee injury. So, she’s a great athlete and she knows a lot of these girls because they play together in a club, but the more time she gets to work with these girls because she is new here, she is becoming more of a Marana Tiger every day.”
Sports: Flag football and track and field
GPA: 3.6
Future plans: Attend the University of Arizona’s medical school and become a trauma surgeon
Ryann fun fact: Her favorite football team is the Baltimore Ravens. Her dad and family grew up in Baltimore, so she grew up watching them
Full story: tucne.ws/ryann
Emiliano Caldera,
Catalina High School
Emiliano Caldera, a senior at Catalina High School, took home second place in the 2025 Division III cross country state tournament.
Emiliano Caldera is a 16-year-old junior at Catalina High School. Caldera is captain of the cross-country team, president of Catalina’s FBLA club and treasurer of the Future Health Professionals club. At the time of publication in early October, Caldera was ranked sixth in the region and 23rd in the school’s division, Class 3A.
“Emmy (Emiliano) is kind of a once-in-a-lifetime type of athlete as a coach,” said Chelsea Duran, Catalina High School’s cross country and track and field coach. “He started as a freshman and it was really like, ‘Hey, I’m getting in shape for soccer.’ He told me he was a sprinter but I saw that talent right away. So, it’s been cool to watch his progression from ‘I think I’m a sprinter’ to being one of the top distance runners in the state. But it’s more than that. It’s the dedication, the discipline. If I tell him, ‘I want you to go run 4 miles in the morning,’ he will run 4 miles in the morning no matter what, on top of all the extracurriculars and everything that he does.”
Sports: Cross country and track and field
GPA: 3.8
Future plans: Attend Northern Arizona University and become a physical therapist
Emiliano fun fact: His running playlist includes Afrobeats, Mexican and Dominican music
Full story: tucne.ws/emiliano
Sergio Vega,
Sunnyside High School
“It was always a dream,” said Sergio Vega of being ranked so highly. “So, now it’s cool that I’m actually doing it and I’m seeing all my hard work pay off.”
Sergio Vega is an 18-year-old senior at Sunnyside High School. He is a part of a multi-generational wrestling family that has cemented their legacy in local high school wrestling. Vega typically spends around two to three hours everyday training for wrestling. He is ranked No. 1 in the 138-pound weight class in the U.S. and has only recorded one loss while wrestling for Sunnyside.
In addition to balancing school and wrestling, Vega participates in Sunnyside’s Student-Athlete Leadership Team.
“It’s been an incredible transformation, going from a kid that was not lighting the world on fire in wrestling to wrestling to No. 1 in the country. It’s been truly, probably the funnest time in my coaching career,” said Anthony Leon, Sunnyside’s wrestling coach.
Sport: Wrestling
GPA: 3.86
Future plans: Wrestle for Oklahoma State University
Sergio fun fact: His favorite south-side food spot is El Güero Canelo
Full story: tucne.ws/sergio
Editor’s note: At the time of publication, Vega was committed to Cornell University. On Nov. 19, Vega signed with OSU.
Johanna Simpson, Nogales High School
Johanna Simpson is a senior multi-sport athlete at Nogales High School and participates in girls flag football, basketball and track and field.
Johanna Simpson is a 17-year-old senior at Nogales High School. She is a multi-sport athlete who joined Nogales HS’ inaugural flag football team. At the beginning of their season, Simpson recorded 279 rushing yards. The current national average is 103. She’s also received numerous academic honors, is a member of the National Technical Honor Society and is president of the Apache Leadership Advisory Committee at Nogales HS.
“Johanna is easily one of our better athletes,” said Leo Federico, a teacher and track and field coach at Nogales HS. “And I think she represents our school in the best way possible. She fulfills everything about this place that I love and I think she embodies a lot of not just the pride of this place, but the hard work and the community that she represents.”
Sports: Flag football, basketball and track and field
GPA: 3.6
Future plans: Attend the University of Arizona and study psychology or sports medicine
Johanna fun fact: Her favorite movie is “10 Things I Hate About You”
Full story: tucne.ws/johanna
Rilynn Brown, Canyon
del Oro High School
Rilynn Brown is already having a big impact on the CDO volleyball team as a freshman this season.
Rilynn Brown is a 15-year-old freshman at Canyon del Oro High School who is just starting her high school academic and athletic journey. During a match against Cienega High School this season, she had 12 kills and a hitting percentage over .600. Brown is one of the only freshmen on the varsity volleyball team.
“She came to our middle school camp and we were watching her play and then just immediately the coaches that were there, we fell in love with her,” said CDO volleyball coach Jose Robles. “She is such a hard worker. She’s dedicated. She always has a smile on her face. She even has one right now on her face at the moment. She is also humble. I can tell you right now (about) her answers, she’s being very humble about how good she is and whatnot.”
