August 24, 2005 - A new sports year means not only new coaches to the Northwest and Foothills area but brand new teams as well. Making its inaugural debut this fall is the Pusch Ridge Christian Academy swim team. Headed up by Julie Allen, the swim team is another in a line of new sports added to the Class 2A school within the last year. In the winter, play began with the girls soccer team.
Immaculate Heart Preparatory High School has a new face coaching its girls volleyball team this fall when Chris Biggs takes over the reins of the Knights' program.
It may not be a new sport, but girls golf has returned to Canyon Del Oro High School after a year's hiatus. After canceling the season in 2004 due to lack of players, to the Dorados delight, 12 players tried out for the team this fall. Beverly Martin will be the skipper for the rejuvenated CDO squad.
VB players fly the coop
Last year, they were seniors, top dogs on campus and among the best volleyball players in the state of Arizona. This year, as school gets underway, they find themselves back on the bottom of the pecking order - college freshman. Matt Vanzant, a 2004 Mountain View High School grad and top candidate for player of the year honors has taken his game to the sandy beaches of the University of Hawaii. Vanzant will walk on to the D-1 school, which finished the 2005 season ranked No. 7 in the nation. If Vanzant ever gets homesick all he has to do is find teammate Matt Bender. Bender, a former Arizona player of the year graduated from Canyon Del Oro High School in 2001 and is a red-shirt senior at the Hawaiian school.
Others flying from the Northwest nest are CDO standouts Steve Madsen and David Hallowell who head to Brigham Young University. Madsen and Hallowell guided the Dorados to runner up in the state in their final season at CDO. Opting to stay closer to home and play for the University of Arizona Men's club team are a handful of players including Tim McGann and Curtis Jacques of CDO, David Garwacki and Robert Humphrey of Ironwood Ridge High School and Vanzant's teammate Kyle Jenks of Mountain View.
Anderson gets the call
The Chicago White Sox got a spell of bad news Aug. 15 when All-Star Scott Podsednik was forced to the 15-day disabled list for strained left abductor muscle. And while the news was bad for the Chicago leftfielder, the injury was a window of opportunity for ex-Canyon Del Oro High School standout Brian Anderson, who was called up from Triple-A Charlotte to replace Podsednik on the roster. A day later, Anderson made his major league debut for the ChiSox against the Minnesota Twins at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.
Twins ace Brad Radke fanned him in his first big league at bat but Anderson redeemed himself in the seventh inning, lining a single to left off the All-Star pitcher and eventually came around to score the White Sox' fourth run of the game. Despite going 2 for 7, Anderson made the final out of the 16-inning marathon game by striking out swinging against Minnesota closer Joe Nathan, who sealed the 9-4 victory.
