Student-athletes across Southern Arizona competed in the annual AIA State Championships during the last few weeks of winter. From going further than ever before to making school history, here’s how Southern Arizonan student-athletes performed at the state’s highest level.

Boys basketball

The Class 3A conference state championship on March 1 was a duel between two Tucson-area high schools, Pusch Ridge Christian Academy and Palo Verde .

Pusch Ridge snagged the championship title after defeating Palo Verde, 69-46.

The last time the Lions made it to the state championship was in the 2018-19 season, where they lost in the final round to Valley Christian, 44-57.

Pusch Ridge wasn’t the only Tucson high school to take home a state title this year.

In the 1A conference, The Gregory School defeated Seligman, 67-57, to win its second straight championship. Last year, the Hawks took down North Valley Christian, 55-52.

Pusch Ridge's Noah McKinney (11) polishes off a Lion fast break with a dunk in the first quarter of their game against Andrada Polytechnic at PRCA in Tucson on Jan. 29, 2025.

In the 4A conference, Sahuaro and Salpointe Catholic made it to the quarterfinals in late February before losing to Phoenix-area opponents. Sahuaro lost to El Mirage Dysart by one point, 56-55. In contrast, Salpointe was taken down by Phoenix St. Mary’s, 78-54.

Girls basketball

While no Tucson-area girls basketball teams made it all the way this year, a couple of them came close.

In the 5A conference, Pueblo and Catalina Foothills were one step away from the final round, which could’ve set up another Tucson-based state championship duel.

However, Pueblo lost to Glendale Raymond S. Kellis, 53-79, and Catalina Foothills couldn’t get past Canyon View, ultimately losing the game 58-48, on March 4.

In the 4A conference, Mica Mountain was the only local high school to make it past the first round. They lost in the quarterfinals on March 1 to Mingus Union, 62-59.

Sabino made it to the quarterfinals of the 3A state championship, but was taken down by Payson, 60-44, on Feb. 21.

Boys soccer

Salpointe's Leo Gutierrez (9) fights off Sunnyside's Javier Gonzalez (33) in the race for the ball at midfield in the first half of their state open division second round playoff game at Salpointe High School in Tucson on Feb. 14, 2025.

For the fifth year in a row, Salpointe dominated the pitch.

The school took home its 12th state title on March 1 after defeating Scottsdale Saguaro 7-2.

Part of this year’s winning team is Arizona Daily Star’s “ HS Student-Athlete of the Week ” Leo Gutierrez, who is ranked No. 1 in the nation in goals and points.

“Well, of course, I was delighted for him, because if you think about it, it’s four years and if you have over 160 goals, that means on average 40 goals per season, but this is a real special season,” coach Wolfgang Weber told the Star about Gutierrez’s career goals record. “He’s a special, special player, doing some very special things and I’m very happy for him.”

Walden Grove and Mica Mountain made it to the 4A semifinals but were eliminated on Feb. 26.

In the 5A conference, Desert View , Catalina Foothills , Flowing Wells and Cienega were all eliminated in the first round on Feb. 19.

In the 3A conference, Catalina advanced to the semifinals but was taken down by Gilbert Christian, 3-1, who went on to win the state title. Catalina went 10-1-1 this season.

Girls soccer

Just like the boys team, Salpointe took home the 4A state championship title after beating Prescott, 1-0, on March 1.

Walden Grove , last year’s state champion, made it to the semifinals, but lost to Salpointe, 2-0, ending its run for a second consecutive state title.

Douglas and Ironwood Ridge also made a run for the 4A state title but were eliminated in the first round on Feb. 18.

Cienega and Buena made it to the 5A quarterfinals but were both eliminated by Phoenix-area schools on Feb. 22.

Pusch Ridge was the only 3A school to make it to the quarterfinals. They were eliminated by Seton Catholic Prep, 4-0, on Feb. 15.

In the 2A conference, San Miguel was quietly making moves to make it to the state championship.

The Vipers advanced to the semifinals but their state title dreams were slashed by Scottsdale Christian, 3-0, on Feb. 19.

Boys wrestling

Legacy wrestling program Sunnyside took home first place in the Div. I team state championship after rounding up a whopping 244.5 points. For context, second-place team Peoria Liberty wrapped up the series with 178.5 points. The win marked Sunnyside’s 38th state championship win.

Wrestling star Sergio Vega, ranked No. 3 in the nation under the 138-pound weight class, won first in the 144-pound weight class. The win makes him a four-time state champion.

After graduating this year, Vega is headed to Oklahoma State University. He was previously committed to Cornell University, when he was selected as the Arizona Daily Star’s “ HS Student-Athlete of the Week ” last fall.

Sergio Vega, right, spars with Adyn Bostick during wresting practice at Sunnyside High School. Vega is ranked No. 1 in the 138-pound weight class and No. 9 in the pound-for-pound class in the United States.

Other Sunnyside wrestlers took home some hardware, too.

Carlos Stanton took home first in the 150-pound weight class; Nicholas Pina clinched first in the 165-pound weight class; Zayne Candelaria snagged first in the 285-pound weight class.

In Div. I, Marana placed sixth, Tucson landed at 15th, followed by Desert View at 28th and Rincon/University tied at 36th with numerous Phoenix-area schools.

In Div. II, Pueblo’s Jozeph Valenzuela Smith took home first place in the 157-pound weight class, adding to the Smith family legacy.

Of course, we can’t forget about Div. III, where Sahuarita won first place with 250.5 points.

Individually, Sahuarita’s Sebastian Serrano placed first in the 120-pound weight class; Daniel Guerrero won second place in the 132-pound weight class; Marcus Killgore took home first in the 138-pound weight class; and Gabriel Gallardo snagged first place in the 157-pound weight class.

Sergio Vega, right, spars with Adyn Bostick during wresting practice on Oct. 3. Vega has committed to wrestle for Oklahoma State University starting with the 2025-26 season.

Girls wrestling

The Sunnyside girls wrestling team dominated the mat, taking home first place with 142 points. The win marked the school’s first female state wrestling championship title.

Pueblo , Cienega and Canyon del Oro all placed in the top 10 in Div. I.

Pueblo’s Elizabeth Valenzuela Smith took home first place in the 107-pound weight class, making her a two-time state champion. She also went undefeated during the regular season.

The win for Valenzuela Smith is a significant moment for her family as her brother Jozeph also took home first place in his weight class. Last year, she became the first female state wrestling champion for Pueblo and the Tucson Unified School District, the Star previously reported .

Her father, Josiah, and grandfather, Orlando, were also state champions at Pueblo.

Daesiah Varner works on a move with her teammate Mya Williams during wrestling practice at Cienega High School on Jan. 31, 2025.

Another Warrior who picked up a win is Dalien Duarte, who placed first in the 152-pound weight class.

Cienega picked up two first-place wins with Isabella SantaMaria winning the 145-pound weight class and former Arizona Daily Star “ HS Student-Athlete of the Week ” Daesiah Varner winning the 235-pound weight class.

In Div. II, Mica Mountain snagged first place with 101.5 points.

Mica Mountain senior Madeline Mench took home first place in the 120-pound weight class, making her a two-time state champion.

Last season, she became the first female state championship wrestler and champion in any sport at the school, which opened in 2020, according to All Sports Tucson .

Southern Arizona schools Sahuarita and Willcox tied for 26th place; Rio Rico and Walden Grove tied for 30th; Sabino tied for 44th with two schools; Salpointe tied for 47th with four other schools; Douglas placed 55th and Catalina Foothills tied for 63rd.