The Basha Bears found themselves tied for fourth place with just one event left to go on Saturday night: the boys 4x400 meter relay. 

Head coach Marcus Brunson had nothing but confidence in Christian Walker, Sean Anthony, Kade Eubank and Lemuel Williams - his crunch time performers. The three teams ahead of the Bears were not competing in the last event, and the group needed second or first to steal the state title away from Red Mountain. 

They didn’t disappoint.

“I am beyond ecstatic with those guys,” Brunson said. “That team has been our ride or die all year. When something needs to happen, we go to that team, and they perform nine times out of ten.”

Second place earned the group an additional eight points, which bumped them up to a total of 38, one ahead of the team they’d just dethroned. 

Last second heroics made the night for Basha, but other performances can’t be overlooked. Junior Mason Aughe played a huge part in the Bears’ win, taking first in the discus throw (162-07) and fourth in the shot put (54-07.00). 

Senior Boston Walseth showed up as well, placing third in the 3200 (9:06.28) and seventh in the 1600 (4:16.32). Basha found success in the other relays too, taking fifth in the 4x100 (41.33) and eighth in the 4x800 (8:02.78).

Brunson only used one word to describe the team’s performance on Saturday.

“It was otherworldly,” Brunson said. “We were down two of our key athletes, but I saw them shake back with a resilience that I’d never seen before. I will never doubt my team again, because the way they came to life to end this thing amazed me.” 

The weekend played out a bit differently for Chandler. 

The Wolves put on an absolute clinic Friday and Saturday, racking up a total of 74 points, 27 above runner up North Canyon. 

Senior Sniyah Cade stole the show for a while, winning the girls 100 meter (11.70) and 200 meter (24.03), while placing seventh in the long jump (18-11.00). 

Imani Galera-Young had a notable first place finish herself in the 300 meter hurdles (41.81).

Aryanna Carry made a nice complement to Cade, tacking on a fourth place finish in the 100 (11.87) and fifth in the 200 (24.71). Donice Ezealah got in on the action as well, coming in fourth in the 100 meter hurdles (14.64) and fifth in the 300 meter hurdles (43.97). 

As if she hadn’t already done enough, Cade was a part of the team's 4x100 relay victory as well.

“I wasn’t really confident coming into my senior year,” Cade said. “I had a bit of a shaky preseason and at the beginning of the season as well, but I finally found myself. This whole time, my motto’s just been push, lift and execute.”

Nielsen's a natural

Eastmark senior Bryson Nielsen became just the fourth high school runner in state history to break the 1:50 threshold in the boys 800 meter Saturday night, finishing at a stunning 1:48.91 that even had his competitors' support. 

“I can't even process it yet, this is amazing,” Nielsen said. “I just had the mentality that this would be my last chance to do something below what I've previously done. I just focused on that, and the adrenaline carried me the rest of the way.”

Early excitement

Salpointe junior Isaac Moyle started the day off with a bang. 

Moyle took first in the javelin throw after surpassing 200 feet on his first and fifth attempts. 

His first throw (200-01) let the entire crowd know who to look out for. Before long they were clapping for him ahead of each release. 

Moyle's fifth attempt (208-04) puts him second in state history, only behind Desert Vista's Hayden Gorovitz, who recorded a 221-08 in 2023. His worst throw (189-11) would still have been enough for first. 

Fantastic on the field

Glendale Copper Canyon senior Zalaya Dupree finished on top in both the triple jump (40-00.50) and the long jump (19-08.00). 

Support from the audience could be heard from the opposite side of the field as an elated Dupree rose from the ground. 

Some fans expected these types of results from Dupree, after she set the state triple jump record during last year's state championships, earning herself a scholarship to Oklahoma.

Dominance in distance

Mountain View senior Daniel Judd didn't slow down after his win in the boys 3200 (8:59.32) Friday night. 

Judd stayed just ahead of Westwood’s Kai Espinosa-Golinski for the win in the boys 1600 the next day, with a 4:13.23 finish. This run in particular was chock-full of talent - seven runners clocked in under 4:17.

Smith’s success

Canyon View senior Aniya Smith stood front and center at the podium after three of the four events that she competed in.

Smith finished first in the 400 meter (54.40), and she also ran the anchor leg to secure wins for the Jaguars in the 4x800 and the 4x400.

Her only attempt that didn’t end in victory was a seventh place finish in the 200.