2008 IN REVIEW -- The Faces

Editor's note: In the second of a three-part look back, the Ahwatukee Foothills News sports staff recalls the moments of the year that was 2008. Check the Jan. 2 issue (Teams) or Ahwatukee.com for more in this series.

No. 1: Devon Kennard, prep superstar (Desert Vista HS)

He played in only three games, but that doesn't matter. Even after his season ended, Desert Vista defensive end Devon Kennard remained the national face of Ahwatukee.

Ranked as high as the No. 2 prospect nationally, Kennard, who had 24.5 sacks as a junior and four in the three games this season, brought ESPNU to Ahwatukee with his prominence.

People who had no connection to Kennard would show up to Desert Vista to watch him play, just so one day they'd be able to tell their kids or their grandkids, "I watched Devon Kennard play in high school."

-Ryan Casey

No. 2: Joe Mather, pro ballplayer (St. Louis Cardinals)

He made the show.

The 2001 Mountain Pointe graduate became the first Ahwatukee Foothills high school player to make it to the Major Leagues when he was called up by the St. Louis Cardinals on May 30.

Mather, a third round pick of the Cardinals in the 2001 draft, batted .241 through 54 big league games and had a Homecoming the first week of September when the Cardinals played the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

-Larry Ward

No. 3: Will Claye, collegian (Mountain Pointe HS)

(click link for Claye entry)

No. 4: John Kline, speedster (Desert Vista HS)

John Kline won the 800-meter event on the first day of competition at the Class 5A-Division I state meet Thursday, then came back Saturday and helped the Thunder's 4-by-400 and 4-by-800 relay teams to all-Arizona records.

He was the most dominant runner on the most dominant team - perhaps in Arizona history - and would go on to be named the East Valley Tribune's Runner of the Year.

Kline now runs track and cross country at ASU.

-RC

No. 5: Katie Olsen, record breaker (Desert Vista HS)

It was a year Desert Vista sophomore Katie Olsen won't soon forget - that is unless she, you know, does the same thing again.

After competing in the U.S. Olympic trials earlier in the year, Olsen set a pair of school records - and one state mark - at the Class 5A-I state swim and dive championships in November. Christine Olson of Gilbert Mesquite had been virtually unbeatable in the 110-yard breaststroke through her entire prep career. But not on this day. Olsen's state record time came in at 1 minute, 2.11 seconds. Another state championship in the 200-yard medley relay capped off a heck of a day, and a heck of a year.

-Brett Fera

No. 6: Aubri Carman & Mark Wilson, on the same page (Mountain Pointe HS)

They clashed, confronted, conflicted, and in the end, made concessions that led to the athlete and coach steering underdog Mountain Pointe to a girls 5A-I state soccer championship.

Carmen was one of Wilson's team captains and Wilson would be the coach to lead Carmen to a state title that has eluded more talented Pride teams over the previous three seasons.

"Right before we went to the state tournament we kind of met halfway and it went together like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich," Wilson said.

-LW

No. 7: Phil Abbadessa, educator (Mountain Pointe HS)

Phil Abbadessa's name appears on this list under vastly different circumstances than the rest of the year's "Faces," following end of his three-year tenure as head football coach at Mountain Pointe after taking over for his former coach and mentor, Karl Kiefer. Sure, offseason transfers depleted his troops enough that his team struggled to a 2-8 record in 2008.

But lost in the shuffle amidst the long-time MP assistant's resignation, the ensuing coaching search, and the wonders of what "next year's team will be like" is the fact that Abbadessa was and continues to be a true educator of young people. The chair of the school's physical education department and also the junior varsity baseball coach, Abbadessa has always stressed character and strong moral judgment - above all else - to his players and students. Luckily for them, he practiced what he preached.

-BF

No. 8:  Anne Ellenberger, student-athlete (Horizon Honors HS)

Combining athletics and academics she became Horizon Honors' first finalist for the Arizona Interscholastic Association/Cox Communication Everyday Hero Award.

Before moving on to Bucknell University to study in chemical engineering, Ellenberger was the president of the National Honor Society, played flute in the Honors symphony band, was a member of the academic competition team and still found time to be on the first Eagles' girls volleyball and basketball teams.

She was named to the 2-A All-Central Region team in both sports.

