Mud, music and more on tap for summer fun
Once again, to celebrate the great outdoors and welcome summer, the Town of Payson will be putting on an outdoor sports competition, the Arizona Mountain High Games, co-title sponsored by Rim Country Power Sports and Native Air.
Soccer camp registration closes May 24
Town sports and recreation coordinator Mary Wolf shouts of the “The British are coming,” signals that Challenger’s British Soccer Camps are returning to Payson.
Five tapped as S-III honorees
Some of the gut-wrenching disappointment Lady Longhorn softball players suffered after being eliminated in the Division III state tournament semifinals was eased by the announcement five team members had been chosen to the All-Division III, Section III team.
No fear for PHS frosh
Payson High School freshman track and field standout Wyatt Chapman accepted an invitational challenge that most prep rookies would simply walk away from saying, “no thanks.”
State semifinalist team snubbed in postseason vote
Payson High School first-year baseball coach Brian Young now suffers from the same frustrations and disappointments that have plagued many coaches since an Arizona Interscholastic Association reconfiguration two years ago that abolished conferences and regions replacing them with divisions and sections.
Horn speedster 2nd at Meet of Champs
Lady Longhorn sprinter Morgan Chilson came up just .39 of a second shy of winning the 100-meter gold medal at the prestigious Arizona Meet of Champions.
Lady Horn speedster second at Meet of Champs
Lady Longhorn sprinter Morgan Chilson came up just .39 of a second shy of winning the 100-meter gold medal at the prestigious Arizona Meet of Champions.
Spring trout fishing
It is mid May and the Rim lakes have been producing limits of rainbow trout to the anglers who have already made the short trip. Water temperatures have gradually increased after the long winter and that has made the holdover trout more active and willing to bite.
Dogs bite Lady Horns; no title this year
Payson High School’s first-ever state softball championship has slipped out of the Lady Longhorns’ grasp. The title squirted away May 10 at Rose Mofford Field in Phoenix, where the Winslow Bulldogs ran roughshod over PHS, winning the state semifinal showdown 14-4 in a game truncated after five innings on the 10-run rule.
Chilson comes up big at state
Payson High senior speedster Morgan Chilson etched her way into school record books by winning two gold medals at the Division III state championships. Competing May 10 and 11 at Mesa College, Chilson — whose father Ty was a state champion sprinter in the mid-1980s — was first in the 100 meters in a personal record 12.55. In the preliminaries, she qualified with a first-place time of 12.72.
Horns struggle at state
A Payson High School golf team that dominated opponents most of the regular season couldn’t continue it blitzkrieg in the Division III state tournament, finishing a disappointing sixth place. Playing May 10-11 at Antelope Hills near Prescott, Payson’s final team tally of 632 was well off the pace of the state champion Valley Christian that easily won the title with a 596.
The Elks Lodge wants golfers to help youth
Golf can be great fun and rewarding. But it can be even more fun and rewarding if play is for an admirable cause like the 2013 Elks Clothe-A-Child benefit set for Saturday, July 6, at Payson Golf Course.
Season ends, but future is bright
Longhorns’ bid for championship ends at semifinals
While a 13-3 Division III semifinal tournament loss to Tucson Empire was heartbreaking for Payson High coaches and players, there is much solace in knowing the team finished as one of the top four in the state, compiled an impressive 20-10 record and will return next season loaded for bear, losing only Gunner Goodman to graduation.
Wrestlers practice; others have fun in mud
Payson High School wrestling coach Casey Woodall is hailing the May 4 off-season youth tournament held in Wilson Dome an overwhelming success. “Things are on the upswing,” he said. Following a full day of mat action involving aspiring wrestlers ages 5 and older, two local grapplers — Levi Herrera and B. J. Paulson — won weight class championships.
