McCormick Ranch Real Estate & Homes » Fun Stuff

Chaparral High School football team wins 2009 Arizona 5A-II championship!

John Wake — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 07:23:08 +0000

Congratulations!

Chaparral’s emotional year ends with 5A-II title, East Valley Tribune.
Chaparral defeats No. 22 Marcos de Niza to claim Ariz. state title, USA Today.
Chaparral’s Brewer shines on big stage, Arizona Republic.

Saguaro vs. Chaparral in Arizona High School Football Championship

John Wake — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:17:22 +0000

No sales in McCormick Ranch for a week! That’s wild. But we have some good news.

The Arizona State 4A-I High School football championship game will be next Saturday at Sun Devil Stadium between Scottsdale arch rivals Saguaro High School and Chaparral High School.

Saguaro is currently running a 32 game winning streak including 2 state championships!

It used to be Chaparral was the sole football powerhouse in Scottsdale earning several state championships, the most recent in 2002.

The kids in the southern part of McCormick Ranch go to Saguaro while the kids in the northern part of McCormick Ranch go to Chaparral. Ditto Paradise Valley; the south kids go to Saguaro and the north kids go to Chaparral. In addition, McDowell Mountain Ranch kids go to Saguaro while DC Ranch kids go to Chaparral. (In fact, kids can go to any public school they want to in the State but these are the catchment areas.) Scottsdale Unified School District high school boundary map.

On October 17, then #1 Saguaro met then #3 Chaparral in what we thought was the last McCormick Ranch Bowl because next year Chaparral moves up to Class 5A Division II with its larger student body. Saguaro won 21-0. That was Chaparral’s only loss of the season.

In the semi-finals on Friday, Saguaro beat Peoria 17-14 (don’t miss the video) and Chaparral beat Tucson Canyon Del Oro 13-7 (don’t miss the extra photos).

What a storybook ending to this great rivalry, the Arizona State Championship Game!

Good luck kids! You’re all winners in my book.

2008-2009 4A Division I Arizona State Football Championship Game

Scottsdale Saguaro (13-0) vs. Scottsdale Chaparral (12-1)
Saturday, December 6, 2008
3:00 PM
Sun Devil Stadium – ASU

McCormick Ranch Bowl – #1 Saguaro beats #3 Chaparral, 21-0

John Wake — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 06:23:46 +0000

Once again it was a battle of two undefeated 4A-I football teams when #1 Saguaro High School met #3 Chaparral High School in the McCormick Ranch Bowl.

Saguaro was the Arizona State 4A-1 Football Champions the last two years and this win was the 26th in a row for Saguaro.

Last McCormick Ranch Bowl?

This is likely the last year for this great Arizona football rivalry because Chaparral with it’s larger student body will move up to 5A-II next year.

BTW, I have no idea where that writer got his opening gambit, “The blue collar boys from south Scottsdale put in another honest dayâ€™s work.” Blue collar boys? Huh? Sure, Saguaro is south of Chaparral but Saguaro not only includes half of McCormick Ranch but half of Paradise Valley as well as all of McDowell Mountain Ranch. See Scottsdale Unified School District High School Boundary Map.

Scottsdale Pavillions major renovation planned

John Wake — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:30:27 +0000

Mervyns also closing in the Scottsdale Pavillions.

DeRito Partners Inc. is going ahead with a major renovation of Scottsdale Pavilions despite a growing number of vacancies at the 1. About & Contact. Herbal Viagra. Ashwafera Heart Shield. Ortholife ASHWAFERA (generic)twitter. 1 million-square-foot power center.

Mervyns announced earlier this week that it is closing its department store there. About 25 percent of the storefronts at the center are vacant, accounting for 255,000 square feet.

DeRito’s plan, which includes an aggressive marketing campaign, comes at a time when the cumulative effect of deterioration on the center has taken a toll, especially on the number of retailer Pail Withdrawal in an easy way. Paroxetine is available as Paxil, Paxil CR, Pexeva, and generic paroxetine hydrochloride. Paxil Paroxetine is available as Paxil, Paxil CR, Pexeva, and generic paroxetine hydrochloride. Is your baby suffering from birth defects. s.

