Jaxon Hood has never been shy about speaking his mind.
The Hamilton defensive tackle felt he was undervalued by recruiting services and college coaches alike, and told it to anyone willing to listen.
He made a verbal commitment to Boston College in December when it looked like the in-state schools wouldn’t offer him a scholarship, but whether it was his talking or his play on the field, eventually Arizona and Arizona State noticed. Rich Rodriguez and Todd Graham both offered a scholarship to Hood shortly after they were hired, and he flipped …

It’s the final go-round of regular season games for girls basketball. Everything wraps up Friday night and Sectionals from each Division begin next Tuesday, with semifinals set for Thursday night and championship games on Friday night, Feb. 10  (Division IV girls are Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday).
The top eight teams in each Section advance to the Sectional Tournament, which is single elimination. If a team wins its first game in the Sectional Tournament it should advance to the state tournament.
(All games are 7 p.m.  and records are PP games only through Monday).
Pinnacle at St. …

It’s the final week of the regular season as all final matches take place Thursday night. With the new division/section alignment, 9 automatic qualifying spots for the state tournament (top 3 in each section based on power points) and seven other at-large bids based on PP, it’s going to be a wild finish with many schools playing 2-3 matches this week, and a lot of really good teams will be left out to dry.
(All records are power point matches only as of Monday afternoon):
Perry vs. Mesquite  (Monday); at Mountain Pointe …

It’s the final week of the regular season as all final matches take place Thursday night. With the new division/section alignment, 9 automatic qualifying spots for the state tournament (top 3 in each section based on power points) and seven other at-large bids based on PP, it’s going to be a wild finish with many schools playing 2-3 matches this week, and a lot of really good teams will be left out to dry.
(All records are power point matches only as of Monday afternoon):
Notre Dame at Cactus Shadows (Monday); vs. …

A day late (and more than a dollar short these days), so apologies for being late with this Week in (Pre-)view of top girls basketball games this week as we hit the stretch run before sectional tournaments.  So without further ado let’s get to some jam-packed schedules……..
(All records are for power point games only through  Monday. All games at 7 p.m. unless noted otherwise):
Red Mountain at Hamilton (Tuesday):  It’s the No. 2 Lions (9-4) against No. 4 Hamilton (9-1) in a hecukva “freedom” game matchup. Backcourts will rule the show …

Courtesy of the Thursday version of the Denver Post, former Hamilton soccer player and football kicker Tony Cascio was drafted by the Colorado Rapids in the MLS Superdraft.
Cascio was a three-year starter for Hamilton’s soccer team and was the football team’s kicker for two years (2006 and 2007).  He went on to earn a soccer scholarship at the University of Connecticut.

The three-week crush is on everywhere to get one of those 24 playoff spots come February. Appetites were whetted by the terrific Chandler-St. Mary’s matchup last Friday night, but more good stuff is coming quickly.
(All games at 7 p.m.  Records are power point games only as of Monday, Jan. 9).
Xavier at Highland (Monday):  Talk about starting off the week with a bang, the Gators (6-2) and Hawks (6-1) could meet again after this, somewhere along the lines of a state quarterfinals matchup. If you like shooting, defense and fundamentals, this …

Similar to the boys side, the girls schedules are back in-full (and possibly overload) coming down the stretch with only three more weeks of regular season action left, and a lot of schools facing a lot of matches in not-a-lot of days.
(Records are power point matches only as of Monday, Jan. 9).
Gilbert at Highland (Tuesday):  Gilbert-school matchups rarely disappoint, and the high-powered Hawks (5-1) and steady Tigers (4-1) shouldn’t either. Highland won 4-2 in the first meeting on Dec. 21. Given the remaining schedule, Gilbert might have the best chance …

With school in full-swing again, relentless schedules for the next few weeks while games get crammed in to fit and the power points race a jumbled mess, here are some boys soccer matches to see this week.
(Records are of power point matches only as of Monday, Jan. 9).
Tempe Prep at Seton Catholic (Monday):  The Sentinels are riding high at 6-0 in PP matches and have a legitimate chance to run the table, but the Knights (5-2) have other ideas. Seton also has to travel to Horizon Honors (5-2) on Thursday, …

Hamilton defensive tackle Jaxon Hood has verbally committed to Boston College and recently picked up an offer from Arizona, but the senior is still feeling slighted about his two-star ranking from recruiting services Scout.com and Rivals.com.
He was very productive during the season, but at 6-foot-0, and 280 pounds, there are questions about his ability to make an impact against offensive linemen that will dwarf him in size at the next level.
Hood played in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl on Tuesday at Chase Field and felt he more than held his …