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This Week
NEWS .............. 6 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Garcia speaks at Buckeye middle school
SPORTS ........ 19 Verrado alumna qualifies for women’s U.S. Open
9 DAYS ......... 20 Looking for something to do? Check out the 9 Days a Week calendar
LETTERS ........................13 BUSINESS..................... 17 SPORTS ..........................19 FEATURES .....................23 NEIGHBORHOOD......26 YOUTH ...........................28 OBITUARIES .................32 CLASSIFIEDS................34 NORTH
The Voice of the West Valley for 33 years
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May 23, 2018
Verrado baseball edged in title game By Griffin Fabits Just one week after the unexpected passing of junior teammate Bryan McKinsey, the Verrado Vipers vowed to keep playing for him as they reached the 5A State Championship game versus the Liberty Lions. In his honor, his jersey hung in the dugout. His No. 6 was stitched to the sleeves of the Vipers’ uniforms. Despite so diligently fighting to win a ring for their friend, the Vipers were edged by the Lions, 6-2. The showing from Verrado during this tragedy was palpable. Players walked off the field for the final time in 2018 with tears and heavy hearts, but their efforts, resiliency and overcoming of so much adversity will stick with them for the rest of their lives, sophomore catcher Tanner Spallina said. “(I learned not to) take anything for granted. Live in the moment and do the best you can because it can be taken away from you at any second.” In the season’s infancy, there was belief inside the Verrado Vipers’ clubhouse that a run to the championship game was imminent, led by a senior class rich with talent and experience. The 10 seniors who suited up for the May 15 title game had their sights set on this game long before they entered the Verrado baseball program four springs ago.
Verrado Vipers No. 10, Cole Bornfleth, embraces coach Mike Ward after the 5A State Championship game. (West Valley View photo by Kimberly Carrillo)
This plan has been in the works because most of them began playing together in middle school. And when they clinched a berth to the title game, the Vipers kept it simple, failing to cave into the pressure that comes in a game of this magnitude and instead reminding themselves of what got them there.
“Having never been there, it was completely unchartered territory and I think that might’ve helped us in the end,” senior Kyle Wellman said. “It was like, ‘Let’s just keep winning. That’s what we’re good at doing.’ We liked
Verrado...continued on page 9
Women leaders discuss WV growth at luncheon
By Connor Dziawura
The West Valley is poised for growth, according to speakers at the May luncheon of the Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Network’s local chapter, AZCREW. The focus of the event was “West Valley Women Leaders – The Momentum of the West Valley,” with Goodyear City Manager Julie Arendall, WESTMARC
President and CEO Sintra Hoffman and Surprise Economic Development Director Jeanine Jerkovic featured as a panel of speakers. The lunch opened with speeches from Eagle Commercial Realty Services President and CEO Cindy Winters, R.O.I. Properties President and Designated Broker Beth Jo Zeitzer, and CREW chapter
liasion Sharon Herrin. Later, Arendall and Hoffman said nearby transportation corridors contribute to the West Valley’s strength. “We do have an available workforce, and we are blessed with the opportunity to have accessibility from I-10, the 101, the 303,
Leaders..continued on page 4