On the recordMarch 3, 2011
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Nogales Apaches on winning the Arizona State High School Division 4A-1 basketball championship. The Apaches' victory over Scottsdale Saguaro to win the title on Saturday came after their upset victory of the top-ranked Glendale Kellis team on Thursday. This win marked the first time in 28 years that a Nogales school has reached a championship game in any sport. So this is a particularly gratifying victory. Coach Ricardo De La Riva deserves a great deal of credit for leading his team through the season, through the upset victories, and through the long process of building a successful and cohesive team. This is a group that truly plays with heart. It represents the best of the community, as shown by the seven busloads of fans who traveled for several hours from Nogales to Glendale for the championship game. As Coach De La Riva told the Arizona Daily Star after the game: ``This is a true team. We don't have stars. We don't have egos. We just play.'' His team reminds us of what scholastic sport is all about. I join with everyone else in congratulating the school, the team, and the community of Nogales in Santa Cruz. Congratulations. ____________________
