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Top Southern Arizona sports stories of 2025: February

By Javier Morales

Posted on December 28, 2025

Top Southern Arizona sports stories of 2025:

January

Arizona Athletics

Down Goes No. 1: On Feb. 28, Arizona’s baseball team traveled to Houston and shocked No. 1 Texas A&M with a 3–2 victory, a win that served as the catalyst for their eventual Big 12 championship and College World Series berth later that season.
Statement Wins for Arizona Hoops: On Feb. 1, Arizona secured an 81-72 victory over Arizona State, and four days later, Tommy Lloyd’s team silenced a hostile crowd at BYU with an 85-74 win to improve its Big 12 record to 10-1.

High School Sports

Repeat Champs: The Gregory School successfully defended its 1A state championship with a 67-57 victory over top-seeded Seligman on Feb. 28 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum at Phoenix. Craig Everson, The Gregory School’s coach for the last eight seasons, has led the Hawks to repeat state titles twice in his career. The Gregory School won consecutive titles in 2017-18 (Everson’s first season) and 2018-19. The school also won back-to-back titles in 2007-08 and 2008-09 when it was known as St. Gregory.
3A Boys Basketball State Championship Matchup Set: On Feb. 28, No. 5 Palo Verde upset top-seeded Queen Creek Benjamin Franklin 52–48, while No. 11 Pusch Ridge pulled off a 55–53 thriller over No. 2 Florence to set up an All-Southern Arizona championship, guaranteeing a local boys 3A state champ for the first time since 2003-04.
Wrestling Championships — Record-setting year for Southern Arizona:
- BOYS D-I: Sunnyside wins 38th state title (Coach Anthony Leon wins 9th).
- BOYS D-III: Sahuarita wins fourth (Paul Vasquez wins fourth).
- GIRLS D-I Sunnyside wins first (William Olivas)
- GIRLS D-II: Mica Mountain wins first (Chris Patterson)
Individual Boys Champions:
- D-I 120: Richard Romero (Marana) 57-5, Sr.
- D-I 144: Sergio Vega, (Sunnyside) 33-1, Sr. (4X CHAMPION)
- D-I 150: Carlos Stanton, (Sunnyside) 27-3, Sr. (4X CHAMPION)
- D-I 165: Nicholas Pina, (Sunnyside) 21-3, Sr. (3X CHAMPION)
- D-I 285: Zayne Candelaria, (Sunnyside) 25-5, Jr. (2X CHAMPION)
- D-II 157: Jozeph Smith (Pueblo) 59-3, Jr.
- D-III 120: Sebastian Serrano (Sahuarita) 57-7, Jr.
- D-III 132: Daniel Guerrero (Sahuarita) 59-2, Sr. (2X Champion)
- D-III 138: Marcus Killgore (Sahuarita) 43-3, Fr.
- D-III 144: Nathanial Higgins (Salpointe) 63-2, Sr. (2X Champion)
- D-III 157: Gabriel Gallardo (Sahuarita) 57-3, Sr. (4X Champion)
- D-III 165: Enzo Morales (Walden Grove) 58-0, Sr. (2X Champion)
Individual Girls Champions:
- D-I 107: Elizabeth Valenzuela Smith (Pueblo) 43-0, So. (2X Champion)
- D-I 145: Isabella Santa Maria (Cienega) 31-4, Fr.
- D-I 152: Dalien Duarte (Pueblo) 40-3, Sr.
- D-I 235: Daesiah Varner (Cienega) 23-1, So. (2X Champion)
- D-II 120 Madeline Mench (Mica Mountain) 32-8, Sr (2X Champion)
America Cazares had the most career points (1,859) of any active player in the state after breaking her sister Victoria’s Pueblo record of 1,839 on Feb. 7 in the 72-41 win over visiting Flowing Wells.

Pima Community College

Flawless Men’s Team: Brian Peabody’s Aztecs improved to a school-record 29–0 start after a victory over Mesa Community College in the last game of the month Feb. 22. Cohenj Gonzales reached 1,000 career points in the victory.
The 700 Club: Peabody reached his 700th career victory Feb. 5 when the Aztecs beat host Scottsdale 95-71. The Dick McConnell disciple joined his former coach at Sahuaro in the 700-win club. The late McConnell finished at 776-320 in his 41 years of coaching, 39 at Sahuaro.

Other Highlights

Cleo Robinson, who started his officiating career in 1978, worked his last game at the high school level Feb. 18 in the Sunnyside-Pueblo Open Division girls basketball game at Pueblo. Cleo, Bijan Robinson’s grandfather who was a father figure to Bijan when the younger Robinson was growing up, is a member of the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame because of his legendary track and football career at Marana High School and his long tenure as a Pac-10 football referee. He finished his collegiate officiating career as a replay official with the Pac-12.