ARIZONA HIGH SCHOOLS’ TOP DYNASTIES Brophy rules with passion, sacrifice
Boys soccer dynasties
No. 1 Phoenix Brophy Prep, 2008-present
When the Broncos won the state championship in 2008 under the guidance of Marc Kelly, it had been a 13-year wait to get back to the top. Since ‘08, the Broncos have added five more state championships, including posting back-to-back titles during this current run under coach Paul Allen that was ignited by Player of the Year Case Montanile. The last two teams have gone 415-3.
“There has always been a lot of passion throughout Brophy soccer, but a lot of credit has to be given to Marc Kelly, who effectively kicked this dynasty off,” Allen said. “As we have progressed from him to Noah Lewkowitz and then to myself, we have continued to make small tweaks to our culture and approach and I’m not sure anyone could argue with the results.”
Since 2010, Brophy has played in seven state finals and won five of them with nine Gatorade Arizona Players of the Year.
“A lot of players make sacrifices to be a part of this program and that speaks volumes to what we have built here,” Allen said.
No. 2 Glendale Cactus, 1990-2003
Capturing three state championships in a row to open the 1990s, coach Jack Altersitz built a culture that was second to none. He was a pioneer soccer coach in the AIA when it became a sanctioned sport in the 1980s. His Cactus teams won state crowns in 1990, 1991, 1991, 1996, 2002 and 2003. He died in 2009.
No. 3 Yuma Catholic, 2015-18
The Shamrocks won four consecutive 3A state championships under Ralph Evans, losing a total of three games and going undefeated twice during that span.
No. 4 Scottsdale Coronado, 2014-19
The Dons, under Nick Barker, won three state championships and finished runner-up two times in a sixyear span, playing fast and furious.
No. 5 Tucson Salpointe Catholic, 1985-86, 2012-13 Coach Wolfgang Weber brought his European influence to Tucson in the 1980s and it began with back-toback state titles in the mid-80s. He never went away, and while the sport grew, he was able to return Salpointe to prominence with back-to-back championships in 2012 and ‘13. In 2019, he led the Lancers to another crown.
No. 6 Lakeside Blue Ridge, 1999-2012
The Yellow Jackets won nine state titles during this time, giving the school a second fall dynasty program. The football teams were enjoying their best days while the boys soccer team was racking up titles at the Division IV level among the small schools that played in the fall.
No. 7 Tempe Marcos de Niza, 1990-92
Before there were penalty kicks to determine champions, Marcos de Niza tied Brophy Prep for the 1990 title, then won two straight outright titles under coach Jack Smythe, who worked as an FBI agent. The Padres really started to get going in early 1980s when Greg Vanney was the premier player in the state.
No. 8 Chandler Hamilton, 2010-19
After finishing state runner-up in 2010 and ‘11, the Huskies captured their first championship in 2012 with Nick Markette building the program through the school’s athletics academy. Hamilton would win another title in 2016. The Huskies were always knocking on the championship door.
No. 9 Chino Valley, 2013-16
Four straight fall-season, small-schools state championships with only one loss in each of those seasons during this span.
No. 10 Glendale Ironwood, 1993-94, 2000-01 There were two exceptionally great eras in Ironwood soccer history with six titles between them by two coaches, John Laham in the ‘90s and Tim Beck in the 2000s. Beck led Ironwood to back-to-back state titles to open the century.