-LW

No. 9: Josh Lowery, Michael Procter, Marcus Lever, 3-headed monster (Desert Vista HS)

The three-headed monster that spearheaded Desert Vista's boys basketball program was never more dominant than in the state championship game against Phoenix St. Mary's.

In that game, Lowery, who had transferred from Seattle before the season, scored 21 points, Proctor had 16 and Lever, 12.

Only Lever remains on the Thunder squad trying to defend its crown. Lowery will play at Pepperdine next season, and Proctor is currently playing at Northern Colorado.

-RC

No. 10: Michael Woodham (MPHS), Allante Battle (DVHS), Chris Ingrassia (DVHS), Steven Figueroa (DVHS), Track Champions

They were all on top of their worlds, if only for a moment. This group of four all won individual state titles at the Class 5A-I state meet.

Mountain Pointe's Michael Woodham, took home the 110-meter hurdles, and also placed second in the 300 hurdles.

Desert Vista's Chris Ingrassia won those 300 hurdles, while teammate Allante Battle was a champion in the 400 dash and anchored the 4-by-400 relay's state title.

DV's Steven Figueroa, meanwhile, made up for mistakes of the past two years and won both the shot put and discus events.

-RC

No. 11: Jahii Carson, the present and future (Mountain Pointe HS)

A freshman phenom on the basketball court, Carson was a sideshow to a 3-23 team that brought people in from the midway just to see if he was for real.

He was. Without a lot of offensive support from an inexperienced, injury-riddled Pride team, Carson averaged 18.3 points a game and even at 5-foot-8 inches he was able to grab 96 rebounds. He wasn't selfish either, handing out 152 assists.

Most importantly, entering the new year, Carson and the Pride are competitive in almost every game in 2008-09, including four wins and four losses by three points or less.

-LW

No. 12: Kathryn Cantrill and Melissa LeBlanc, battled back (Mountain Pointe HS)

For two seasons Kathryn Cantrill and Melissa LeBlanc formed a doubles team that made them poster girls for the Mountain Pointe badminton program.

They didn't lose a regular season match in two seasons and after a runner-up spot a year before they came out of the consolation bracket of the double elimination state individual championship tournament to close out their badminton career with a title.

-LW

No.15: Sage Ornelas, Phil Donofrio, Colton Kiernan, extra motivated (Desert Vista HS)

Hoping to make up for a disappointing finish in the team wrestling tournament, Desert Vista's Sage Ornelas, Phil Donofrio and Colton Kiernan had extra motivation. They used it, all capturing individual state titles.

Donofrio captured the 189-pound class, Kiernan the 171-pound class and Ornelas, then a freshman, the 103-pound class.

Of the three, only Kiernan is back to defend his title. Donofrio graduated and Ornelas moved back to Safford.

-RC

No.14: Reid Priddy (U.S. Olympic volleyball) Brad Evans (Columbus Crew), consumate pros

One was Ahwatukee's biggest tie to the Olympics. The other perhaps the best soccer player to emerge from the area.

Both were champions of their respective sports.

Reid Priddy, a 1996 graduate of Mountain Pointe, helped guide the men's volleyball team to Olympic gold in Beijing. Brad Evans, a 2003 graduate of Mountain Pointe, was a second-round draft pick of the Columbus Crew, which won the MLS championship this past season.

-RC

No. 15: Fred Mann, a coach for all seasons (Mountain Pointe HS)

Gender means nothing to Mountain Pointe volleyball coach Fred Mann.

He coaches both the boys team which went 20-1 last spring and won a sixth state championship for the Pride, as well as the girls team which was the sixth seed in the state tournament this year and made it to the second round.

Every year, at least one of his two teams is a contender for a state title, and usually both are.

-LW

Honorable Mention:

-Ahwatukee Little League's Garrett Rupp, Michael Popeck and the Trevino family; DV runner/swimmer Ali Connell, ASU (ex-DV) soccer player Katie Shepard, DV hoops' Alexis Gannis; MP soccer's Tessa Bowie; DV volleyball's Betsi Metter and Anna Gott; MP golf's Colton Tuttle; MP volleyball's Ashley Kastl and Alexa Cava; MP tennis' Andy Nguyen; DV Tennis' Andrew Barnaby and Ahmed Saleem; DV girls soccer coach Paul Manoogian.