JULY 25, 2018 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
Sports & Recreation @AhwatukeeFN |
@AhwatukeeFN
SPORTS
45
Check us out and like the Ahwatukee Foothills News on Facebook
www.ahwatukee.com
Ahwatukee’s journey in state Little League tourney ends BY ERIC NEWMAN AFN Staff Writer
T
he Ahwatukee Little League All Stars 10-and-under run in the Arizona Little League State Tournament in Tucson came to a jarring end on July 21 with a 14-1 loss to Gilbert National. Since the squad’s selection in early June, the Ahwatukee group ran through the District 13 tournament, beating numerous tough Chandler and Tempe teams to clinch a berth at state, where it finished fourth overall with a 4-2 record. Though the season’s end came a few days earlier than Ahwatukee’s players had hoped, against a team they had beaten by 10 runs just nine days earlier, coach Geoff Ball said the
long, grueling schedule of baseball, following an entire regular Little League season, taught the kids a lot about the sport and what it takes to succeed at a high level of competition. “From June 9 until today, they’re pretty much playing baseball every single day,” Ball said. “The kids got to experience the dynamic of our practices, which started at two-adays and went to one-a-day, and they got to go out there against really good baseball teams every game consistently. It helped them grow their baseball IQ and their skills a lot.” Added assistant coach Matt Garvy, “They kind of saw what the
(Photos by Kacey Droz)
LITTLE LEAGUE on page 46
The Ahwatukee Little League All Stars 10-and-under team’s season ended in the Arizona Little League State Tournament in Tucson, where it won four of the six games it played.
See
Pride has seen plenty of Spencer Rattler and more to come BY NATHANAEL GABLER Cronkite News
D
ana Zupke sits in the Pinnacle High football meeting room, surrounded by whiteboards, helmets and photos of past teams. The joy in the coach’s eyes is hard to miss as he reflects on the moment he noticed Spencer Rattler in elementary school. “I remember Spencer playing Boys and Girls Club basketball, (him) just flying up and down the court, and going, ‘Wow,’ ” said Zupke, who is about to start his 16th year at Pinnacle. “Already someone was like, ‘Do you know who that is? That’s Spencer Rattler.’ It was already this thing.” “This thing” is Rattler, a quarterback who has skyrocketed into the national spotlight. He is headed for the University of Oklahoma to play for the Sooners in a year. Mountain Pointe has noticed Rattler, too. The Pride last saw him in the 6A basketball state championship game, where Rattler played a role in Pinnacle ending the Pride’s magical Cinderella season. The Pride soon will see him again, on opening night in their 6A football
season. Mountain Pointe visits Rattler (Photo by Ellen O’Brien and Pinnacle on Cronkite News) Aug. 24. Although Pinnacle High quarterback he was a menace in Spencer Rattler hoops, Rattler never passes during a has beaten Mounseven-on-seven tain Pointe on the summer game football field. against Desert Mountain. Rattler While it will be is headed to the MP’s opener, it will University of not be Rattler’s. The Oklahoma next Pioneers open their year. football season Aug. 17 at home against 2017 6A state runnerup Perry. When the 17-year-old starts his senior season in August, ESPN and Rivals will have him as the highest-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2019. In three seasons at Pinnacle, Rattler has passed for more than 9,000 yards and 93 touchdowns against 30 interceptions. He recently was the top performer at the Elite 11 Finals in Los Angeles, widely regarded as the nation’s leading quarterback competition for high schoolers. “I guess the best way to say it is he has
absolutely lived up to all the hype that he had coming into school as a freshman,” Zupke said. Rattler accepts the spotlight and enjoys media attention. He has more than 10,000 Twitter followers and has no shame promoting Oklahoma. But as he fidgets in his seat, it’s easy to remember that he’s still a 17-year-old kid. “When you start getting the attention, it kind of gets to your head, but you have to let it go,” Rattler said. “I’m really just a normal kid.”
Zupke credits Rattler’s parents for that. “They are wonderful people and that’s part of the reason that he’s not out of control,” Zupke said. “I haven’t had to do too much to keep him grounded.” Despite hundreds of recruitment letters and national accolades, Rattler’s parents still make him take out the trash, clean up the backyard and make his bed. “He’s still just that 17-year-old son to me,” said Susan Rattler. “He eats dinner with us every night and I make him breakfast every morning.” As a freshman at 14, Rattler was thrust into a varsity starting role. Zupke had no intention of starting him, but the Pioneers’ incumbent starter quit during the summer. “My first game, we played Chandler. I definitely learned a lot in that game,” Rattler said, chuckling. Rattler threw three interceptions, failed to score a touchdown and recorded only 133 yards passing. His quarterback rating was 27.6. Pinnacle was routed 56-10. Despite the lopsided loss, the game provided positives. See
RATTLERS on page 46