The cliché that each athletic program is a family, especially at the high school level, takes on a more literal tone at Gilbert High School.

After a long week of preliminaries, the track and field state championships concluded on Saturday with 19 track events across four divisions.

Hamilton felt down and out in the quarterfinals when it lost by a run to a Queen Creek team that got hot at the right time.

Griffin Schureman still thinks about Queen Creek’s two losses to East Valley power Chandler on a daily basis.

Bob Martínez was a trailblazer for baseball in Chandler. He helped establish Chandler Youth Baseball. He played his high school ball for the Wolves and went to two state title games during his career.

Dylan Raiola has only been playing quarterback for two seasons, both of which came at Burleson High School in Texas. But that hasn’t stopped the 6-foot-3, 225-pound new Chandler gunslinger from quickly rising to the top of major Division I college recruitment boards across the country.

For someone who doesn’t like the sun or dust and gets frustrated when a jolly rancher wrapper is on the ground, Highland baseball head coach Erik Kehoe is unquestionably a seamless fit for the program.

Athletic trainers are often the forgotten about in any successful sports program, especially at the high school level.

The expansive growth of the southeast Valley has created opportunities for administrators, coaches and athletes alike to put their own stamp on an athletic program.

DJ Davidson was built for the National Football League.

Adonis Watt doesn’t think of himself as an inspiration to young athletes.

Red Mountain’s goal for the 2022 baseball season was to test itself in non-region play.

Football has become a way of life for Hamilton sophomore Catarina “CC” Maccagnano.

Kate Golovkina’s five-word mantra is tattooed on her shoulder.

Basketball was the way of life for Ryan Whitehorse growing up in Page, a small northern Arizona town near Lake Powell and the Utah border.

Terry Dietz takes pride in what he has been able to accomplish in two short years as the head baseball coach at Higley High School.

The ALA Gilbert North baseball squad has reason to believe this is their year. A fast start combined with a talented roster has given the Eagles plenty of reason to be so confident.

DJ Barrett admittedly felt defeated through the first half of the spring baseball season.

On the surface, Yan Vazquez appears to be a normal high school senior.

Anthony Robles has overcome many obstacles in his life.

S’Niyah Cade looked over to her mother, Keri Suell, to see her reaction when she finished the race.

The potential in sophomore tennis star Brayden Wagstaff comes from a long line of talented family members. Brayden’s dad, Steve, has played tennis his whole life, as well as Brayden's grandparents, Abby and Terry Wagstaff.

Four years ago, Desert Ridge science teacher Justin Sherrill stood face-to-face with a major project at hand.

The No. 5-rated Basha Bears upset the Hamilton Huskies, the No. 1 team at home Thursday. Clawing their way back from an early 6-2 deficit, Bears pinch runner Brady Campbell came home on a dropped third strike in the bottom of the seventh inning to complete the 7-6 comeback with a walk-off st…

Ryan Tolman fought back tears at the thought of what transpired two years ago with his older son, Daxton.