Meet the Arizona Daily Star’s 11 fall High School Student-Athletes of the Week

Throughout the fall high school sports season, the Arizona Daily Star highlighted 11 exceptional student-athletes from Southern Arizona who excelled on and off the field (or court or course, you get the idea). As the fall season wraps up with ongoing state tournaments, we’re rounding up all of our Student-Athletes of the Week, sharing their athletic journeys, academic accomplishments and personal accolades, all in one place.

Read about these future college athletes, pharmacists, lawyers, doctors and more, below.

SUNNYSIDE HIGH SCHOOL

Roxann Valenzuela and

Asaph Gurrola-Burgueno

We kicked off the fall semester with two HS Student-Athletes of the Week: Sunnyside seniors Roxann Valenzuela and Asaph Gurrola-Burgueno. The cross country runners and high school sweethearts had some solid finishes this season, including at the St. Augustine meet in October, where Gurrola-Burgueno finished in third and Valenzuela placed fifth.

Their season wasn’t always a walk in the park, but the duo endured, finding ways to constantly support and uplift each other when they needed it most. In addition to cross country, the two participate in folklorico and take EMS classes. Valenzuela is also a part of the Sunnyside marching band’s color guard.

“They’re so humble,” said Marco Rodriguez, Sunnyside’s cross country head coach. “Humble, but with a chip on their shoulder. Sometimes at south side schools, the odds are against us. But they’re just so humble with humble beginnings and good parents and good families that’ve raised them. … It’s a blessing to have them (on the team) and to be able to coach them. … And just like all of our alumni, we’ll definitely miss them. But we know they’re going on to do better things.”

Sport(s): Cross country

GPA: 4.1 (Valenzuela), 3.9 (Gurrola-Burgueno)

Future plans: Gurrola-Burgueno hopes to study landscape architecture. Valenzuela wants to further her color guard career at a Division I school, like NAU.

Roxann fun fact: Songs from “KPop Demon Hunters” are on her running playlist.

Asaph fun fact: His favorite pre-run snack is a cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese.

Full story: tuc.life/roxannasaph

RIO RICO HIGH SCHOOL

Sophia Guzman

Rio Rico senior Sophia Guzman put her Southern Arizona community on the map this season by helping lead the girls varsity volleyball team to an overall 23-6-1 record, including going undefeated in the 4A Gila region. This season, she logged 376 kills, putting her at No. 18 in the state for kills. She’s also No. 7 in Arizona and No. 267 in the U.S. for serving aces with 99.

In school, she’s president of Rio Rico’s Health Occupations Students of America club and treasurer of the school’s National Honor Society. Rio Rico head girls volleyball coach Alexis Bermudez says Guzman is “very unique,” often waking up hours before her teammates during trips and making her own healthy lunches to bring to games.

“She’s not only an amazing athlete, she’s a student-athlete. She’s not like your normal teenager,” Bermudez said. “She’s so dedicated to herself and so consistent with everything she does. It just brings out the best in her.”

Sport(s): Volleyball and track and field

GPA: 4.2

Future plans: Play Div. I college volleyball and become a professional in the medical field who helps athletes keep their bodies in peak condition.

Sophia fun fact: Her dream athletic brand sponsors are Nike or On Cloud.

Full story: tuc.life/sophia

MICA MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL

Hunter and Jake Chen

Mica Mountain seniors and twin brothers Hunter and Jake Chen are feeling bittersweet about their final high school golf season coming to a close. But these brothers, who have incredibly vibrant personalities, soaked up every moment. Some of their highlights this season include Hunter’s 37 (+1) for 3,358 yards on nine holes against Catalina Foothills, Rincon/University and Salpointe Catholic high schools; and Jake’s 35 (-1) for 3,266 yards on nine holes against Sahuaro High School.

Outside of school golf, Hunter and Jake were selected to participate in the PURE Insurance Championship (First Tee Boys division) in Pebble Beach, California. They were two of just five Tucson youth golfers picked to compete in the championship.

The twins also take part in various extracurricular activities, including student leadership and AP clubs, along with being involved in the school’s welding and culinary programs.

“I’ve been very fortunate to be around not only these two, but we’ve got a lot of seniors,” said Mica Mountain boys golf coach Matt Johnson. “They all came in together as freshmen, and just to watch them grow over the last four years, it has been a lot of fun. They keep me on my toes, but, for four years, I’ve been very lucky to have this many seniors and we spent a lot of good quality time together.”

