Sports

BY ZACH ALVIRA

Sports Editor

Miles Lockhart admits he never thought football would be his future when he was younger.

He started off as a soccer player, and a self-proclaimed “chubby” one at that. He started to dabble in tackle football when he was 8 years old but never truly fell in love with it right away. His parents, David and Stevie, saw potential in him, even if he didn’t see it in himself.

He stuck with the game and by the time he reached the seventh grade, his baby fat began to fall off. That’s also around the time he started to see what football can offer him. Now in the middle of his junior season at Basha High School, Miles isn’t just a starting cornerback for a Bears team that figures to make a run at the Open Division title this season.

He’s one of the top cornerbacks in the country for the 2024 class while only playing at the position for two years.

“People ask me if I thought this would ever happen,” Miles said. “And, like, no, to be honest. I thought it could happen but it’s just a really humbling experience. To look back on that, you would never really think I would be at where I am now.

“It’s been a great experience.”

Miles’ approach to football is simple: Stay hungry. Stay humble. Never settle.

He helped lead Basha to a 10-0 regular season record last year as a sophomore. But the Bears lost in the first round of the playoffs. That isn’t good enough for Miles.

He’s been a starter at the varsity level since his freshman year, when head coach Chris McDonald saw his athleticism and knew he would be able to contribute at a young age to build what has now become Basha’s core group of players. Yet, he isn’t satisfied without a win in the postseason.

Miles knows the attention that is on him to be a leader and among the top players on a loaded Basha defense. He thrives off those expectations and doesn’t gloat. Instead, he stays humble.

“That has come with maturity,” McDonald said. “He’s also got teammates that are going through the same thing as him. Everyone knows he’s a phenomenal player and we have several phenomenal players.

“I think for him, he knows he isn’t the only guy getting recognition, so he keeps things in perspective. He doesn’t have to go around and be the guy.”

Miles’ athleticism comes from his family. David ran track and played football at the University of Arizona, where he met Stevie, who played flag football at Arizona. His older sister, Makenzie, became a professional dancer. Mia is currently a junior playing soccer at Alabama A&M.

Along with his parents, Miles was always pushed by his older sisters to succeed. They wanted what was best for him just as much as he does. And like their parents, they saw the potential he had early on.

It took countless hours of training to get to where Miles is today. But he isn’t satisfied. His four-star rating by recruiting websites and countless letters from colleges are great, but he aims to win a championship as a team with Basha.

His ability to become a leader at a young age is something that stands out the

Basha junior cornerback Miles Lockhart has become one of the top players in the country in the 2024 class. But it didn’t come easy. He had to work for it and follow his parents’ guidance of always keeping a level head and staying humble. It’s paid off.

(Dave Minton/Staff Photographer)

BY ZACH ALVIRA

Sports Editor

Mali Chawla’s passion for Unified sports runs deep.

She first became involved in junior high. She said she was never athletic enough to play sports herself but wanted to make a difference with kids who have intellectual disabilities. She enjoyed seeing the happiness Unified sports brought to those athletes, and it brought her just as much joy to be a part of it.

Now, after being involved with it for several years, she was rewarded. The National Society of High School Scholars honored Chawla with the 18 Under 18 Award, a $1,000 scholarship given to a student under 18 years old who spread positivity within their communities.

“It’s honestly really special,” Chawla said. “I wasn’t expecting it. I applied to a few scholarships here and there with hopes of winning one of them. I didn’t think I would get this one and when I did, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so exciting!’

“It was very rewarding. Especially because I am so passionate about Unified sports. It was nice to see my passion get me somewhere.”

Chawla’s passion for caring for others comes from her father’s career as a doctor. She had heard several stories about the wide array of patients he has seen. He was also involved with a not-for-profit that specializes in helping special needs adults. That has led her to the University of Arizona, where she is in her freshman year pursuing a degree in nursing.

Her caring nature was what helped lead her to Unified sports in the first place. In sixth grade, she was able to do arts and crafts with special needs classes when she finished her homework on Fridays. She then joined the special needs club in junior high to stay involved. That led her to Unified sports, where she played basketball and ran track with the athletes and carried on her support for them through high school at Perry.

