VarsityXtra

Art Wagner can’t get away from athletics, and since he was approved by the Higley school board as the new district athletic director last Thursday, he’s no longer trying to do so.

Wagner spent 15 years at Tempe McClintock in a variety of roles, the last four of those years as the school’s athletic director (2004-2008). He moved to Phoenix Mountain Pointe to be the school’s registrar for the 2008-2009 school year.

Wagner essentially replaces Brent Rincon, who left the position two years ago to become Chandler Basha’s athletic director. The district had a part-time fill in the interim during this school year.

“The (Tempe Union District) has been so good for so long,” Wagner said. “This is the kind of the job I’ve always wanted, I can’t lie, and the opportunity became available. Higley has a little leg up because they’re still growing and have enrollment coming in. At least they’re on the positive side of that. There’s a good (school) board and superintendent, and if I didn’t think I could get support I wouldn’t have gone for this.”

Wagner’s first official day is July 1. He had Lasik eye surgery last Friday but said he expects to be fully healed later this week.

There are a bunch of local high school players on ASU’s roster taking in the sights, sounds and feel of Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha for the 2009 College World Series.

A pair of high school players from Gilbert are enjoying the same opportunity as members of the Arkansas team.

Outfielder Andrew Darr, a graduate of Gilbert Mesquite High, and catcher Ryan Cisterna, a graduate of Gilbert High, have made their mark with the Razorbacks.

Darr delivered a game-winning hit in the super regional that propelled Arkansas to Omaha. He also started Arkansas’ first game of the CWS, a 10-6 win over Cal State Fullerton.  Darr singled and scored in his only at-bat.

Cisterna has shared catching duties with James McCann.

Both players attended Chandler-Gilbert Community College prior to joining the Razorbacks.

You’d think setting a state record for passing yards in a game would give a quarterback at a little job security.

Not at Mesa Desert Ridge.

Incumbent Kevin Pantastico will have to beat out New York transfer Ryan McCann to take the majority of the snaps under center in the fall. Desert Ridge coach Jeremy Hathcock said both will see time at the spot during games, but he’d like to have a clear-cut No. 1 starter.

“It’s a heated competition right now,” Hathcock said.

If Pantastico doesn’t win the competition, he could play cornerback and wide receiver. McCann is less versatile and would likely just be the backup signal caller. But Hathock said that won’t factor into the race. If Pantastico performs better, he will be the starter.

“In our system, QB is so important,” Hathcock said.

It’s been a trying summer for the Jaguars, who lost playmakers Chris Heldore and Chris Jamison to graduation, as well as 12 of their 15 coaches mostly because of budget cuts in the school district.

Desert Ridge is on its fourth defensive coordinator in the last four years, and will switch from a 3-4 defense to a traditional 4-3.

While Heldore and Jamison were the core of last year’s team, Hathcock is excited about replacements Sam Papa and Paris Clark. He said they aren’t as fast as those two, but are bigger and move well for their size.

When Mesa Dobson plays host to Phoenix Mountain Pointe in the season opener for both schools  on Aug. 28, one coach will be getting his first victory at the school.

That’s because both schools have new coaches. Alex Jacobson, who left Sandy, Utah, to take over as Dobson’s coach, battles Xs and Os with Wickenburg transplant Norris Vaughan for Mountain Pointe.

Ten games involving local 5A schools are on tap that night, the first semi-large prep football evening for 2009.

Chandler Hamilton INF/RHP Cory Bernard, whose 172-pitch day in the 5A-I baseball tournament created quite the stir, had surgery recently.

But it wasn’t on his shoulder or elbow. It wasn’t even on his pitching arm.

Bernard had a procedure on his left wrist to clear up a meniscus injury that had been bothering him since the beginning of the baseball season.

He has a brace on the hand and won’t be able to swing a bat for six weeks, but will be ready for fall baseball at Arizona.

Cory’s father, Doug, said the procedure was very simple, taking just 15 minutes to complete.

Scottsdale Chaparral will make the switch to a spread offense next season, a formation that has rapidly grown in popularity the past few years.

The Firebirds ran a pro-style offense last year, but coach Charlie Ragle believes the spread best suits this year’s team.

The change will be made in all levels of the program.

‘We just looked at our personnel in the offseason, and it’s a chance to be more successful,” Ragle said.

There is currently a three-way battle to quarterback the team, although sophomore Connor Brewer has shown enough to be the early favorite.

Brewer is the younger brother of Charles and Chase Brewer, who were both successful pitchers on Chaparral’s baseball team in the past.

Charles Brewer was drafted by the Diamondbacks in the 12th round of the MLB draft on Wednesday out of UCLA.

Running back Dwayne Garrett is expected to once again be the focal point of the offense after an impressive junior season. Garrett will also play cornerback.

He will be helped out on offense by wide receiver Danny Trittler, a transfer from Cactus Shadows.

Trittler should be the guy who won’t allow teams to stack the box against the running game. The Firebirds lacked that big-play receiver last season after Tyler Williams went down with a torn ACL early in the year.

Ragle is looking forward to the second game of the season against Mesa Mountain View after Chaparral’s move up to 5A-II. He doesn’t like the talk that Chaparral purposely shaved enrollment numbers to stay in 4A.

“We want to show we’re a legitimate football program and we weren’t hiding between 4A numbers,” he said.

