Matt Brown (Andy Morales/AllSportsTucson.com)

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It was much closer than the defending 4A state champions would have liked, but Nogales held on to defeat Mountain View Marana 3-1 Thursday to improve to 8-2 on the year. The Apaches lost seven players to graduation, including Ralph Padilla, Mika Bracamonte and Cesar Dominguez, Jr., but the bulk of that championship team returns.

How good is that returning lineup?

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Andy Morales was recognized by the AIA as the top high school reporter in 2014 and he was awarded the Ray McNally Award in 2017 and he has been a youth, high school and college coach for over 30 years. His own children have won multiple state high school championships and were named to all-state teams. Competing in hockey, basketball, baseball and track & field in high school, his unique perspective can only be found here and on AZPreps365.com. Andy was named a Local Hero by the Tucson Weekly for 2016. Contact Andy Morales at AMoralesMyTucson@yahoo.com