By the time she was a senior, she was voted the president of Unified sports at the school. She frequently led the teams through warm-ups and encouraged them to have high levels of energy while playing.

Being a part of Unified sports has been a fulfilling experience, and to see it growing rapidly in the state is something Chawla is proud of.

“It means a lot,” Chawla said. “I have seen it grow so much over the years. My senior year there were schools I had never heard of on our rosters to play. It was hard at Perry because Unified sports wasn’t always recognized. But this year, my mom was telling me the football team was there supporting the Unified football team.

“So, it’s not just other schools getting involved. It’s other sports at those schools getting involved with Unified. I love that aspect.”

Chawla was one of 18 students honored with the scholarship. She said she put the money toward room and board at Arizona.

To be considered, she had to submit a video showcasing her how their styles of leadership are contagious within communities. They also had to demonstrate how they will use that same passion as they move forward with their academic careers.

The video included pictures of her involvement with Unified sports. It also explained how her love for it evolved from junior high to her senior year at Perry.

She plans to once again become involved with Unified sports at her university, but for now is trying to adjust to a college lifestyle and schedule. But when she can, she will return to Unified sports.

“I’m still trying to get used to all of my time commitments,” Chawla said. “But I do plan to find a Special Olympics organization. U of A is very handicap accessible, and I think we have a paralympic basketball team. So, I’m going to look into helping out with that.

Chandler native and Perry High School alum Mali Chawla was one of 18 students recognized by the the National Society of High School Scholars honored Chawla with the 18 Under 18 Award, a $1,000 scholarship given to a student under 18 years old who spread positivity within their communities. Her involvement with Unified sports for several years helped her earn recognition.

most. He’s vocal and not afraid to point out mistakes by himself and others. But he’s also become a role model for younger athletes in the program that aim to have similar success he has with the Bears.

It’s made both of his parents proud.

“As a family, we are extremely proud of him,” David said. “We are certainly glad about what he has accomplished. But we are also proud of how hard he works. He’s taken ownership. He’s committed to being the best possible person and athlete he can be.”

“He’s my baby boy,” Stevie added. “The fact that he is not only a great athlete but more importantly a great student and kid, that’s representing us and our name. That’s a huge goal of mine that my kids can go out and be good people.”

Miles currently holds off ers from most Power Five programs across the country. His most recent off ers are from Big 12 schools Kansas and Kansas State. Those two were added to the list that includes Arizona State, Iowa, Louisville, Ohio State and Oregon, among several others.

While still nearly two full seasons away, Miles is cementing his legacy within the Lockhart began playing varsity football as a freshman for Basha. It was his fi rst season at cornerback. He’s now blossomed into a four-star recruit with off ers to major Power Five

college programs. (Dave Minton/Staff Photographer)

BY TAYLOR CORLEW

Cronkite News

For more than two decades, contact football has faced a concussion crisis.

Head injuries, once considered an occupational risk, have steadily gained the attention of the sports world, specifically the parents of younger athletes.

As awareness of sports-related concussions and brain injuries increases, Arizona parents have expressed apprehension about allowing their children to play contact football, according to a study published by the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

In 2016, 68% of parents allowed their kids to play football. That number has fallen each year to a low of 47% in 2020.

Football remains king among popular high school sports, but concern over traumatic brain injuries has seemingly resulted in a dip in overall participation. And as experts learn more, there’s still the unanswered question of whether playing contact football is in a teenager’s best interest.

“The biggest unanswered question is, ‘How far along are we after a concussion?’” said Dr. Jonathan Lifshitz, the director of the Translational Neurotrauma Research Program at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

“How far are we removed from the injury? How far into recovery are we? How much longer do we have to go?

“You can put it in the context of COVID. Someone tests positive with COVID. They don’t yet know if they’re going to have mild or severe symptoms, and they don’t know how long those symptoms are going to last. And if they lose their sense of smell, that unknowing amount of time is very challenging.”

Concussions are defi ned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head by a hit that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth.”

In Arizona, the response to access to more information about concussions has resulted in parents seeking alternatives to contact football. Flag football is the most viable option.

In 2021, the CDC conducted a study comparing the number of head impacts in youth tackle football versus fl ag football.

