Open Court: The Gila region mess

Tonight, the 80th Annual Academy Awards will be televised at 6 p.m. on ABC.

Each year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gathers to vote on the most notable cinematic achievements.

Imagine if this year, the show went off without a hitch, but the people in charge of the "Best Actor" category decided they didn’t want to get together and recognize the finest male performances of the year.

Sounds ridiculous, right? It could never happen.

However, something similar is happening in the world of Southern Arizona high school basketball.

The 4A-II Gila Region season concluded two weeks ago, but an All-Region boys’ team has yet to be announced.

The outstanding players in every other region — boys and girls — have already been recognized.

The girls’ regional champions from Sahuarita had five representatives on the All-Region honor roll, announced on Feb. 11. Seniors Kailynn Bailey and Jennica Tessendorf performed well enough to make the All-Region First Team, while Antoinette Dickens and Ivana "Moose" Vidal represented Sahuarita on the All-Region Second Team.

Head coach Larry Barfield was named the Gila Region Coach of the Year.

Meanwhile, the boys continue to wait and see whether or not an All-Region team will even be put together.

With this being Sahuarita’s first year in the 4A region, it is still figuring out how things are done as they go along.

"Apparently, it’s up to each individual sport in this division," said Sahuarita athletic director Chris Fanning. "There are no set guidelines. Honestly, it’s very disappointing."

But it’s nearly impossible to believe that the coaches wouldn’t get together and recognize the best talent in the region.

"It’s ridiculous not to do one," said Mustangs’ head coach Scott Boyter. "Especially when everyone else has done it already."

I’m inclined to agree with him.

The Gila region was among the most competitive leagues in the state. In the 16-team state tournament that took place these past two weeks, five Gila region teams — including Sahuarita — made the cut.

In the past, Boyter said the coaches would get together after the regional tournament, relax and talk basketball for about an hour. He called it a really pleasant process and a great chance to get to know some of the area’s other coaches.

However, Boyter pointed out that tensions between Santa Rita head man Jim Ferguson and some of the other Gila region coaches might be causing this delay.

"Some of the coaches won’t hold back," Boyter said. "They would call (Ferguson) out on some of his recruiting practices. I truly think he doesn’t want to sit down with all of us."

Former Mustang standout Darnell Shumpert transferred from Sahuarita after winning the 3A Player of the Year award to suit up for Santa Rita this season.

It would be a shame if this petty acrimony stood in the way of naming an All-Region team.

Kids put All-Region accolades on college scholarship information.

The irony, of course, is that Santa Rita dominated its Gila region competition and would likely have two players — Shumpert and likely Player of the Year Terrell Stoglin — named to the team.

Sahuarita’s Chris Rieman performed well enough to earn First-Team honors. Versatile swingman Daniel Conorque would likely be a Second-Teamer. Alejando Pardi and Leo Sierra would either make the Second Team or find a spot on the Honorable-Mention list.

"It’s unfortunate, because the kids get caught in the middle," Boyter said. "Hopefully, we can get some pressure on them to finally get around to naming a team."

This whole ordeal boggles my mind. I’ve never seen anything like it.

We can only hope a team is eventually put together and we can put this mess behind us.

nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747