Southern Arizona high schools brought their A-game to the state championships over the last few weeks — with many returning home as champions. Here’s how Tucson-area teams performed in the football, flag football, volleyball, cross country, golf and swim and dive state tournaments.
Football
The Mica Mountain Thunderbolts made history when they took home the Class 4A state football championship title on Dec. 5 — becoming the first Tucson-area football program to win back-to-back state championships since Canyon del Oro in 1976 and ’77, the Star previously reported. The No. 7 Thunderbolts defeated No. 1 Arcadia, 42-17.
On their way to the top, they defeated No. 10 Lake Havasu, No. 2 Snowflake and No. 6 Gila Ridge.
“I feel like it was more special than last year because it was harder,” senior defensive end Sergio Raygada told the Star. “Last year we went 14-0. Nobody believed that we could do it (again), and we just did it. We proved everybody wrong.”
Roman Leon (66) of the Mica Mountain Thunderbolts celebrates after winning the 4A state championship against Arcadia at Mountain America Stadium on Dec. 5, 2025, in Tempe.
In 6A, No. 8 Salpointe Catholic advanced to the semifinals, but was eliminated from the tournament by No. 4 Casteel, 37-28, on Nov. 28.
In neighboring 5A, No. 3 Desert View and No. 4 Marana advanced to the Nov. 21 quarterfinals but were defeated by Phoenix-area schools. Desert View lost 38-28 to No. 6 Canyon View, while Marana fell short, 30-20, to No. 5 Horizon.
No. 17 Cienega, No. 19 Flowing Wells, No. 23 Tucson High and No. 15 Buena all entered the tournament on Nov. 7, but only Cienega made it through the first round. The Bobcats were eliminated by No. 1 Desert Edge, 46-7.
No. 5 Pusch Ridge Christian Academy made a run for the 3A state title, advancing to the semifinals on Nov. 22, but was defeated by No. 1 Benjamin Franklin, 47-14.
Sabino made it to the first round of the 3A tournament but was eliminated by No. 2 Valley Christian, 47-18, on Nov. 7.
Southern Arizona schools made their mark on the 2A tournament with two schools advancing to the semifinals on Nov. 22.
No. 9 Tanque Verde lost to No. 4 St. John’s, 29-16, while No. 6 Willcox was edged by No. 2 Scottsdale Christian, 28-25, in the semis.
Flag football
In their first year as a program, the Salpointe Lancers took home the 4A state flag football championship title. The girls defeated the No. 2 seed Eastmark 17-0 on Nov. 22.
Salpointe star freshman quarterback Isla Collins led the Lancers with two rushing touchdowns.
“I’m so excited,” Collins told the Arizona Republic after the championship. “This team is everything to me. We earned it. We put our names in the history book. We let everyone know just because it’s our first year, it doesn't mean anything. We are here to play.”
The Salpointe Catholic Lancers celebrate their 17-0 win over the Eastmark Firebirds for the 4A flag football championship at Corona del Sol High School in Tempe, on Nov. 22, 2025.
On their way to the top, the No. 4 seed Lancers took down No. 13 Deer Valley, No. 5 Flagstaff and No. 1 Prescott.
Salpointe finished its debut season with a 16-1 record.
In the 6A conference, No. 2 Marana made it to the semifinals but fell short to No. 3 Hamilton, 35-14. Throughout the playoffs, the Tigers defeated No. 15 Boulder Creek and No. 7 Queen Creek.
In the neighboring 5A conference, No. 15 Nogales and No. 6 Buena made it to the first round of playoffs, but only Buena advanced in the tournament. The Colts made it to the semifinals but fell to Chaparral, 24-17.
Volleyball
Salpointe dominated in the 4A state girls volleyball tournament, taking home the title after defeating American Leadership Academy - Queen Creek, 3-1, on Nov. 15.
The No. 1 Lancers were the team to beat in the state tournament, but no one came close to taking them down.
Before winning the state title, Salpointe Catholic girls volleyball took down No. 16 Sahuarita, No. 8 Cactus Shadows and No. 5 Mica Mountain, all 3-0, in the playoff rounds.