The study revealed that athletes who played contact football from ages 6 to 14 su ered 15 times more head injuries than fl ag football athletes and 23 times more high-magnitude head impacts.

The research also revealed that youth tackle football athletes undergo a median of 378 head impacts per athlete during the season. In contrast, fl ag football athletes experience a median of eight head impacts per year.

Kerry DeSpain, the senior commissioner for the Gridiron Flag Football league, said she’s aware of the lower participation in contact football among high schoolers and is well-equipped to o er a safer route to athletes.

“So we saw increased enrollment because of concerns about tackle (football) and concussions and all that,” DeSpain said. “Since 2016, we’ve been working to adjust to the newfound volume so that we can accommodate everyone accordingly.”

Youth sports provide an outlet for children and teenagers to learn character development, accountability, working within a team environment and dealing with adversity.

It is imperative to keep adolescents safe and make the changes necessary to prevent traumatic brain injuries that may result in long-term psychological complications. Replacing contact football with fl ag football accomplishes just that.

“It’s growing,” DeSpain said. “Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen more junior highs starting their fl ag football teams. They’re not quite there yet, but it is growing.”

In areas where fl ag football isn’t a viable solution, advanced tools are being implemented to measure the e ects of concussions on the brain and estimate a safe timetable of recovery.

ImPACT testing, also known as baseline testing, is done at Arizona’s middle and high school levels after an apparent concussion to gauge an athlete’s impairment. ImPACT testing checks for IQ, memory and reaction time.

“It’s one of the things (that’s done) nationwide, and it’s used in concussion research all the time,” said Dr. Christina Stough of OneAccord Physical Therapy. “It’s not the best concussion tool, but it will at least give you some prediction of what your function was preconcussion.

“So, a lot of high school programs, like in Arizona specifi cally, Banner has a lot of high schools that do imPACT testing, so that if their athletes get concussed, they go do imPACT testing and once you meet your score of impact, you’re technically cleared for game play.”

It is important to note that the perception of concussions has dramatically changed over the years. In 1994, NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue created the Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee and appointed New York Jets team physician Elliot J. Pellman as chairman.

“Concussions are part of the profession, an occupational risk,” Pellman told Sports Illustrated.

Although injuries may be baked into football by nature, the increased awareness of the di erent forms of brain injuries has caused concern surrounding the overall safety the sport, the most concerning for Arizona parents being the link between concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

In a study, the Boston University Research CTE Center linked CTE to both repetitive brain trauma, such as concussions, and subconcussive hits.

The study concluded that for every 2.6 years of playing contact football, the risk of an athlete developing CTE doubles.

“So the concussion research right now is trying to fi gure out whether that CTE is related to concussion and impact in chronic concussions, or is it normal people playing football?” Stough said.

“These football players are hitting their heads too many times, they’re going crazy, they’re killing their wives, they are taking their lives type of stu . So the concussion rap has gotten very bad. So that push away from letting your kids play has gotten extremely large.”

The future of contact football is cloudy at the moment, with strong opinions on both sides of the argument about the sport’s viability.

Replacing contact football with fl ag football is the most pragmatic solution to the concussion problem, but whether fl ag football will ever be accepted as a mainstream alternative isn’t clear.

This chart shows a steady decline in the number of Valley parents who are allowing their sons to play contact football. (Barrow Institute)

Basha program. And he’s doing it alongside the likes of junior quarterback Demond Williams, one of his best friends who also began his career as the starter on varsity as a freshman and has blossomed into one of the top quarterbacks in the country.

Their legacy, however, doesn’t involve personal accolades. They want to set Basha up for success for years to come.

“It’s not that I need to leave my own legacy, I want this to be a destination school,” Miles said. “I want this program to win a state championship and be in the national rankings.”

When thinking back to his football career thus far, Miles can’t help but thank his family. He was never forced into playing sports, but when he decided he wanted to he had full support from those around him.

He knows his journey is just getting started, and his future is bright. But keeping a level head is something that is important to him. He wants to let success come naturally.

“It really is a humbling experience,” Lockhart said. “It showcases how my parents raised us. They raised us to never quit and believe in what we believe in. They’re always there for us, they always pushed us.

“I thank them and my sisters a lot for everything.”