(KGUN) — A man is in critical condition after a shooting on Saturday the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office received multiple calls reporting gunshots in the area of Toto Court in Rio Rico Deputies arrived to find the alleged shooter Deputies also found 25-year-old Jorge Alberto Felix with gunshot wounds to his torso He was breathing and partially conscious when he was taken to Holy Cross Hospital for stabilization where he was last reported to be in critical condition Mayorga was booked into the SCC Jail on charges of aggravated assault and misconduct involving weapons Stay up to date with the latest information from KGUN 9 Report a typo The Gila Herald Your trusted source for news of the Gila Valley and more RIO RICO – The Safford Bulldogs’ baseball team notched their third win in a row on Monday at Rio Rico when junior pitcher Darren Maldonado went the distance and pitched a no-hitter in a 1-0 victory.  Maldonado threw 96 pitches and walked four in his historic game.  10-7 overall) was boosted offensively in part by Cole Goodman who went 2-3 on the day and scored the game’s only run.  The Bulldogs are currently sixth in the 3A South but will finish the regular season with four straight region games They will start at home on Thursday against region leader Tucson Tanque Verde Hawks Safford will then host Tucson Pusch Ridge on Wednesday (KGUN) — Crews have stopped forward progress of a wildfire burning in Santa Cruz County since Thursday The Chino Fire reached an estimated 80-100 acres in the area east of Tubac and Rio Rico overnight Forest service crews are working the fire and say last night's firefighting efforts have been successful Tubac Fire District said in a social media post and Santa Rita Fire responded to the scene Thursday Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInTUCSON (13 News) - 26-year-old Jorge Alberto Felix is fighting for his life in a Tucson hospital after a shooting just before midnight on Saturday Santa Cruz County deputies say they received multiple calls Saturday that shots were fired in the area of Toto Court—including one from the alleged shooter Deputies found 22-year-old Rio Rico resident Luis Angel Mayorga at the scene Felix was immediately rendered aid as Mayorga was detained The SCCSO says Felix had suffered at least one gunshot to the torso and that he was breathing and somewhat lucid He was stabilized at a local hospital before being transferred back to Tucson Mayorga was booked into SSC jail on charges of aggravated assault and misconduct involving weapons A motive for the shooting has yet to be confirmed Be sure to subscribe to the 13 News YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@13newskold Arizona — The story of the Rio Rico Lobos begins with Conner Verdugo a former Walden Grove High School and Divsion 2 guard at Embry-Riddle who's played professionally in the Philippines "You can be a small level pro like I was in the Philippines and to them I was a star." Verdugo wanted to bring that joy to southern Arizona "It's a very popular sport down here and they don't have the ability to see what high-level basketball was." Verdugo started an expansion franchise in the ABA He recruited his Dad to be the head coach and worked with Rio Rico High School for the use of their court He's a former Catalina Foothills High School player who walked on at Stanford eventually becoming co-captain of the team He's close friends with Verdugo from playing youth basketball in Tucson "He {Verdugo} called me the other day and asked me if I wanted to get back to doing the game I love," said Beskind "He's one of the most athletic guys I've ever played with in my life and honestly one of the most kind-hearted individuals," said Verdugo who earned the Pac-12 scholar-athlete of the year actually lives in Palo Alto and flies down for games "There's nothing like getting on the floor and competing with your friends," said Beskind losing only to the well established Tucson Buckets and make this actual entertainment in Rio Rico and hopefully play for championships," said Verdugo "Props for him for getting the funding to do it WATCH THE HUDDLE (KGUN) — The wildfires in California were so severe firefighters from all over the country poured in including firefighters from Southern Arizona Now some of the firefighters from Rio Rico are back and talking about their experiences