Chaparral has a couple of raw but talented offensive linemen who have already gotten scholarship offers. Jake Ehm (6-6, 250 pounds) can be a “big-time tackle” collegiately, Ragle said, and Andrew Gustafson (6-6, 265) could earn himself a spot on a lower-level Division I team if he has a good year.

The defense lost quite a few players from last season, but Ragle believes it will still be a strong unit.

Tempe Marcos de Niza running back/linebacker Ramon Abreu has been offered a scholarship by Arizona State.

At 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, Abreu might not have the prototypical size of a football menace, but he is a beast on the field, and making plays will always get you noticed.

His slight frame will eventually force him to the secondary or wide receiver, but he can play wherever Marcos de Niza coach Roy Lopez needs him next year.

The Padres have to be considered the top challenger to Peoria Centennial in 5A-II next season. They lose some standout defensive players, such as Anthony Rose and Kakalea Pule, but almost all the key offensive pieces are back. Additionally, they have junior running back Anthony Shivers added to the fold after he transferred from Tempe McClintock.

With Abreu, Shivers, Tevin Newell and Justin Rodriguez, Marcos de Niza has a host of athletic playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, and quarterback Zach Schira really seemed to improve as last year progressed. He should be in paradise getting the ball to those players.

It will be interesting to see where Abreu lines up. He might end up being a Reggie Bush-hybrid type player who can run the ball from the backfield or split out and catch passes. If Shivers can take the majority of the carries, it makes the team that much more dangerous.

It’s too bad Marcos’ non-region schedule is so soft. We won’t know for a while just how good they are.

It’s nice to be selected to play in one all-star game to cap one’s high school career, but a trio of local players have received dual recognition.

Gilbert Highland’s Max Rossiter, Queen Creek’s Eddie Malone and Scottsdale Coronado’s Bryan Dunleavy were chosen for the Arizona Baseball Coaches Association all-star games (Rossiter appeared last week while Malone and Dunleavy get their chance this weekend) and the Coca-Cola Academic All-Star game, which will be played Sunday.

The latter accolade was accorded players with 3.80 GPA’s or higher so there was baseball ability and scholastic achievement involved. Not a bad way to close out a senior year and then get on with your life.

The Arizona Coaches Association All-Star softball games are at the Gilbert Mesquite High School softball field on Wednesday night.

The 4A game is at 6 p.m. followed by the 5A game at 8 p.m.

5A North

Camelback: Cereana Guzman, Danielle Touhey; Centennial: Jaimi Ladd, Maddy January, Alyssa Gibson, Gabbi Luciani;  Corona del Sol: Vanessa Alvarez, Jamie Pollak;  Deer Valley: Jacqui Kennelly, Chrissy Tyler; Sunrise Mountain: Jamie LaBovick, Bridgette DelPonte;  Xavier: Tess Casey, Mel Aphayrath, Erica Grady.

Coaches: Bart Underwood (Centennial), Jeep Ray (Corona del Sol), Carl Bakemeier (Deer Valley), Rusty Peterson (Centennial)

5A South

Red Mountain: Kayla Ensminger; Buena: Ariel Morbeck, Shannel Blackshear; St. Mary’s: Andrea Gomez, Molly Smith; Desert Mountain: Alex Landon; Mesquite: Kendall Kritzik, Christina Ledesma; Dobson: Katie Doyle, Kelsey Clarke, Mel Becker; Cibola: Jackie Newbourn, Ariel Olea; Mountain View: Kharissa Renoth, Jenny Ramsaier, Lisa Tarnowski; Gilbert: Bailey Blake.

Coaches: Rich Hamilton (Red Mountain), Bill Roberts (Mountain View), Wayne Hill (Dobson)

4A North

Paradise Valley: Kristy Kellogg, Kristina Butcher, Krista Rosiewicz; Sandra Day O’Connor: Terah Blackwell; Bradshaw Mountain: Jessica Burkhart, Shawn Haese; Raymond Kellis: Jessica Temple; Peoria: Tanya Eckles; Saguaro: Jenifer Pease;  Chaparral: Caitlin Melnychenko; Moon Valley: Adelyne Ross; Tempe: Claire Morton; Sunnyslope: Nora Maschue; Cactus Shadows: Tia Jorde; Copper Canyon: Jessica Flores.

Coach: Janet Jensen (Bradshaw Mountain)

4A South

Greenway: Jamie Frandrup, Brittany Lewis, Nicole French; Queen Creek: Jamie Kottcamp, Davina Keller, Meagan Hoopes; Seton Catholic: Landry Davis, Carissa Reisinger; Santa Rita: Lianna Zamora, Sellena Urias, Rosemary Anderson; Catalina Foothills: Stephanie Carrasusa; Millennium: Rachel Riefkohl, Abby Tappen; Notre Dame: Madison Williams; Sahuaro: Hanna Parish; Desert View: Pam Acedo, Sabeana Romero.

Coach: Katie Bundy (Queen Creek)

Chandler High hopes to name a new varsity baseball coach next week to replace Jon Watson, who resigned last month after three years leading the Wolves. Watson is headed to a new high school in the Florence School District, Poston Butte, which opens this fall. Chandler athletic director Dave Shapiro said the school plans to recommend a new coach to the school board next week for approval.  Chandler has narrowed its search to two finalists -  one in-state and one out-of-state.