Salpointe beat No. 16 Sahuarita, No. 8 Cactus Shadows and No. 5 Mica Mountain, all 3-0, on its way to the championship final.
Ironwood Ridge, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, advanced to the semifinals but was edged out by ALA-Queen Creek, 3-2.
Other Southern Arizona teams that made it to the state tournament include: 5A’s Catalina Foothills, 3A’s Tanque Verde and 2A’s Benson, all of which were eliminated in the first round.
Cross country
Ironwood Ridge came out on top at the girls state cross country tournament. The Nighthawks took home first place in team scores (45) in Division II. Individually, Ironwood Ridge had four top-15 finishes in the girls tournament.
Runners-up include Mica Mountain in third (141), Catalina Foothills in ninth place (281) and Cienega in 11th (297).
In girls Division III, Pusch Ridge senior Hayley Floyd took home fifth place (19:36.90). As a team, the Lions placed second with a score of 122.
Emiliano Caldera, a senior at Catalina High School, took home second place in the 2025 Division III cross country state tournament.
Individually in boys Division III, Catalina senior and former Arizona Daily Star High School Student-Athlete of the Week Emiliano Caldera, took home second place in the 5,000 meters (15:43.70).
Julian Guillermo, a Rio Rico senior, placed fourth with a time of 15:49.80.
Rio Rico finished in second place as a team in the Division III tournament with a score of 110. The Hawks were followed by Salpointe in fourth (219) and Pusch Ridge in 11th (293).
In Division II, Buena placed fourth (140), followed by Mica Mountain in fifth (155), which just edged out Canyon del Oro in sixth (156). Cienega finished eighth (193), and Flowing Wells placed ninth (261).
Mica Mountain sophomore John Garcia Gamez finished in fourth (16:05.60) in the 5,000 meters.
In Division I, Rincon/University senior Finnegan Hawes was the only Southern Arizona Division I boys runner to crack the top 15. He placed fourth in the 5,000 meters with a time of 16:14.10.
And in Division IV, Benson senior Rayleigh Olsen earned sixth place (20:38.20). As a team, Benson placed ninth (197) while Tombstone finished 14th (375).
Golf
Mica Mountain senior Tyla Greenwood won the Division II state championship after finishing with a 69 on Day 1 and 72 on Day 2, for a total of 141.
As a team, Canyon del Oro took home second place (675), while Salpointe finished sixth (688), followed by Catalina Foothills in seventh (695) and Sahuarita in eighth (699).
Catalina Foothills High School golfer Chase Cesarek tees off from the third box during a match at Fred Enke Golf Course.
In the Division II boys tournament, Foothills earned third place (tied with Arcadia) with a total of 591. Salpointe finished in ninth (610), and Mica Mountain came in 11th (621).
Individually, Foothills senior Chase Cesarek had the best finish from Tucson at 11th place. The former Arizona Daily Star HS Student-Athlete of the Week recorded a 72 each day, for a total of 144.
Swim & dive
Southern Arizona teams dominated the Division II boys swim and dive tournament.
Catalina Foothills earned another state championship after recording a score of 386.
Salpointe finished in second (369.5), and Canyon del Oro placed third (359).
Foothills senior Connor Daggett had three first-place finishes in the tournament, including in the 200 medley relay, 200 free relay and 50 free.
In the Division II girls tournament, Salpointe took home second place (313). On an individual level, Salpointe junior Carissa Palomarez snagged three first-place finishes in the 50 free and the 200 and 400 free relay.
Tanque Verde returned to Tucson as champions after taking down Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep by a mere three points in the Division III boys tournament. The Hawks finished in first place with a score of 257.
Multiple universities have already shown an interest in Reagan Edquid, including all three state universities, Grand Canyon University, the United States Military Academy and the Air Force Academy.
While Tucson-area schools didn’t place in the Division III girls tournament, Pusch Ridge junior and former Star HS Student-Athlete of the Week, Reagan Edquid, notched two first-place finishes.
She earned the top spots in the individual medley with a time of 2:04.53 and in the 100 breaststroke (1:03.76).
