Richard Smith

West Valley Preps

Surprise is a young city with, largely, a young public school system that has to battle local charter schools and nearby districts to keep the kids in its boundaries.

Nowhere is this more true than with young athletes, who, since the time when the Dysart Unified School District only had Dysart High School in El Mirage, have often enrolled elsewhere. Recent years, however, have brought some success — particularly from the girls athletic programs in the district.

And the crown jewel of Dysart district sports — now more than ever — is Valley Vista girls basketball. The program at the Surprise high school that is only 12 years old just won its second straight state title in the 6A division dominated by East Valley schools in other sports.

"The Dysart district is so slept on. Kids want to transfer to East Valley schools because they feel that's where they can prosper. We give the Dysart district hope and let the kids her know it's possible," senior forward Clarissa Rodarte said.

And, in both its title drives, Coach Rachel Matakas' team defeated every significant challenger in 6A.

Last season, Valley Vista beat defending champion Chandler Hamilton in the regular season. Then, in the semifinals, the girls held off the Phoenix Mountain Pointe team that knocked Hamilton out of the bracket.

Valley Vista capped off its first championship by beating Westside rival Goodyear Millennium in a 44-36 defensive battle.

It was a fitting finale for a team that overcame internal strife, injuries and significant challenges in their personal lives.

"I think it stems from last year. In the middle of the season we had a meeting where we just talked and really came together. We had some awkwardness between the team and it was a little bit divided," senior guard Taylor Chavez said. "Learning from last year and knowing how to overcome that divide, we brought that into this year. It really helped."

Adding to the emotional outpouring was the cancer battle of Madison Matakas, the coach's twin brother. He flew in from the Midwest to watch Valley Vista's final two wins of 2017.

Madison Matakas died in August. His 14-year-old daughter, Bella, continued the family tradition and watched the Monsoon win at Wells Fargo Arena Wednesday.

After taking time to grieve, Matakas and her team returned to the court with their usual ferocious intensity. But there also was a calm that came with returning a senior class — Tiana Brown, Rysha Banner, Chavez and Rodarte — that had seen and done it all.

Chavez was the heart of that confidence and a symbol of the program. She's watched the Monsoon since her elementary school days, and been part of the program since older sister Peyton began playing at Valley Vista in 2011.

"Taylor and I, at the beginning of the year, said we're going to win this one for us. We've given a lot to a lot of people. And we felt that this one's a little special for us. I've known Taylor since she was knee-high," Chavez said.

Valley Vista's Clarissa Rodarte (#5) attempts a layup during a 5A championship game against Xavier Prep on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe. The Monsoons defeated the Gators 68-55 to win their second straight title. [Jacob Stanek/West Valley Preps][/caption]If Chavez was the star and Banner was the lifeblood of the Monsoon's in-your-face defense, Rodarte and Brown were the glue that set this team apart. Both did a wide range of things to win and battled bigger players inside.

Rodarte, in particular, blossomed in a larger role as a senior. The Cal-State Fullerton-bound Swiss Army knife averaged 12.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists while playing all over the court.

"We told her at the beginning of the year she was the X factor. She's a nightmare. Because she's so strong, she can play in the post and on the wing. I've developed her to be that tweeter player that everybody hates to see. She's an outside shooter and a post player. The two best players have to guard Rysha and Taylor and if you're going to put the third on Rodarte she's going to give everyone opportunities," Matakas said.

That combo set the Monsoon apart in the stretch drive. They came back to beat Millennium in the final regular season game despite Chavez injuring her ankle.

She came back 11 days later to help hold off the challenge of a young Phoenix Pinnacle team on the rise. Then Valley Vista took on the challenge of the top East Valley team in Gilbert and won comfortably.

Finally, Xavier Prep stepped to the plate, upsetting Millennium in the semifinals. The Gators were game Wednesday, but Valley Vista's experience and the complete nature of their play were too much.

"I never even really looked at it like that. We don't care who we're playing, we play everybody the same. To have an opportunity to beat everybody, that's amazing and great for them," Matakas said. "If they take care of the little things and the details and they're disciplined, the win comes easy. Too many times people chase the win and they forgot to do the backfill."

Chavez said beyond leaving for Oregon with two titles, the best part of this year was mentoring the next generation of Monsoon. Junior Kena Kilpatrick and freshman Alanis Delgado played crucial roles off the bench in the final two games and sophomore Sophie Martinez saw minutes throughout the season.

Meanwhile, freshman Marisa Davis showed she's ready to assume the role of the program's touchstone player from Chavez next year. She dominated the post against Xavier with 14 points and 18 rebounds and nearly average a double-double this season.

"It meant everything because we've been with each other since freshman year, and with Rysha since her sophomore year. So to get it done a second time and lead our younger girls and get them on the same age is really special," Chavez said. "We have a coach that establishes a culture and tells people their roles and everyone decides they're going to be the best at their role. That's the difference between us and a lot of other teams. We don't have everyone wanting to be a star player."

Now it's time for the next generation to get to work. And under Matakas, they will work like a college team.

The coach praised her team's work ethic — which is shown in regular two-hour practices, an hour of film and 30 to 60 minutes of lifting.

"The younger kids know the expectation and they don't get an easy road. They know I'm going to come at it hard. I'm not changing what I do. Our philosophy is going to be a different style than they're used to. But at the end of the day there's an expectation here and if you don't meet it, I'm going to find someone else that will give me everything they have," Matakas said. "Their day is school and collegiate basketball. The program is run like a college basketball program. The kids know all the sets and they create scouting reports."

The Valley Vista basketball team celebrates after their win in a 6A championship game against Xavier Prep on Wednesday at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe. The Monsoon defeated the Gators 68-55 to win their second straight title. [Jacob Stanek/West Valley Preps][/caption]