The top 10 sports stories of 2011
1. Yuma Catholic wins state title
Yuma Catholic finally did it — they beat Northwest Christian. But this time it was for all the marbles.
The Shamrocks won the state championship game 21-19 on Nov. 26 at the NAU Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff. It was a victory by narrow margin, but it was a huge feat.
The Shamrocks secured their spot in Yuma history, becoming the first team to win a state championship in football outright.
Coach Rhett Stallworth described it as a weight being lifted off his shoulders. In Yuma Catholic’s short history as a school, they brought a state championship to Yuma.
It was a true underdog story. Few believed the Shamrocks would be able to pull off what they did because they had lost to NWC earlier in the season.
But that loss was the inspiration for an entire season — the Shamrocks were determined to beat NWC once and for all.
Once the championship trophy was in Stallworth’s possession, he made sure it was safe the entire way home.
The trophy has now taken its place at Yuma Catholic, serving as a daily reminder that
Stallworth was finally able to bring the coveted trophy to his hometown.
2. Arizona Western falls short of national title in return of El Toro Bowl
A year and a half of planning resulted in a sellout at the return of the El Toro Bowl Presented by Time Warner Cable.
But most of the crowd watching the NJCAA national championship game went home unhappy.
Visiting Eastern Mississippi proved too much for the vaunted Matador defense as the Lions topped Arizona Western 55-47 at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Dec. 3.
Although most of the 5,550 fans would have liked to see a win by the No. 1 Matadors, they did witness an AWC team storm back from a 27-0 deficit to make it a one-score game against the No. 2 Lions.
The game was just the frosting on a weeklong celebratory cake that featured everything from taco tours to hall of fame inductions. The 1972 Matadors — the only national champion football team in school history — were inducted into the schools’ new Hall of Fame, along with longtime president Ken Borland.
All of it was just an appetizer for the main course, one that started badly for the Matadors, who had problems controlling not only EMCC quarterback Bo Wallace, but themselves as well, as they were heavily penalized in the loss. Wallace was the offensive MVP for the Lions and earned the NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year award, an award that may have gone to AWC running back Damien Williams — who led the nation in rushing — had the Matadors finished the season 12-0 instead of 11-1.
The bowl is expected to be back in 2012, and the Matadors will again aim to make it a national championship game.
3. Bernie Montoya wins four state titles in calender year
In April, it was an amazing story of overcoming adversity to be the best.
By August, he was ready to talk about something else.
However tired he was of talking about his incredible one-shoe performance at the AIA Division I State Track and Field Championships, it was still as good as gold for Bernie Montoya.
A sophomore at the time, the Cibola track and cross country standout claimed three gold medals a the track meet, but none more memorable than the 1,600-meter run. He won the race by 30 meters despite running the last half of it without a left shoe. The race tore his foot up badly, but not badly enough to keep him from winning his third gold.
Montoya wasn’t done winning titles. In the fall, he kicked off his junior year by winning his second straight cross country title — he did not race in his freshman year, instead electing to play football.
Final tally for the year — four state championships, three of which were won with a full compliment of shoes. And that doesn’t count his performance at national races or how heavily he’s already been recruited by colleges.
4. Johnny Salcido goes perfect en route to state wrestling title
Anybody who went up against Johnny Salcido, Antelope’s extraordinary wrestler, had a strategy that consisted of two words — good luck. Salcido finished his senior season a perfect 46-0 with his second consecutive state championship. He became the second Antelope wrestler to have multiple state championships. The other, Aaron Simpson, won four straight from 1990-93 with a 142-1 record and is now fighting with a 11-2 record in the UFC.
Salcido capped his perfect season with a title win over Pima’s Leland Schmidt, whom Salcido also defeated in the state championship the previous year. Salcido pinned Schmidt in just 1:53 in the 2011 title match.
Not surprisingly, Salcido was named as the Yuma Sun/Yuma Rotary Club Wrestler of the Year both his junior and senior season.
5. Cain Velasquez loses UFC title defense
The buildup for the Cain Velasquez-Junior dos Santos UFC fight on Nov. 12 was as monstrous as a right hook from either fighter. The fight, which was already for the UFC Heavyweight title, gained even greater publicity because it was the first UFC fight to be broadcast on FOX — which had just agreed to a seven-year deal with the mixed martial arts franchise. It also marked the first time Velasquez, a former wrestling standout at Kofa, had fought in over a year. The 6-foot-1, 249-pound Velasquez tore his rotator cuff en route to defeating Brock Lesnar for the UFC Heavyweight title on October 23, 2010.