And you just gotta be aware of what's going on and just look around and and and make sure that everybody When the call for volunteers came Captain Albert Ibarra and three other Rio Rico firefighterrs grabbed gear for wildland and structure fires Ibarra says there were some homes they could not save but there were plenty they did “It's very satisfying in the sense that you get to save people's homes and property there's that negative side when you see everything that was lost with people's not only cars but also property of sentimental value that it'll never be replaced.” Ibarra says the Rio Rico crew was in California just as the Eaton Fire flared up He says in sixteen years of firefighting he’s never been in a fire so rough But he says the crew learned a lot they can apply to fighting fires here at home RIO RICO — The first noticeable aspect of Rio Rico’s new stadium from afar one of the few unique features of the facilities enhancements at the school about 60 miles from Tucson The setting itself with the football field situated near the base of large rolling green hills make it seem like Thursday’s game was different than a spectator would see in Arizona other than the northern part of the state with a state-of-the-art weight room set to open in October is adjacent to the home side of the stadium to the east The former home side on the west has its same seating so the stadium is one of the largest in terms of seating capacity in the state To the north of the stadium is a new swimming facility and beyond the home stands on the east side is a practice field designated for football The school also has new tennis courts as part of a $22.5 million bond measure with the Santa Cruz Valley Unified School District in 2019 “We want our facilities to be the hub of our community,” John Fanning Rio Rico girls basketball coach Frank Arellano and new athletic director Angel Vidal were in attendance at Thursday’s game and each remarked how the enhanced new facilities have ignited student engagement and brought a sense of pride to the school RIO RICO FALLS SHORT IN BID TO START 2-0 FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2014 Rio Rico led 7-0 after the first possession of the game and was ahead 14-12 at halftime against Glendale What looked promising for Rio Rico’s chance to start 2-0 for the first time since 2014 turned into frustration as the Hawks went scoreless in the second half Coming off a 27-20 win at Maricopa Desert Sunrise last week Rio Rico started strong in its first drive that was capped by a 32-yard run by quarterback Sebastian Castro Symbolic of Rio Rico’s frustration in the game: the Hawks drove to the Glendale 3 wiith an opportunity to go ahead by two touchdowns but consecutive false-start penalties and a sack relegated them to a 40-yard field goal attempt that was off the mark Rio Rico first-year coach Carlos Duran talks about what his team can learn from tonight’s 24-14 loss to visiting Glendale heading into next week’s rivalry game with Nogales. Hawks are 1-1 going into that game against the Apaches at home. pic.twitter.com/D0pQEesBcb — Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) September 6, 2024 The Hawks had an other golden opportunity to build a two-touchdown lead but could not cash in turning the ball over on downs after recovering a fumble at the Glendale 25 “What it showed us is our weakness and what have to grow on,” Duran said “What I’m trying to change here with this progam is realistically self-acceptance of the errors that are happening I messed up; how can I get better?’ This is a growing point for our team DURAN TRYING TO KEEP HIS PLAYERS “LASER FOCUSED” Duran spent eight years at the freshman and junior varsity levels with the Hawks until finally getting his chance after Jeff Scurran stepped down following last season He has helped develop most of his players who have come up the ranks at Rio Rico “I’m happy they competed and duked it out until the final quarter,” Duran said “But now we have to move on to the next step and that’s finish.” Rio Rico scored its second and last touchdown with 4:15 left in the second quarter on a freak play in which Bryant Limon ran 15 yards before a tackle forced the ball in the air Jahred Bravo snagged it and ran it in from 30 yards for the touchdown A quick touchdown-scoring drive for Glendale cut the lead to 14-12 with 2:36 left in the half Rio Rico