Sport(s): Golf

GPA: 5.02 (both Hunter and Jake)

Future plans: Both aspire to become engineers.

Hunter fun fact: His favorite golf club is his driver. “The big dog,” he says.

Jake fun fact: His top three favorite golfers are Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler and J.J. Spaun.

Full story: tuc.life/hunterjake

PUSCH RIDGE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

Reagan Edquid

Pusch Ridge junior Reagan Edquid is the school’s (and also the local swim community’s) hidden underwater gem.

At the time her story was published in late September, Edquid was No. 3 in the state for the 100 breaststroke (individual) with a time of 01:04.99, and No. 4 in Arizona for the 200 medley (individual), logging a time of 02:07.45. Before the beginning of this season, the Arizona Republic named her one of the top 15 swimmers in the state. Edquid has already left her mark on Pusch Ridge’s swim program when she recorded 10 first-place finishes last season. This season, she recorded eight first-place and two second-place finishes.

Multiple universities have already shown interest in Edquid, including all three state universities, Grand Canyon University, the United States Military Academy and the Air Force Academy. Outside of Pusch Ridge Swim, she competes with the Aquabear Swim Club.

“She’s the most dedicated kid to a sport that I’ve ever seen,” said Jason Cann, Pusch Ridge’s head swim coach. “She’s on time every day. She finishes her assignments every day. She’s obedient. She’s humble. … She could strut around the deck like she owns the place because she is a beast, but she never lets that go to her head. So, she’s modeling Christ by being humble. But she’s also hungry. Humble but hungry. … She has those character attributes that we want to instill in everyone.”

Sport(s): Swim and dive

GPA: 4.0

Future plans: She wants to join a college swim team and eventually become a personal trainer.

Reagan fun fact: She likes to read fantasy, historical fiction and dystopian sci-fi books in her spare time.

Full story: tuc.life/reagan

MARANA HIGH SCHOOL

Andrew Toy

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Marana senior Andrew Toy had one last memorable cross country season this year. For Toy, running is more of a recent passion, as he grew up playing baseball and basketball. But as he went through high school, his love for the sport only grew. In October, Toy set a personal record of 16:42.7 in the 5,000 meters at a meet with Canyon Del Oro and Mountain View Marana. He finished the meet in second place. His PR earned him the second spot on Marana’s boys cross country season bests in the 5,000 meters.

Outside of running, Toy is a member of Marana’s philosophy club, National Honor Society and the school’s student-athlete leadership team. He also enjoys helping new students around the school and has been spotted picking up trash around the Marana campus.

“He captures our Tiger pride perfectly,” said Joe Schaaf, Marana’s cross country coach. “We read our team goals every day and one of the things in there is ‘Tiger pride’ a few times and often when we go places or when we’re traveling as a team or doing things together, he’s one of the people that sort of keeps us grounded in ‘We’re doing this not just for ourselves.’ Every time we put on a Marana jersey, we are representing a community. We’re representing a whole group of people beyond ourselves.”

Sport(s): Cross country, baseball and basketball

GPA: 4.5

Future plans: Study pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Arizona and become a pharmacist for the Marana community.

Andrew fun fact: He and his family are Philadelphia Phillies fans since his parents are from Pennsylvania.

Full story: tuc.life/andrew

TUCSON HIGH SCHOOL

Bethany Linares

You’ll never find Tucson High’s Bethany Linares standing still. After classes at Tucson High and Pima Community College, she’ll head to flag football or soccer practice, followed by a night shift at a local In-N-Out Burger. But Linares thrives on a tight schedule.

On the field, Linares and the Badgers faced a tough slate this season, playing against the state’s top flag football teams. They ended the season with an overall 5-8 record. Although Linares may graduate a whole year early, there’s a good chance she could be back next season in a volunteer capacity to help her dad and head flag football coach Jorge Linares continue building the relatively new program.

“I think my favorite part honestly is the people, meeting new people, making new friends,” Bethany said. “These practices are so fun because we’ll just laugh. We’ll obviously focus, but when we can laugh, it’s fun because we all love each other like sisters. The bonds are crazy. We all come out here and enjoy what we do.”

Sport(s): Flag football and soccer

GPA: 3.9

Future plans: Become a lawyer.