With 8.8 million people watching at home — the most ever for a live MMA fight — the lengthy buildup was met with the reality of a fight that lasted 64 seconds. In the first round, dos Santos landed an overhand right that dropped Velasquez to the canvas. The Brazilian dos Santos promptly went on the attack, bombarding Velasquez with punches until the referee ended the fight. The swift and abrupt ending to what was supposed to be a legendary fight was a lesson to the new UFC fans and reminder to the old ones — anything can happen inside that octagon.
6. John Blabe announces retirement
Many coaches have dreams of winning big and taking their teams all the way — John Blabe just wanted to make it through his final season.
Before the season even started, Blabe wasn’t sure if he’d be able to do that. Week after week there was uncertainty surrounding how many players he’d be able to suit up on Friday night.
It wasn’t the most magnificent season that coach Blabe had in his 29 years at Antelope, but it was magical nonetheless.
The Rams found a way to win one for Blabe during his last home game as the Antelope football coach, edging out Santa Cruz Valley 21-20.
Blabe was proud of his boys not only for winning, but for seeing the season through. The Rams lost their last game of the season a week later, but they still finished the season — which is what they set out to do.
Blabe’s future is uncertain. He may end up coaching somewhere else this year, or he may just sit back and enjoy retirement.
But if one had to guess, it will be hard to keep him away from the sport he loves so dearly — whether he’s coaching or not.
7. Canseco manages Scoprions
It was the kind of news that made national headlines — Jose Canseco was headed to Yuma.
When the former major leaguer took on his role as a player/manager, he promised the city he’d deliver 70 wins.
Well, that didn’t happen.
The Scorps struggled to stay competitive, facing tough losses day after day and finishing with a 35-53 record on the season.
But it wasn’t all bad.
Canseco continued to keep Yuma entertained with strange tweets — ranging from angry to flirtacious and back again.
Though it’s fairly certain Canseco won’t be back in Yuma again next season, he has certainly given some memories that won’t soon be forgotten.
8. YC golf wins state
All the attention always goes to football players. But they’re not the only ones walking around Yuma Catholic as state champions.
During the spring, the Shamrock golf team claimed the AIA Division III State Golf Championship, its first title since 2006.
The Shamrocks were led by the one-two punch of then-freshman Grady Bourguignon and junior Joey Pickels. Pickels carded a round-low 70 on the final day to help YC make up a two-stroke hole after the first round. He finished third with a 144, while Bourguignon was second with a 140. Snowflake’s Kyle Jones’ 138 won him the individual title.
And with both Pickels and Bourguignon back this year, the golfers will look to win back-to-back state titles, something the football team hasn’t done. Yet.
9. Former Matador Aaron Douglas dies
During his one-year stint with Arizona Western, Aaron Douglas showed all the potential in the world. His standout season — a year after transferring from University of Tennessee — springboarded Douglas to have a chance to play offensive line for the prestigious Alabama Crimson Tide. However, this trip to the peak of college football ended in disaster for Douglas.
On May 12, the former Matador star was found dead on the second-floor balcony of a home in Florida that he spent partying at the previous night. Douglas died of an accidental drug overdose at the age of 21.
Medical examiners revealed Douglas had multiple drugs — including methadone and oxycodon — in his system. The 6-foot-7, 296-pound Douglas already had a DUI on his record and had suffered from depression after transferring from University of Tennessee. Douglas was a part of the 2010 Matadors team that finished the regular season 10-1 and lost 31-27 to Blinn in the Heart of Texas Bowl.
10. AWC loses 41 total years of coaching experience in consecutive weeks
On April 2, Kelly Green resigned as coach of the AWC men’s basketball team, taking 14 years of experience at the helm of the Matadors with him to NCAA Division II Southeastern Oklahoma State.
Eleven days later, baseball coach John Stratton announced his retirement, ending his 27-year run as AWC head coach.
Two weeks. Two coaches. Two announcements. Forty-one years of experience gone.
Charles Harral took over the men’s program and has the Matadors 11-2 to start the season. Green’s SESU team started 2-7 but won two straight heading into their next game Monday. The baseball season under coach Drew Keehn will start in January.
