By Hannah Chadwick 

With the end of the winter sports season, five Tempe Prep high school teams finished their seasons. Boys’ soccer won its first game on Senior Night, girls’ soccer beat two of its biggest rivals, wrestling had three people make State, girls’ basketball won their game at the Sun’s Arena, and boys’ basketball made it all the way to the State Championship!

Wrestling

High school wrestling had several athletes place in multiple meets. Three wrestlers – juniors Texas Perez and Nicholas Murray, along with sophomore Joey Jones – competed at state. But the team did not magically start placing in meets overnight, instead working hard for its achievements. Texas said the team focused on endurance and stamina training, which helped each wrestler stay stronger. Due to this training, the wrestlers grew throughout the season, helping them perform better in meets. Texas says, “Speaking for myself and the team, I’d say we had a lot of growth and greatly improved by the end of the season.” 

Boys Soccer

Though the boys’ high school soccer team had a rocky start, its determination paid off when the Knights won their Senior Night game against Arizona Lutheran Academy. Having low numbers from the start, the team knew its season would be harder than most. When a few players were out due to injuries, the season really started to look low. The team had to play intense teams with only nine men, while an average team begins the game with at least 11 starters and hopefully a few substitutes. Despite the challenges, the boys never gave up. On Feb. 1, the team won its first game of the season on Senior Night. Junior and Captain Connor Clark says, “It was a great way to end the season. We got to see all of our hard work pay off during the last game, with much improved communication, drive and finishing ability, and we were just glad that we had a good send off for our seniors.” 

Girls Soccer

Seven years. That is how long it has been since the Tempe Prep high school girls’ soccer team defeated Chandler Prep. The Lady Knights had one of their most successful seasons this year, ending the regular season with a 7-4-1 record. The team started off strong with a win, and kept that momentum going throughout the season. Later, the game against two rival schools approached, and the girls prepared to give their all in each game. Head Coach Megan Richardson says, “Chandler Prep had been a rival of ours for many years and we had not been able to beat them. We all knew it would be a tough game but were determined to end the game with a win.” On Jan. 8 they did just that, beating Chandler Prep for the first time in seven years by a score of 2-1. However, this game was not the only streak-breaking game of the year. Towards the end of the season, the players had another tough rival game against Phoenix Country Day School. Despite a tough game against incredible athletes, the ladies came into this game with a strong mindset, and ended up winning 2-0. This was the first game in eight years that the team had not lost to Phoenix Country. The girls’ soccer team ended their season in a play-in game against Scottsdale Prep. Though they did not continue any further, they were nonetheless proud of their season. Coach Megan concludes, “I hope that the team knows that I am proud of them whether we win or lose, and I think the season as a whole was a success.”

Girls Basketball

Improvement was key for the high school girls’ basketball team this year. The team ended with a 7-8 record and though their first few games started rough, their training helped them improve. Junior Hannah Frazier says their training consisted of conditioning through lifting weights and running stadium steps at Mesa Community College. The team also put a lot of work into defense, which she thinks made the biggest difference. In the middle of the season, the players started to reap the rewards. On Dec. 22, the ladies played at Footprint Center, the home of the Phoenix Suns, against Superior High School and won 41-29. Senior Maeve Jastrzebski says, “Our game in the Suns Arena was definitely one of the highlights of our season. The team had amazing teamwork and our patience really won the game for us.” Another example of improvement is the team’s Senior Night win. Earlier in the season the team lost to Lincoln Prep by 37 points. But they defeated them at their last game. Maeve says, “I’m very proud of how we played senior night against Lincoln Prep. I really saw our team come together, after having a very bumpy season with COVID, and I wouldn’t have wanted to fight with any other girls because these Lady Knights played everything they had so that the seniors could go out with a good game. ” 

Boys Basketball

With new Head Coach David Lane the TPA boys basketball team had an incredible season, finishing as the 2022 1A runners-up.

The 1A State Championship game took place Feb. 19 against the Mohave Accelerated Patriots at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott. The Knights lost 67-51 but nevertheless accomplished a lot during the season.

Prior to this season, the high school boys’ basketball team won a total of seven games in the past three seasons. But Coach Lane inspired confidence in his players to reach their fullest potential. He says, “Confidence in knowing what we wanted to do as a program and knowing our identity as a team to dig down on defense and become a defensive team made all the difference. We took pride in every game and it came out with results.” 

Several players received Regional Awards. Sophomore Chris Milner and junior Jackson Williams were on the Regional first team. Seniors James Philipps and Bubba Jordan were named second team. Junior Nolan Bailey and senior Gavin Rickard were named honorable mention.

   There were also two awards given out to recognize the best of the season. Senior Gabriel Huerta McWhirter was named the Regional Player of the Year, and Coach Lane was named Regional Coach of the Year.

   “The season went really amazing,” Coach Lane said. “We exceeded our goals and expectations to have a winning season and make play-offs and I hope the team learned to always work hard in whatever they do. There will always be doubters and people that don’t believe in what they are doing, but if they just stay true to themselves, soon those will be the people congratulating them at the end.”