As the school year draws to a close, it feels like the end of an era in Verde Valley sports.
In most sports, the Arizona Interscholastic Association has realigned Camp Verde, Mingus Union and Sedona Red Rock high schools into different divisions and sections for the next three years.
That means that in football, for instance, the Cowboys and the Scorpions will still play each other, but only for bragging rights.
Less explicable is Mingus Union High School’s baseball and boys soccer teams playing in a lower division than their counterparts in softball and girls soccer. Eight days later, head girls soccer coach Thomas “Buddy” Rhodes retired after a highly successful decade with the Marauders.
State small schools championships at Clarkdale-Jerome School are on hold, at least for basketball — cancelled this season due to scheduling conflicts. This had been an annual tradition between the Navajo Nation and Verde Valley League teams for nearly 30 years.
Add to those changes dozens of departures of on-campus coaches as well as young athletes, particularly from the Sedona area, and those who stay become even more deserving of notice.
Don’t forget to follow @sedonanews on Twitter for the latest updates regarding all the news affecting Sedona and the Verde Valley.
For the full column, please see the Wednesday, May 6, issue of the Camp Verde Journal and Cottonwood Journal Extra.
