The baseballs and softballs are being thrown and caught, the tennis and golf balls are being swung at and the runners, jumpers and throwers are taking their marks.

That means the high school winter sports have officially come to an end, and it’s time to shift the focus to a new season of athletics at Sedona Red Rock High School.

The winter sports results for the Scorpions showed just how much tougher it is for smaller schools to compete in the newly organized Arizona Interscholastic Association divisions. The girls basketball team went 11-13, almost making the state tournament, but got knocked out in the final weeks of the regular season. The boys basketball team struggled with the competition, usually starting games with the lead but letting it slip out of its hands by the second half. The boys ended their season 7-19 and saw no post-season action.

The boys soccer team endured a mid-season shakeup, getting rid of the junior varsity team and having young players start on the varsity. It ended its season 3-9. The girls soccer team was strong on the field, but didn’t earn enough power points with an 8-8 record and had to end its season with no state playoff appearance.

“We knew it would be tough for these teams because of the way the schedules were assigned,” Sedona Athletic Director John Parks said. “It’s tough playing schools like Mingus Union, Flagstaff, Bradshaw Mountain twice in a season because they are so much bigger than us. We hang in there, but we just don’t have the depth like they do.”

For the full story, please see the Friday, Feb. 22, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.