began possessions deep in Glendale territory only to turn the ball over on downs Rio Rico’s opportunities to score in the second half included a 50-yard pass from Castro to Bravo that took the ball to the Glendale 16 Glendale scored a touchdown on a fourth down and 9 situation on the Hawks’ 15-yard line to put the game out of reach 24-14 with 1:24 left “We just have to focus,” said Duran next Friday in the rivalry game at Rio Rico everybody plays harder when we play Nogales I’ve been saying it that was should be playing them at the end of the season Brothers are going to fight and that’s what’s going on next week.” Nogales won the first 13 games in the series dating to after Rio Rico opened in 2005 not allowing the Apaches a point in the process Rio Rico won 10-0 in 2022 and 39-0 last season The Arizona Sports & Entertainment Commission (ASEC) and its managed entity the Grand Canyon State Gridiron Club (GCSGC) have released the Ed Doherty Award Week 3 Watch List for the 2024 season Nearly 150 high school football players across Arizona — representing all divisions based on their participation and exceptional performances to-date this season as well as for exemplifying the character and commitment that defines a true champion Watch List players could potentially receive an Ed Doherty Award Nomination Medallion when the Selection Committee announces its weekly picks beginning Wednesday nominees are not limited to those appearing on the Watch List Players chosen will be presented with a medallion at their respective schools each week New this season will be the opportunity for the general public to submit its weekly nominations for consideration by the committee Fans can share their selections by visiting FootballArizona.com and clicking on “Public Voting” in the menu Public nominations are due each Monday by 5 p.m Here are the players from Southern Arizona who are on the Week 3 Ed Doherty Watch List: David Cooper Payne QB JR Desert Christian Ismael Cuevas RB JR Willcox Rocco Haggard ATH JR Pusch RidgeSebastian Lopez QB SR Bisbee Brett Jones LB SR Thatcher Brit Roberson WR SR Sabino Jacob Newborn RB SR Pusch RidgePaul Ortiz DT SR Sabino Tyler Nolan KR SR Pusch Ridge Xavier Owens DE SR Safford Carlos Montoya RB/MLB SR Walden GroveConner Hangartner RB/SS SR Mica MountainJayden Thoreson QB SR Mica MountainJimmy Leon DE/TE SR Mica MountainNgonkra Fuangunyi RB SR Empire Colten Meyer QB JR MaranaDezmen Roebuck WR/DB SR MaranaGrant Dooling CB SR Ironwood RidgeMatthew Kroner WR SR Ironwood RidgeNicholas Horrocks RB SR Mountain View MaranaNoah Chanez WR JR Tucson Dinos Drossos LB SR Salpointe Morgan Quiri SR SR SalpointeNathan Spivey DB SR SalpointeRoman Fina OL SR Salpointe FOLLOW @JAVIERJMORALES ON TWITTER He became an educator in 2016 and is presently a special education teacher at Sunnyside High School in the Sunnyside Unified School District A unique website covering youth and high school sports and Pima Community College and University of Arizona athletics combining in-depth analysis and professional reporting from award-winning journalists RIO RICO – The high school at 590 Camino Lito Galindo will have six sectional races in three divisions The top 50 percent of teams and the next seven individual finishers will qualify for the state meet on Nov The Division IV – South Sectional meet Florence American Leadership – Anthem South and Willcox along with Tucson teams Arizona School for the Deaf and the Blind Races in the Division III – South Sectional will be held for girls at 5 p.m The Division II – South Sectional races start at 6 p.m Morenci left Discovery Park with the first-place team award The quickest team quintet was Morenci with senior Anthony Heathman at third (18:36.84) junior Lyndale Waterhouse at 16th (20:54.90) and freshman Braxton Merrill at 33rd (22:13.82) junior Aaron Esquivel and senior Tristan Burke were 37th (22:35.49) and 67th (26:30.40) There were 77 participants from 13 schools with Pima and Fort Thomas having four entrants apiece and Globe two The top five individual finishers were Alchesay sophomore Yonah Beatty (18:33.19) and Safford senior Andrew Ortega (19:01.09) sophomore Kendrick Fritz at 23rd (21:23.03) and freshman Karlos Enrico at 41st (23:06.40) freshman Cort Konrath and sophomore Justin Hatchet were 45th (23:15.14) and 46th (23:17.57) and freshman Ryan Griffin at 39th (22:57.75) freshman Blake Bingham