Our athletics program at Joseph City School District is dedicated to providing our students with a variety of sports and activities, allowing students to develop their abilities. The Athletic Department encourages our students to participate in the many programs we offer. We strive to provide a safe and rewarding environment for all our student athletes.

Please see the sidebar for our sports schedules. If you have any questions, contact Mike Sterkowitz at (928) 288-3361 ext. 403.

Important Start Dates

• August 2nd – High School Football and Volleyball
• August 3rd – Junior High Football
• August 11th – Junior High Softball
• October 11th – Junior High Volleyball and Wrestling
• November 1st – High School Basketball and Wrestling
• December 6th – Junior High Basketball
• February 7th – Baseball, Softball, and Track
• March 14th – Junior High Track

Fall Athletic Information

Joseph City Junior and Senior High School are preparing for their fall sports seasons. High School Football and Volleyball will start mandatory practices on Monday August 2, 2010. 

Junior High football and softball teams will have their first practices on Tuesday August 3, 2010.

Students are reminded that a clearance card will needed before they can participate in any activity. A physical will be required before a clearance card will be issued. 

Athletic information and forms can be picked up at the High School office, Monday through Thursday, 8:00am – 4:00pm. The forms are also available on this website.

Clearance cards can be obtained at the High School Office during office hours (8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.), Monday through Thursday. Note: clearance card fees have been raised to $30.00 per High School sport and $15.00 per Junior High Sport with a family cap of $180.00.

If there are any questions, call the Athletic Director, Mike Sterkowitz at the High School Office – 288-3361.

For all sports, please see our start dates.

We like to recognize exceptional athletes for their drive and determination. Keep up the good work!

Kristin Baldwin is a seventh grader this year and is a good athlete. She's a team player and works hard in practice. She runs the 400 meter and participates in the relay teams. Coach Pugh expressed that she's a valuable asset to the track team.

Adam Smith is also a seventh grader and participates in track. He's a good runner and places in the 400 meter, 800 meter, and 1600 meter races. He's a fun student to coach and has a bright future.

Colton Spurlock is an eighth grade student this year and a member of the junior high track team. He's an excellent athlete and is a good kid off and on the field. Colton participates in the high jump, 100 meter, and 1600 meter. Coach Pugh says he's a valuable team member and is a great example to others.

Lexi Edwards is an eighth grade student and is a member of the junior high track team. She participates in the 800 meter and 1600 meter races. She really has great athletic ability and has a bright future in track and field. She's a good role model on the field and in the classroom.

The Junior High football team learned a lot this year. They improved over all on offense and defense. Coach Pugh is looking forward to working with these 7th grade boys next year, and wishes the 8th graders good luck in high school football next year. The boys got experience that will help them in their future. They also had some unforgetable moments playing against much larger teams from the 3A conference.

The High School Girls’ Basketball team continued to take the steps necessary in building a winning program. Once again they had new players filling new roles. The team this year improved its overall record to 14 – 16, that’s three more wins than last year. They also improved their division and region records, 6-4 and 9-6.

The coaches are very pleased with the progress made by the team throughout the year. They saw the growth of their players both on the Varsity and JV teams, and see good things to come in the future. The coaches appreciate the leadership provided by their seniors and captains, Morgan McLaughlin and Shelby Sepp.

They finished 2nd in the East division of the North Region. That put them against the Seligman Antelopes in the first round of the Region tournament. They were able to defeat the Antelopes and advance to the State playoffs. They qualified 4th in the North Region and that put them up against a tough St. David team, #1 from the South. They were not able to win that game, but the experience of going to State will be something they will be able to build on for next year.

Some memorable moments of this season were winning the consolation trophy at the PCDS tournament, two overtime wins against St. Michael, and returning to the State Championship Playoffs. Coach Sterkowitz, Coach Baird, and the team would like to thank the parents and fans who made it to many of their games for their support throughout the season.

We would like to congratulate the Lady Wildcats on their crowning of State Softball Champions. In response to this, the Navajo County Board of Supervisors has named June 17, 2008 the "Day of the Lady Wildcats." This marks their sixth state championship in nine years.

“This year has been an exciting year for wrestling,” states Coach Westover. “We have a young team with a lot of potential for great upcoming athletes that have competed strong against experienced teams.” Freshmen include: Remington Baldwin -125, Jacob DeJesus -171, Bryce Crosby -103, Nick Price -112, Brandon Gardner -119, Austin Gardner -152. Sophomores include: Luke Dewitt -171, Tyson Smith -135, Chris Irwin -189, Tyler Rice-189, Ryan James -135. Juniors include: Dalton Hughes -130, Chris Coppinger -189. Seniors include: Jared Gardner -140, AJ Smith -145, Mitchell Elmer -160, Monique Valero -189, Zach Warner -289, Ryan Bray -215.

They did well in their tournaments this year. They placed 3rd at the Joseph City Tournament behind a tough Desert Edge, 5A school, and Flagstaff, a tough 4A school. They also took 2nd at Mogollon and 2nd at Regionals. They had a good showing at the State tournament, including Remington Baldwin and AJ Smith taking State Runners Up and Mitchell Elmer being the 2009 State Champion at 160 pounds. Other State placers included Ryan Bray taking 3rd, Chris Coppinger taking 5th, and Dalton Hughes taking 5th. Overall they placed 4th at State for the 1A-2A division. “We are proud of these boys for wrestling well and also for being good students,” comments Coach Westover. “The future of this program looks promising and we look forward to it with excitement.”

The 7th grade girl's basketball team had 12 girls that completed the season: Brooke Baldwin, Kristin Baldwin, Rochelle Becenti, Leah Blake, Maranda Blake, Laura Bushman, Madison Fields, Amanda McCray, Laura Parra, Jewell Plower, Alexis Snider, and Amber Yazzie. They were coached by Tonya Crosby. Coach Crosby stated, “These girls worked hard and improved a lot. They were a lot of fun to be around.” They had a season record of 6-2.

The 8th grade team, coached by Sheri Brennan, had a great season. They placed 1st in the Rim Country Tournament and had a season record of 13-1. Their only loss in their JH career came against Round Valley. Joseph City got their revenge in the championship game where they met and beat Round Valley to become the 1st team from Joseph City to ever win a White Mountain League Championship. Team members to finish the season were Savanna Baer, Lexi Edwards, Searra Hansen, Taylor Hill, Kayla Hughes, Heidi Hunsaker, Emily Hunt, Sierra Johnstun, Latanya Kinlicheenie, Cheyenne Penrod, Bethany Turley, Payton Van Dyke, and Natalie Farr. Coach Brennan stated, “This momentous championship was a team effort and could not have been accomplished without the hard work and dedication of each and every member of the team.”