Down 10-5 in the deciding fifth set at Flowing Wells, the Amphitheater Panthers went on a 10-3 run to take the match 3-2. The final moments of that set showed the value of an experienced roster especially at the beginning of a season when developing character and chemistry is at a premium.
“We are very young with only three seniors so we are really struggling to make up what we lost from last year,” Flowing Wells head coach Clay Hales explained. “We have a lot of promise and it might be a long season but we have moments of playing well.”
LINK: GAME STORY AT AZPREPS365
Ironwood Ridge girls volleyball coach Bill Lang collected his 500th win on the girl’s side Tuesday night with a 3-0 win over Buena at home. He leads all coaches from Southern Arizona with 1,106 matches coached and 718 combined wins with 218 wins from when he coached the boys at the school.
SOUTHERN ARIZONA COACHING RECORDS
Bill Lang, Ironwood Ridge (Active)
718-386 (1,104)
500: Girls (2 runner-up)
218: Boys
Amy Johnson, Salpointe/Sabino/Mica Mountain (Active)
703-200-36 (939)
356: Girls
347: Boys (2 runner-up)
Sandy Novak, Sahuaro
673-203 (876)
404: Girls (2 runner-up)
269: Boys (1 championship & 1 runner-up)
Juanita Kingston, Rincon/UHS
671-301 (972)
455: Girls (1 championship & 1 runner-up)
216: Boys (1 runner-up)
Heather Moore-Martin, Green Fields, Catalina & Salpointe (Active)
646-175 (821)
432: Girls (3 championships & 2 runner-up)
214: Boys (2 championships)
Melva Lundy, Canyon del Oro
592-234 (826)
(1 championship with the boys & 3 runner-up with the boys)
(unknown breakdown)
Heather Mott, Cienega
439-190 (629)
265: Girls
174: Boys (1 championship)
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Andy Morales was recognized by the AIA as the top high school reporter in 2014, he was awarded the Ray McNally Award in 2017, a 2019 AZ Education News award winner and he has been a youth, high school and college coach for over 30 years. He was the first in Arizona to write about high school beach volleyball and high school girls wrestling. 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 is the Southern Arizona voting member of the Ed Doherty Award, recognizing the top football player in Arizona, and he was named a Local Hero by the Tucson Weekly for 2016. Andy was named an Honorary Flowing Wells Caballero in 2019 and he is a member of the Amphi COVID-19 Blue Ribbon Committee. Contact Andy Morales at amoralesmytucson@yahoo.com