Bethany fun fact: Her favorite In-N-Out Burger secret menu item is a “flying dutchman.”

Full story: tuc.life/bethany

RINCON/UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL

Ariela Trejo

University High School sophomore Ariela Trejo wants to golf for the rest of her life. She can’t imagine life without the sport, which has been a major part of her life since she was 3 years old. This season, she logged multiple under-par nine-hole games, including during the school’s match against Mica Mountain and Salpointe Catholic, where she shot a -5 (32) and a -3 (32) against Catalina Foothills and Sabino. Her personal bests include a score of 31 on nine holes and 67 on 18 holes.

In the state tournament last week, Trejo finished 17th with a total score of 157 over two days. She was the only golfer in the Div. I girls’ tournament from a Tucson-area high school to finish in the top 20.

“She is fantastic. She is eager to compete. She loves to compete,” said Angus Aron, the head girls golf coach at Rincon/University. “... And she’s a real leader. She cares about her teammates. She doesn’t think of herself as the only individual on the team. Because, yes, you play individually, but it’s such a team sport at the same time. … She wants everyone to succeed. She wants everyone to go to state. She wants everyone to have a memorable season. And it’s not just about one season. It’s about growing on top of each season and progressing.”

Sport(s): Golf

GPA: 3.5

Future plans: Play Div. I golf and eventually join the LPGA Tour.

Ariela fun fact: Her dream places to play golf are Thailand or Japan.

Full story: tuc.life/ariela

SUNNYSIDE HIGH SCHOOL

Anyssa Lerma

Sunnyside senior Anyssa Lerma has become a “key cog” to the Blue Devils’ flag football success in their second year as a program. As a quarterback and linebacker, Lerma has 2,275 passing yards this season and has 16 touchdowns in 14 games dating back to last year, according to MaxPreps. On defense, she leads the Blue Devils with 55 tackles and has two interceptions. Sunnyside finished the regular season with an overall 8-4 record after starting the season with a 6-0 record, outscoring its first six opponents 223-0.

When she’s not playing flag football, the sport still plays a major role in her personal life. She enjoys coaching flag football and 8U tackle football in her spare time. Even though she doesn’t graduate until the spring, Lerma has already received an offer to play women’s flag football at Tiffin University, a private Div. II university in Ohio.

“She’s not worried about her stats or anything like that,” said Alfredo Lerma, her dad and Sunnyside flag football coach. “She would rather have someone else have the spotlight and give them opportunities to run or catch the ball. Sometimes I feel like she goes a little too out of her way to make that happen, but that’s just the person that she is and I think that’s why her teammates look up to her and really respect (her).”

Sport(s): Flag football and basketball

GPA: 3.5

Future plans: Become a travel nurse once she’s done playing sports.

Anyssa fun fact: She would want “Fat Amy” from “Pitch Perfect” to play her in a movie.

Full story: tuc.life/anyssa

CANYON DEL ORO HIGH SCHOOL

Lainey Wilderson

CDO freshman Lainey Wilderson grew up dancing just about every style of dance you could imagine. But by the time she was a tween, she didn’t enjoy it like she used to. Little did she know that only a couple of years later, she would be having a varsity volleyball season for the books. In her first varsity year, Wilderson has logged a .273 hitting percentage and earned a top-five spot in the 5A conference, as well as the No. 18 ranking in the state (out of all grade levels) for blocks (99). MaxPreps also lists her as the No. 1 freshman blocker in Arizona for total blocks.

When she’s not taking down opponents on the court, 14-year-old Wilderson spends a lot of time with her family, including going on a weekly Dairy Queen trip with them.

“She’s definitely already making a name for herself,” said Jose Robles, CDO’s girls volleyball head coach. “She’s going to be turning heads. She’s going to be one of the few studs we have on this team that people are going to be afraid of when playing us, maybe even next year, but definitely when she’s a junior and senior. People are going to be referring to her when they got to scout us out and she’s going to be a big factor for us. She’s going to play a huge role as she continues her volleyball career.”

Sport(s): Volleyball

GPA: 3.9

Future plans: Attend a college that’s close to home and become a pediatrician.

Lainey fun fact: Three must-have items in her gym bag include shoe powder, Band-Aids and a mini plastic Jesus.

Full story: tuc.life/lainey