Canyon Del Oro vs. Catalina Foothills The Canyon Del Oro Dorados improved to 4-3 Thursday night, after a big third quarter pushed them past Catalina Foothills.

The Canyon Del Oro Dorados and Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks will have a chance to settle things when they meet for the second time in the loser’s bracket of the Division II double elimination state tournament.

The Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks and Canyon Del Oro Dorados met up for the fourth time this softball season, and when the dust cleared, it was the Nighthawks celebrating a 9-8 win and advancing to the semifinals of the state tournament.

The blue and white paint covering the faces of the Ironwood Ridge football fans didn’t go to waste.

The blue and white paint covering the faces of the Ironwood Ridge football fans didn’t go to waste.

The Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks' softball team is one step closer to a state title, as they edged out inner-district rival Canyon del Oro 9-8 on Saturday.

Tyler D'Amore still feels the sting of last season's 14-10, last-second loss to Scottsdale Desert Mountain in the 5A football playoffs.

The Canyon Del Oro Dorados can finally breathe a sigh of relief. They’re headed to the Division II state softball championship game after defeating the Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks 11-6 on Friday night at Cherry Field.

The Canyon Del Oro Dorados breathed a sigh of relief after mounting a comeback to defeat the Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks on Friday night at Cherry Field. With the win, the Dorados advanced to Monday night’s Division II state softball championship game at Arizona State University’s Farrington Stadium, where they faced Peoria Sunrise Mountain.

The Canyon Del Oro Dorados may have lost the championship game of the Dorado Softball Classic, 5-4, against Ironwood Ridge, but the prospects for the reigning state champions still look bright.

The coach and players of Canyon Del Oro High School basketball weren’t surprised, nor did they panic, when the Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter.

A 20-point deficit in the first half was too much for the Ironwood Nighthawks to overcome in Friday’s final game of the regular season against Salpointe Catholic.

Nov. 3, 2004 - AHEAD OF THE GAME: The Canyon del Oro baseball team got a new head coach Oct. 26 when the Amphitheater School Governing Board approved Len Anderson to take over the Dorados. CDO athletic director, Ed Moody would not comment on the new hire, except to say that the new coach had "a boat-load of experience."

“Did I make up the right workouts? Did we taper correctly? Did I mentally prepare them just right, or was it too much? Are we ready?”

Christopher Wuensch, CWuensch@ExplorerNews.com

It took one minute and 13 seconds for the 19-2 Canyon Del Oro boys’ soccer team to make its point.

Heard in the Canyon Del Oro stands on Friday during the boys’ soccer team’s 13-0 victory over Cholla.

Catalina Foothills (21-11) edged the defending 4A-I state champion CDO baseball team, 4-3, in Friday's semi-final, ending the season for the top-seeded Dorados (28-3).

Nov. 16, 2005 - With a little more than four minutes remaining in its first-round game in the Class 4A state playoffs, a cloud of dust from a nearby pick-up game of kids hovered over the field at Dorado Stadium.

Without the services of Ka'Deem Carey, Canyon Del Oro turned to the feet of quarterback Jason McBrayer in beating Queen Creek 24-7 last Thursday night.

The high school football season is under way and we already have our standout team, while other teams are still shaking off the cobwebs. For many teams it was evident that it was their first game of their season. From bad passes to penalties, many teams struggled throughout the game. However, the Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks hit the ground running in their 36-0 route of CDO.

Brooke Seavitt played basketball for the Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks (13-5) in their 43-32 win over Canyon Del Oro (9-9) last Tuesday.

For the Pusch Ridge Christian Academy girls’ basketball team, the 2008 season is “a historic type of thing,” according to head coach Lonnie Tvrdy.

August 30, 2006 - Football is back. A simple phrase in the literary sense but a connotation that sends ripples through the slumber of summer sports.

Canyon Del Oro and Ironwood Ridge high schools are just miles apart, making them an obvious rivalry come high school football season where players are very familiar with each other.