Editor's note: As the 2024-25 high school sports season around Southern Arizona kicks into full gear this week, the Star gives one final look back at the programs that took home state championship trophies during the 2023-24 school year. One of those champions: Pusch Ridge Christian Academy boys soccer, 2024 Class 3A champions.
In the age of transfers and open enrollment, Pusch Ridge Christian Academy's boys soccer team won the school’s first soccer state championship during the 2023-24 academic year with a number of familiar faces.
Back in February, the No. 2 Lions knocked off top-seeded Gilbert Christian in the 3A final, culminating years of working and playing together.
“I’ve been playing with these guys for the last six, seven years,” said Evan Garelick, a PRCA in 2023-24. “So I mean playing with my friends — playing with my best friends — is a great feeling and being able to win a state championship and the first for the school is amazing.”
Pusch Ridge Christian Academy goalkeeper Brandon Rhodes celebrates the Lions’ 2024 Arizona Class 3A boys soccer championship victory back on Feb. 17 over Gilbert Christian in Scottsdale.
Pusch Ridge senior forward Collin Tompkins thought that their history together helped them win the title.
“I think that’s one of the better parts and I think that’s one of the reasons why we won,” Tompkins said. “I’ve been with some of the guys for like actually like eight to 10 years and then at one point in time we’ve all been playing together on the same team so we’ve kinda built that chemistry and like (a) family."
Pusch Ridge head coach Geoff Neale laughed when asked about how long the seniors have been together.
“Some of them since they were 2, maybe,” Neale said. “We’ve been around these guys for a long time. Some of these guys I’ve known — I first saw them play when they were 3 or 4; (I've) been able to watch them and coach them since most of them were 7 or 8, 9 (or) in middle school.
“They always talk about teams being family. Tthese guys were family for real,” Neale added. “They’ve been buddies and friends and after each other since the get go.”
Pusch Ridge Christian Academy’s Collin Tompkins (10) scores against Gilbert Christian during the 2024 Class 3A state championship game back on Feb. 17 at Coronado High School in Scottsdale.
Garelick said the school itself is a tight-knit community, too.
“We’ve definitely gotten a lot of praise,” Tompkins said. “Like on school on Monday every other kid was like ‘hey congratulations,’ I think everyone was really proud of us and (PRCA Director of Athletics) Ms. (Amy) Garnand has done a good job of recognizing us.”
Neale won 3A Coach of the Year, senior Jackson Dubs was 3A Defensive Player of the Year and Garelick won 3A Player of the Year, sharing the honor with Samuel Cavinder from Gilbert Christian.
Tompkins and senior goalkeeper Brandon Rhodes were All-3A first team. Senior defender Andrew Lustenberger and senior forward Kegan Dorschner second team with Mejias being honorable mention.
The win in the final came against Gilbert Christian, who knocked out Pusch Ridge 7-6 in a shootout following a 1-1 draw in the state quarterfinals last season.
“It was honestly pretty awesome,” PRCA senior midfielder Ben Mejias said. “I was talking about it with one of the guys that it’s almost as God set us up to get our, not revenge but to get back at them for knocking us out last year so it was pretty nice to just do it in a respectful way to show that we’re the better team.”
Pusch Ridge Christian Academy’s Evan Garelick runs toward the Lions fans with the 2024 Arizona Class 3A state championship trophy as he and his teammates celebrate their title-game win back on Feb. 17 over Gilbert Christian at Coronado High School in Scottsdale.
Dorschner scored the first goal for Pusch Ridge in the final, and then Tompkins scored the game-winner.
“We were looking for that one. That was the match up we were hoping for,” Neale said. “They’d been No. 1 all year and we wanted to play against them and we got it so we were excited.”
Pusch Ridge (20-4) went undefeated against 3A sides — the team's only losses coming to 6A No. 1 Sunnyside, 6A No. 3 Mesa Mountain View and the 4A state finalists Salpointe Catholic and Mica Mountain.
In 2021-22, PRCA lost in the first round of the state tournament to Thatcher; the year prior, Pusch Ridge lost to BASIS Phoenix in the first round.
“Ever since coach Neale has come in here he’s changed everything like we went from not winning that many games to four years in a row we won the region,” Garelick said.
In the 3A South, Dubs was Defensive Player of the Year, Tompkins Region Offensive Player of the Year and Garelick Player of the Year.
Pusch Ridge Christian Academy’s Evan Garelick runs clears a ball against Gilbert Christian during the 2024 Arizona Class 3A boys state championship game back on Feb. 17 in Scottsdale.
Junior forward Lex Ensio and senior Caden Doyle were first-team All-Region and senior defenders Salvador Macias and Cason Collins as well as junior midfielder Will Black were second team.
PRCA finished the season on a 12-game winning streak.
Pusch Ridge’s previous best finish was second place at the 1A-3A Winter level in 2010. In 2011, the PRCA girls also were runner-up for 1A-3A Winter.
“It’s definitely cool. Like our school, we’re pretty good at sports, but we don’t have that many titles and obviously we haven’t done it in soccer so I think it’s cool to do that for the school as a whole but also for the soccer program,” Tompkins said.
With Salpointe winning the 4A title, 2023-24 was the first time two Tucson area sides have won boys state championship since 2018-19 when Sunnyside won the 5A and Salpointe the 4A.
Neale said his program got lots of encouragement from coaches around Southern Arizona, like from Canyon del Oro, Ironwood Ridge, Marana, Empire and Catalina.
“You're representing Tucson ... but it was more these guys were in the state final and that’s what we were excited about because that was our goal,” Neale said. “That was a four-year goal."