and freshman Milar Miller were at 42nd (23:08.01) and at 48th (23:2-.54) sophomore Yohan Beatty at ninth (20:08.75) and sophomore Joshua Alchesay at 38th (22:50.21) sophomores Talan Alchesay and Dionta Aday were 56th (24:34.48) and 61st (25:10.23) Benson was fifth with senior Syric Ramirez at 13th (20:22.98) sophomore Salomon Crowley at 24th (21:24.88) sophomore Kolten Maxwell at 27th (21:37.75) and freshman Prisco Capangpangan at 29th (21:37.94) freshmen Dallin Jones and Orion Allred were 49th (23:24.97) and 54th (24:10.53) Sixth place Tombstone had senior Landen Pease at sixth (19:42.17) freshman Aiden Werkheiser at 25th (21:28.00) sophomore Colton Thursby at 32nd (22:04.04) and freshman Logan Masters at 40th (23:06.16) Chase Davidson and junior Diego DeLosReyes were 52nd (23:55.75) and 57th (24:41.25) San Carlos was seventh with sophomore Dakota Edwards at 18th (21:11.66) sophomore Talen Pechuli at 47th (23:19.19) and senior David Dude III at 62nd (25:10.68) junior Aaden Patterson and sophomore Christian Chapman were 65th (25:40.40) and 66th (26:26.29) Eighth place Miami had Rudy Dozal at seventh (19:47.10) Dan Ivins and Trayson Brewer were 72nd (28:55.28) and 75th (33:33.39) Saint David was ninth with senior Corban Fry at 14th (20:25.44) sophomore Brayden Posey at 43rd (23:11.31) and Saint David sophomore Jaryn Brogan at 76th (42:06.16) sophomore Nathan Merrill at 77th (42:07.04) Tenth place Willcox had sophomore Nathan Riggs at 34th (22:14.03) and freshman Brigham Nolan at 70th (27:27.71) Fort Thomas and Pima both had four entrants apiece while Globe entered two Pima had sophomore Oliver McCray at 12th (20:15.90) and freshman Kia Nieves at 59th (24:47.46); Fort Thomas junior Aiden Victor at 19th (21:12.28) freshman Aaden Anderson at 64th (25:32.22) and junior Koby Hunter at 71st (27:54.88); and Globe junior Easton Phillips at 73rd (28:36.61) and sophomore Karmyne Dude 74th (29:01.98) Thatcher senior Hudson Gibson had a time of 22:13.10 to place first of 26 open runners RIO RICO – Six sectional races in three divisions will be run at 590 Camino Lito Galindo in Rio Rico on Wednesday The top 50 percent of teams and the next seven individual finishers will qualify for the state meet a week later Morenci is one of 14 schools being represented in the Division IV – South Sectional meet Joining the Greenlee County schools are Benson Safford and Thatcher are in the Division III – South Sectional meet In addition to the two Graham County schools and Sahuarita Walden Grove as well as Tucson schools Amphitheater Nine schools were represented in the Discovery Park-held Thatcher Invitational on Oct Whiteriver Alchesay placed first with 45 points Tombstone had three participants and both Globe and Safford had two apiece There were 44 individual finishers with Benson junior Rayleigh Olsen completing the 5,000-meter course in 22:14.95 Alchesay freshman Peyton Parker second (23:13.45) Fort Thomas junior Sadie Harvey third (23:35.17) Benson senior Shannon Frost fourth (24:34.24) and Alchesay freshman Kylie Mansfield fifth (24:29.76) Alchesay’s first-place team award was earned by Parker and junior Teliah Goseyun in 25th (27:54.45) freshman Cedella Stevens and sophomore Abrianna Manson were 26th (28:10.23) and 31st (28:47.59) Thatcher was second with junior Jade Richardson in 13th (25:39.59) sophomore Addison Williams 15th (25:59.94) sophomore Emily Welker and junior Savanna Kartchner were 18th (27:10.61) and 19th (27:15.49) and freshman Sasha Canales at 30th (28:42.56) Morenci was fourth with freshman Katerine Escalona finishing 10th (25:11.38) and freshman Catalina Garcia 33rd (31:01.25) Fifth place Pima had freshman Kaylen Minor at seventh (24:34.04) sophomore Hinckley Nelson at 19th (27:09.96) and freshman Jailey Tilley at 24th (29:20.41) freshman Breanna Gambler at 27th (28:14.57) and freshman Jordyn Hinton 39th (33:33.31) senior Ashante Cheney and freshman Tawnee Jones were 40th (33:48.67) and 41st (34:35.83) three Tombstone sophomores Ayrianna Canez at 11th (25:17.07) and Anastacia Lopez-Gonzales at 34th (31:19.53); Globe sophomores Carina Garcia at 20th (27:28.10) and Alexis Mull at 43rd (42:37.49); and Safford freshman Krista Zale at 38th (33:02.27) and senior Elayne Hatchett at 42nd (36:09.68) The Girls Open race winner Thatcher senior Lizzy Bauman had a 26:38.08 clocking — With the monsoon bringing increased lightning activity