Former Saguaro football coach John Sanders always bemoaned the lack of depth his teams had, but truthfully, much of it was his own doing.
Yes, the school is small compared to the rest of the state’s elite programs, but Sanders was always crystal clear in his wish for the Sabercat players to be football-only . The specialization paid dividends on the field, as dedication in the weight room and during the summer helped Saguaro’s players continually improve. On the flip side, the school’s other athletes, those whose best sport was basketball …

The Arizona Basketball Coaches Association held its annual All-Star games event on Saturday at Mesa Community College. It showcased many of the state’s top players, the majority of whom will be moving on to play college basketball. Here are some notes from the games:
* Dewayne Russell rimmed out a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer, and Eric Jacobsen’s free throw in sudden death overtime lifted the black Senior D1/D2 boys team to an 82-81 victory over the white team. Fairfax senior and Pepperdine commitment Stacy Davis led all scorers with …

The Arizona Basketball Coaches Association is putting on its annual high school basketball all-star game showcase on Saturday at Mesa Community College. The event began in 2005 at Skyline and drew about 300 people, said Dustin Cooper, the event organizer and Mesquite’s new coach. Last year, approximately 4,000 people took in the action throughout the day.
“It’s really gained momentum,” he said.
The schedule looks like this:
11 p.m. – Division III/IV senior girls
12:30 p.m. – Underclassmen girls
2 p.m. – Division I/II senior girls
3:30 p.m. – Dunk contest and 3-point shooting competition
4:45 p.m. …

It was quite the doozy on Tuesday night, as a two-run, walk-off homer by Dylan Cozens led Chaparral to a 5-3 win over Brophy in the Division I state baseball championship game at Camelback Ranch.
There is video of the home run here, about halfway down the page.
Here are some notes that didn’t make the game story:
* The Chaparral pitching was really impressive. Tyger Talley, Nick Diamond and Dillon Bigcrane combined for this line: 7 innings, 6 hits, 3 ER, 15 strikeouts, 4 BB. Yes, that’s 15 strikeouts in seven innings. …

Dustin Cooper has a lot on his plate right now.
He’s recovering from surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament. He’s orchestrating Saturday’s Arizona Basketball Coaches Association All-Star games. Oh, and he’s also preparing to run a program for the first time.
A busy week became even more hectic when Cooper was officially named the new boys basketball coach at Mesquite on Tuesday night following approval from the Gilbert District Governing Board. Cooper said the last several days have been ‘a whirlwind’, but he’s certainly not complaining.
“I’m excited,” he said. “I feel very …

Here are the East Valley baseball players who have been recognized by their respective sections in Division I. The voting for Players and Coaches of the Year in each section is still ongoing.
Division I, Section I
Second Team
St. Mary’s: Juan Carlos Sasso, 1B
Division I, Section II
First Team
Mesquite: Jake Howard, C; Garrett Jeffries, OF; John Ferrendelli, OF; Seth Fretheim, UT.
Hamilton: Cody Bellinger, 1B; Patrick Murphy, P; Mitch Nay, 3B.
Gilbert: Josh Moore, OF; Dustin Peterson, DH.
Desert Ridge: Keaton Cenatiempo, P.
Red Mountain: Aaron Smith, 2B.
Highland: Cody Moffett, P.
Basha: Jamie Westbrook, SS.
Second Team
Perry: Collin Braithwaite, …

Skyline associate boys basketball coach Dustin Cooper is expected to be named Mesquite’s new varsity coach following approval during Tuesday night’s Gilbert school district board meeting.
Cooper would replace John Burns, who left after two seasons to take over the Basha program. Burns went 27-26 in his tenure with the Wildcats.
Cooper was also the junior varsity coach and is the Assistant Executive Director of the Arizona Basketball Coaches Association. He coordinates the ABCA All-Star games, which showcase the state’s best players in a string of exhibition matchups. This year’s games will …

The other big-time boys basketball tournament at the end of December has also nailed down its participants.
Defending tournament champion Brophy will return, led by forward Tim Kempton.
Gilbert Christian, the Division III state champions, are joining the fray this year. The Knights lose seniors Connor Patterson and Logan Fougnies, but return Sam Jones, Roberto Reyes and Dylan Bliss. Jones and Reyes are two of the top sophomores in the state.
Highland will be there, with small forward Jake Toolson, who has multiple scholarship offers, including one from Boston College.
Other teams that have …

The VisitMesa.com Basketball Challenge has set its field for December’s prestigious boys basketball tournament, according to tournament director Marc Beasley.
The in-state schools are: Pinnacle, Corona del Sol, Red Mountain, Dobson, Mountain View, Desert Vista, Mountain Pointe, Salpointe, Gilbert and Basha.
The out-of-state schools are: Ontario (Canada) Waterloo Collegiate Insititute; Toledo (Ohio) St. John’s Jesuit;  San Diego Hoover; Eugene (Ore.) Churchill, Lexington (S.C.) and Mercer Island (Wash.).
The sixth annual tournament runs from Dec. 26-29 at Mountain View.
Corona del Sol is the defending Division I state champion and proved itself as the favorite …

Chaparral is entering its second week of spring football practice with a new identity.
The Firebirds have won three straight state titles and should be in the mix again next year, but won’t be the heavy favorites of a year ago.
Much has changed with the defections of coach Charlie Ragle and stars Connor Brewer, Davonte Neal, Jarvis Lewis, Lucas Petrullo and Dylan Cozens.
Here’s the latest from coach Dave Huffine, who was promoted from offensive coordinator when Ragle left for a job with Arizona:
* There is going to be a three-way battle …