At Mingus Union High School at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, its girls soccer team will embark on a familiar journey when Pusch Ridge Christian Academy visits from Tucson in the first round of the Division III state tournament.
The Marauders have played in the state playoffs each of the nine seasons head coach Thomas “Buddy” Rhodes has been at the helm.
Of those nine years, more than half have included either sectional or regional titles, capped by the 2010 state title and last year’s 1-0 loss to Camp Verde High School in the Division III championship game.
The Coyotes are absent from this year’s playoffs, but the drive to win remains for Rhodes’ team, which won its eighth in a row and second Section I crown with a 2-0 shutout Jan. 29 at Bradshaw Mountain High School.
“We started the season with the idea that we’d peak in the last half of January or the first part of February, and we didn’t care if we were No. 1 or No. 16, as long as we were in state,” Rhodes said. “The effort since last year has been to create a high-possession, team-type game, and we hope that’s going to bear fruit here in the next couple of weeks.”
Those possessions are driven by senior captain Haley Backus, who Rhodes commented has seemed to be in on every goal or assist during the streak.
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Feb. 5, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