Sport: Volleyball
Grades: Straight A’s (no GPA yet since she’s a freshman)
Future plans: Join CDO’s National Honor Society and other extracurriculars
Rilynn fun fact: Her favorite song is “Vienna” by Billy Joel
Full story: tucne.ws/rilynn
Chase Cesarek, Catalina Foothills High School
Catalina Foothills High School golfer Chase Cesarek gets warmed up on the driving range before the Falcons’ match at Fred Enke Golf Course on Oct. 24.
Chase Cesarek is a 16-year-old junior at Catalina Foothills High School. He learned how to golf from his dad and has been golfing since around 5 years old. Cesarek is a part of the No. 1 golf team in the state and he was ranked No. 5 individually. During this season, he shot under par for most of his matches.
“I have five freshmen (on the team) and he’s really good at making sure that they don’t get too stressed out and that they remember that golf is supposed to be fun,” said Julie Walters, Catalina Foothills’ boys golf head coach. “He’s a good leader in that way and, sure, we all get upset sometimes, but he models letting that go and not letting it affect your next decision on the course.”
Sport: Golf
GPA: 3.4
Future plans: Play golf at the collegiate level
Chase fun fact: His favorite golfer is Max Homa
Full story: tucne.ws/chase
Soso Okpara, Mica Mountain High School
Senior volleyball player Soso Okpara is wrapping up her final season at Mica Mountain High School.
Soso Okpara is a 17-year-old senior at Mica Mountain High School. Okpara is a star student and athlete at the school who plans to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy after graduation in May. During this volleyball season, Okpara was ranked No. 2 in the state for her .454 hitting percentage. She is also the president of Mica Mountain’s AP (Advanced Placement) Club and a member of the school’s Diversity Alliance Club.
“She’s more on the quiet side, I think, than some of the girls, but her actions and the way she carries herself on and off the court, she does a really good job of the leading girls,” said Amy Johnson, Mica Mountain’s volleyball coach. “She’s our best attacker on the team. So, they look up to her and she’s done a really good job of leading them this year.”
Sport: Volleyball
GPA: 5.16
Future plans: Attend the U.S. Air Force Academy and become an OBGYN or surgical doctor specializing in women’s and children’s health care
Soso fun fact: Her current hype song is “First Person Shooter” by Drake
Full story: tucne.ws/soso
Vita Carr,
Tucson High School
Vita Carr, a sophomore, is a swimmer from Tucson High School.
Vita Carr is a 16-year-old sophomore at Tucson High School who has been on a swim team since she was 6 years old. She is a third-generation swimmer. During this year’s swim season, Carr was ranked No. 12 in the state and No. 8 in her division, DI, for the 100-yard fly.
During the school year, Carr takes AP courses and honors classes. During the summer months, she helps coach her club team’s 8 and under group.
“She’s outstanding across the board,” said Janet Reyes, Tucson High’s swim coach. “She’s a sophomore and last year as a freshman, she qualified. And Division I is extremely hard to qualify for. And now she’s a sophomore and she’s a top (competitor) for one of her events and she has a great attitude when it comes to herself and her team. She’s super motivational to them.”
Sport: Swim
GPA: 4.3
Future plans: Swim competitively at a DI university where she will major in psychology and double minor in nutrition and sports medicine
Vita fun fact: Her must-have coffee drink is a vanilla latte from Screwbean Brewing
Full story: tucne.ws/vita
Jovani Rodriguez,
Willcox High School
Jovani Rodriguez, a 17-year-old soccer player from Willcox High School, scored 18 goals this season, while the national average is four.
Jovani Rodriguez is a 17-year-old senior at Willcox High School who had an exceptional soccer season. Rodriguez scored 18 goals this season, compared to the national average of four. During the state quarterfinal match, Rodriguez was the sole scorer of the match with two goals. He also participates in agricultural pursuit meetings at school.
“He’s a great leader on the field, great leader outside of the field, just all around,” said Katrina Garza, Willcox’s boys soccer coach. “A lot of the younger athletes on our team look up to him. It’s been amazing. He’s a really good student-athlete in general. He just doesn’t play soccer, he does basketball, he does baseball, he’s an all-around athlete and super coachable.”
Sports: Soccer, basketball and baseball
GPA: 3.0
Future plans: Play soccer at the collegiate level and become an electrical engineer for a mining company
Jovani fun fact: His soccer dream team includes Luis Suárez, Messi, Neymar and Ronaldinho
Full story: tucne.ws/jovani
