A look back at the local individuals that shaped the 2007 sports year

No. 1: Allante Battle

The DV senior would have had an outstanding 2007 considering only what he did on the track - winning state titles in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter races.

But in early December, Battle turned the Class 5A-Division I state football title game into his own personal track meet, scoring on a 54-yard catch and on another sparkling, 79-yard, dashing and slashing reception.

No. 2: Jane and George Esahak-Gage

When you fall down, you get back up.

These two Ahwatukee Foothills residents took that adage to the extreme in 2007.

Injured in a horrific accident while on a 40-mile bike ride near their Foothills home, Jane and George were nearly killed in late 2006.

That left 2007 as a year of recovery for the pair, with George breaking nearly every bone in his body and Jane, herself healing from injuries, helping get back to the racecourse by April.

No. 3: Zach Miller

When he was playing Pop Warner football Desert Vista graduate Zach Miller said he was going to play in the NFL.

He made good on that promise when he passed up his senior season at Arizona State University to enter the 2007 NFL draft in April and was chosen by the Oakland Raiders in the second round and 38th overall. He has earned a starting spot as a rookie tight end.

5. Will Claye

After setting a triple jump state record with a leap of 48 feet, 9 inches in winning the Chandler Invitational track meet in the spring, Mountain Pointe junior Will Claye soared even father a month later when he won the Intermediate division of the U.S. Junior Olympics with a 49.10.50.

Claye also placed second in the long jump at the same meet with a leap of 22.11.25 feet.

6. Andy Nguyen

Following in the footsteps of his brother, Dan, Mountain Pointe junior Andy Nguyen wins the state 5A Division I single tennis championship with a relatively easy 6-4, 6-3 victory over Tucson Salpointe’s Ian Mordaunt.

It was the second state title for Nguyen who paired with Erik Sheldon to win the state doubles championship a year earlier.

7. Matt Boughton

Winning the Class 5A-Division I state boys’ cross country individual title was so fun in 2006, Boughton decided to do it again in ’07.

OK, so it wasn’t quite that easy, but the Desert Vista senior successfully reclaimed his crown on a cold morning in early November, thereby ending his individual cross country career on one of the highest notes the state’s ever seen.

Said DV coach Chris Hanson afterwards: “Two-time individual state champ, that’s just saying something.”

Oh yeah, in the spring’s state track meet, Boughton placed second in the 3,200-meter race and sixth in the 1,600.

8. Polyanna Trotter, Shea Kearney, Matt Swift-Kraemer

Despite Battle’s day for the ages, he wasn’t the only Foothills state champion at the Class 5A-Division I track and field meet in April.

Mountain Pointe sprinter Polyanna Trotter waited until the final weeks of her high school track and field career to eclipse her past performances and won the state 5A-I 200 meter championship in 25.17 seconds, while also taking third in the 100 meters.

Desert Vista’s Shea Kearney was the last athlete to finish any event at the state meet, if only because he continued to wow the crowd well after securing his state title. Kearney finally topped out at 16 feet, 4.75 inches, a personal best and state-meet record in the process.

And then there was DV’s Matt Swift-Kraemer, who finished high school career in style by setting a state record in the 800 meters with a time of 1:52.71.

9. Brad Evans

Mountain Pointe and University of California-Irvine graduate Brad Evans is the first Ahwatukee Foothills player to play professional soccer after he is drafted in the second round (15th overall) by the Columbus Crew of the Major Soccer League (MSL).

Among his first exhibition games as a pro is back in Phoenix in February at Grand Canyon University, but a hamstring pull keeps him out of the game.

10. Devon Kennard

Is it possible to have the fourth-most sacks in the entire nation and still have the potential to get better?

Absolutely.

As DV’s Kennard showed thousands of fans and countless quarterbacks this season - he had 24.5 sacks, 107 tackles and two forced fumbles - the defensive end is a forced to be reckoned with. Add in the fact that he also ran for 469 yards and five touchdowns, and Kennard was scary good.

Oh, by the way, he’ll be back next season. He’s only a junior.

Only one question remains: Who will be No. 2 behind Kennard on this very same list next year?

Honorable mention:

(Boys Swimming) Desert Vista coach Shaun O’Connell named state boys’ coach of the year; (Girls Volleyball) Desert Vista’s Abby Simmons and Mountain Pointe’s Samantha Hodgkins share Central Region Player of the Year honors; (Football) Mountain Pointe’s Marquese Wheaton established himself as one of the state’s top running backs, running for more than 800 yards and 12 touchdowns despite being 100 percent for just seven games; (Baseball) Desert Vista coach Stan Luketich earns induction into Arizona Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame; (Boys Basketball) Longtime Mountain Pointe coach Sam Ballard resigns after 10 years at the helm; (Wrestling) Desert Vista’s Steven Rotter finishes fourth at state in heavyweight division; (Girls Golf) Desert Vista’s Brianna Espinoza finishes second at state tournament; (Cross Country) Mountain Pointe’s Aubri Carman and Natasa Vulic boast one of state’s best 1-2 punches, finishing fifth and seventh overall, respectively; (Boys Basketball) Ty Abbott leads Desert Vista to the No. 1 seed in the state tournament, then earns a starting job as a freshman at nearby ASU.

Compiled by Larry Ward, Ryan Casey and Brett Fera