As Sam Sees It

Summer is almost gone and Winslow is preparing for another exciting year of high school sports.

The girls' basketball team brought home a state championship banner and almost every team representing the school made it to the state playoffs.

The prospects for an equally successful 2005-2006 school year appear excellent.

The football team has a new head coach in WHS graduate and former player Adam Larsen, but a strong nucleus of the team that rolled through the regular season and the first round of the playoffs is back.

Quarterback Jordan Payne is among the best Arizona has to offer and is also a superb defensive back.

Nick Anderson is a highly touted lineman who is likely to have another banner year at Winslow before moving into the collegiate ranks.

The Bulldogs will scrimmage Fountain Hills on Friday in the Valley before opening the season at Holbrook on August 26.

Winslow fans are encouraged to get out and cheer Larsen and his Bulldogs on to bigger and greater accomplishments.

Winslow fans can also get an early look at Larsen's system when the junior varsity entertains Holbrook at 6 p.m. on Thursday, August 25.

Those JV kids would like nothing better than to play before a lively crowd at Emil Nasser Stadium. This could be a good way to set the tone for enthusiastic fan support.

The WHS volleyball team under coach Jim Keller will be scrimmaging Sinagua at 5 p.m. on that same date.

The Lady Bulldogs expect to be stronger this year and earn a berth in the state playoffs. Why not make it a night of sports and go from the volleyball scrimmage to the junior varsity football game?

The cross country teams under coach Sal Hernandez will debut in the tough Hopi Invitational Meet at Polacca on Tuesday, August 30 at 3 p.m.

This should be a very strong squad, but one that competes in what is easily the strongest cross country region in the state.

Once the fall sports are history, the basketball and wrestling teams will take center stage.

Word is that Coach Justin Hartman will field a very competitive wrestling team this season.

The boys' basketball team under coach Charles Gover should again be in the hunt for a regional and state title.

As for the Arizona State 3A Champion girls' team, the Lady Bulldogs will miss the stars that have graduated but have enough fire power that a third straight title is certainly possible.

Track teams under Coach Bob Bordner are expected to be highly competitive again as are the baseball and softball teams under coaches Art Griffith and Becky Barris. It should be an interesting sports year from start to finish.

Reflections on the summer

As the summer winds down, many memorable events come to mind.

One of the best weekends of the summer came recently when the Colorado Rockies played the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix.

The games were a bit disappointing, but visiting with former WHS graduates Sean and Jeri Sullivan (neƩ Herrera) and their son Cory was a great experience.

Cory plays centerfield for the Rockies and is a very nice young man and a super ball player. On a personal note, Sean was one of my all time favorite students and is a real success story.

To make that experience even more memorable, Helen Sullivan Campbell attended Sunday's game. She is Sean's mother and Cory's grandmother. She was one of the best and most beloved kindergarten teachers Winslow has ever had.

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