Maude McQuarrie

Winter Sports this year are uncertain due to Covid restrictions, but the athletes and staff at TPA are working hard to make practices and games safe!

Winter sports were originally set to start on Nov. 9, but have been pushed back to meet guidelines set by the Arizona Interscholastic Association and the Arizona Department of Health. They are currently waiting for Maricopa County to meet the standards required for holding practices and games.

Mr. Seagrave, the athletic director, is confident in the precautions being used to keep sports safe, which he thinks worked well during fall sports. Masks are being worn by everyone except players, social distancing is being practiced whenever possible, equipment is being sanitized, and temperatures are being checked. He says that winter sports will start as soon as the county meets the standards for sports to be safe.

Coach Lambros, the coach of the boys’ basketball team, is expecting a great season and said that if they “continue to improve the way they have been practicing we will be a very strong team this coming season,” he says. The team did not have its best season last year, but they are on track to have a winning season this year. They are fast, and tough on defense, which will help them achieve their goal of improving their record. Coach Lambros is hoping for at least 22 players so that he can have enough for varsity and JV teams.

The girls’ basketball team has also been working hard. Natalie Whitmer, a senior about to play her fourth year on the team, is looking forward to fighting for wins. She says that the team improved a lot last year and was good at staying enthusiastic to push through harder games, as there is a lot of “cheering and supporting going on” when they play. Her main goals this year are to improve on communication, ball control, and shot accuracy.

Coach Hunt, the coach of the boys’ soccer team, is aiming to qualify for playoffs this year. The team had a good record last year, of 6-6-1, so they are aiming for at least 7 wins this year to make it a winning season. Coach Hunt is also hoping to finish at least 4th place in the region, which would put the team in the top half. He is expecting to have a successful season. “We have a good group of seniors combined with some very good young players that should make this a tough team to beat,” he said.

Cienna Jaime, a senior about to play her fourth year on the girls’ soccer team, is looking forward to making playoffs and making this a winning season: “I expect it to be a hard-fought win but we can definitely do it.” One of her favorite things about the team is the positive environment that they have created, which she thinks helps the girls improve. She is looking forward to playing tournaments, making playoffs again, and improving skills. They had a great season last year, with a record of 7 games won, 5 lost, and 4 tied.

Coach DeSilva, who coaches and started the wrestling program at TPA from scratch 5 years ago, is looking forward to working with his returning players again. The team had around 10 boys last year and should have the same this year, unless COVID affects the number. They have been improving every year since they began, and had a winning season last year of 9-8, which they are expecting to beat, as they have a strong work ethic. Coach DeSilva’s goals for this season are to keep developing the team and wrestlers, and make state championships again.

Winter sports are obviously going to look different this year and be difficult to manage during COVID, but all of the coaches and players seem eager to get back on the field, the court or the mat and have fun. Each team is optimistic that they will do better than last year and excited to keep working together!