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Superior senior Sammy Lopez was one of 12 football players throughout Arizona to be named First Team All-American at the 31st Annual Fall Sports High School Awards Banquet. The award was presented by the Dairy Council of Arizona, the Arizona Coaches Association and American Leadership Academy.
All-American awardees are selected based on their GPA, service in the community and athletic performance.
Lopez, a multi-sport athlete, earned First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Region honors following the Panthers’ football season, where they finished as the 2019 State Runner-up following a State Championship a season ago.
“Sammy has been a selfless leader,” said Superior football head coach Ryan Palmer, who also serves as the head coach of the Panthers’ basketball team, of which Lopez is also a member. “He puts in work both in the classroom and on the field, and always puts his team first.”
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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