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Basketball players from Superior, Ray and Hayden along with a Ray boys’ head coach Jeff Cude were named to the recently announced 2017 Arizona Interscholastic Association 1A East All-Region Teams.
Lady Bearcats’ freshman sensation Shelby Yocum was named the 1A East Region Player of the Year while Cude was selected as the 1A East Region Coach of the Year. Superior’s Jalon Murray earned Honorable Mention Defensive Player of the Year.
The following is a list of local are players who were recognized for their performances this year:
BOYS
AIA 1A East Region First Team: Marcos Bueno (Superior).
AIA 1A East Region Second Team: Kenneth Palmer (Ray), Jalon Murray (Superior), Fabian Valenzuela (Ray), and John Henry Gaona (Hayden).
AIA 1A East Region Honorable Mention: Jaden Pace (Ray) and Austin Navarrette (Superior).
GIRLS
AIA 1A East Region First Team: Tara Lorona (Ray) and Shelby Yocum (Ray).
AIA 1A East Region Second Team: Savannah Rodriguez (Ray), Lexi Gomez (Hayden) and Ema Alvarado (Ray).
AIA 1A East Region Honorable Mention: Brandi Lopez (Hayden), Julie Meza (Ray) and Maribel Castro (Superior).
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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