fire departments across Southern Arizona are preparing for the inevitable surge in wildland fires the fire district has recently acquired state-of-the-art equipment to enhance their firefighting capabilities firefighters face immense challenges such as smoke the new equipment Rio Rico Fire District recently rolled out is meant mitigate these obstacles — and more One of the district's latest additions is a customized utility task vehicle (UTV) designed to keep firefighters cool and make triage easier in remote areas what our firefighters love is the air conditioning,” noted Frank Granados senior advisor for the Rio Rico Fire District The UTV is not the only advanced technology at their disposal The new Type Three Engine boasts top-of-the-line safety features including an infrared camera that allows firefighters to see through smoke and identify escape routes “We put an infrared camera on there… so these firefighters now can see through smoke… they can see their escape route out of there… if a fire gets ugly,” Granados explained The engine also features 360-degree cameras to assist with sight around the vehicle during smokey conditions and multiple charging ports for electronic devices Both new vehicles have already been deployed proving invaluable in keeping firefighters cool and ready to tackle any fire threats that arise A federal grand jury indicted a man last month on charges of smuggling ammunition across the U.S.-Mexico border His charges include one count of smuggling ammunition assault on a federal officer and possession of ammunition by a prohibited person attempted to cross into Mexico through the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales on Oct When customs officers attempted to inspect his vehicle When a customs officer reached into Soto-Morando's truck to stop him from leaving Soto-Morando propelled toward the gate and crashed into a pillar on the United States side The crash threw the officer from Soto-Morando’s truck two other officers shot Soto-Morando twice They searched the truck and found 3,140 rounds of ammunition hidden in the spare tire Soto-Morando is also alleged to be a convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years for smuggling goods 20 years for assault on a federal officer and 15 years for possession of ammunition by a prohibited person Each offense also carries a fine of up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release The FBI is conducting the investigation in this case Assistant United States Attorney Nathaniel J Ties to Arizona: Trump's new Customs and Border Protection nominee grew up in Nogales Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Karol Escalona reaches for a cup from Anthony Heathman to hydrate after a cross-country run It was a recent practice session in Morenci The Wildcats opened the season in Rio Rico on Aug 29 and have four more meets before hosting their own on Oct MORENCI – They have logged miles and miles on the hills and streets of Morenci and Clifton as well as along the San Francisco River on the road to nowhere above the Polly Rosenbaum Bridge a respite with the initial meet of the season David Woodall-coached Morenci cross-country teams returned from the Aug Senior Trent Nelson set the pace for the Wildcats with a clocking of 18:56.6 for 31st of 79 first four runners with the winning time being 16:41.3. Senior Anthony Heathman was 41st (19:26.6) Freshman Ryder Nelson was 25th (20:16.3) of 66 for the fifth through eighth group. Freshman Braxton Merrill finished 42nd (20:58.0), junior Lyndale Waterhouse 51st (21:47.8) Senior Tristen Burke was 72nd (24:33.8) in the Open Division. Senior Bryant Figueroa Personal best times have been 17:20.5 for Trent Nelson as a sophomore in 2022 22:06.5 for Esquivel, 25:40.6 for Burke A total of 24 other teams also attended the meet along with Tucson schools Andrada Polytechnic Freshman Katerine Escalona turned in a 25:16.3 time for 40th of 56 first four runners Sophomore Hazel Salinas was 42nd (25:18.2) freshmen Peytin Corbel was 22nd (27:42.9) and Catalina Garcia 38th (29:22.6) of 70. Junior Karol Escalona did not compete Personal best times for Salinas and Karol Escalona were 23:23.2 and 23:24.2 The Wildcats are scheduled to attend the Tombstone-held Justine Prevatte Classic on Wednesday the New Mexico Bayard Cobre Invitational on Sept 19 before hosting the Copper Hills Classic on Oct