In addition, a rival developer is set to build another large power center just down the street.

I wonder where that new power center will be?

McCormick Ranch Landscape & Garden Fair – FREE!

John Wake — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 21:26:12 +0000

Saturday, March 15
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Mountain View Park
8625 E. Mountain View Rd (East of Hayden Rd on Mountain View)
On the soccer field closest to Mountain View Road and right next to the Community Center.

McCormick Ranch Landscape & Garden Fair

My wife Liz and I have put together a nice little educational fair about gardening and landscaping for adults and children. This is purely an educational fair, no money will exchange hands.

It’s also a wonderful opportunity for me as a Realtor to meet other McCormick Ranch homeowners in a fun atmosphere. Liz and I both have college degrees in agriculture so putting on this first McCormick Ranch Landscape and Garden Fair is great fun for us.

We will have 10 tables with different experts and activities. It will be located on the soccer field closest to Mountain View Road which is the field right next to the Community Center.

For the Kids

Liz and her friend Donna who has a degree in Botany will be helping kids decorate and plant mini-pots to take home.

We are testing what to recommend to kids that they plant in their mini-pots after they decorate them. We want to plant things that start to grow quickly to help keep the kids interested after they get the pot back home.

So far the little pots throughout our kitchen are telling us radishes and garlic are fast starters. We will have other flower and vegetable seeds as well. The child gets to choose and make the pot their own.

For the Adults

FREE 6-Pack of Annual Color for First 100

Come by my table and bring the postcard I sent you to get a free 6-pack of annual color to help you get started. (I you didn’t receive a postcard, print out this page and bring it with you to get a free 6-pack of annual color while supplies last.)

If you have any questions about planting the flowers, there’s no better place to be to get answers.

Master Gardener Volunteers

Have you ever wondered when to fertilizer your citrus trees? Or when to plant a citrus tree? Have you wondered how to get started with a vegetable garden?

From vegetables to landscape plants these are great experts to ask.

Scottsdale Rose Society

Roses grow very well in Scottsdale… but you need to know the right varieties and how to care for them here.

Do you have a rose in your yard but you don’t know how to take care of it? This is your chance to talk to an expert about making that rose happy and beautiful.

Would you like to plant some roses but don’t know where to begin? Now’s your chance to learn how.

John Harper, Owner of William T. Jenkins Landscape and Irrigation

John Harper has been working on McCormick Ranch landscapes since both were very young, the early 1970’s. Now he owns the company. No one knows McCormick Ranch landscapes like John.

In addition, John is an irrigation expert as shown in his company’s name. If you’ve been having problems with your irrigation system… who isn’t?… this is your chance to pick the brain of a real expert.

Arik Solberg, Landscape Designer with Unique Landscapes

By the way, Arik has taken all the Master Gardening classes from Maricopa County Extension himself.

Come and get landscape ideas by looking at photos of his previous work.

Alexandra Duemer, Owner and Publisher of McCormick Ranch Lifestyle Magazine

Stop by and chat about living in McCormick Ranch with this McCormick Ranch mom and entrepreneur who grew up in McCormick Ranch.

Do you have a good idea for an article for her magazine? Come and meet Alexandra.

Amy Rozines, Owner of Showcase Home Staging

You’ve seen home stagers all over TV. Now you can meet a real live home stager! If you plan to sell your home soon, you’ll love talking to Amy about how to prepare your home to sell quickly for top dollar. If you have any interior design questions, Amy’s the one to ask.

(By the way, I provide my clients with a free, full blown consultation with a home stager.)

Scottsdale Water Conservation

We’ll also have an un-manned table with information from the City of Scottsdale about Water Conservation. Did you know you can get money from the City for converting lawn into desert landscaping?

Here’s a gorgeous landscape in Estate Los Arboles 2 in McCormick Ranch, Scottsdale Arizona.

McCormick Ranch Landscape and Garden Fair!

John Wake — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 04:05:18 +0000

We got our postcard announcing the Fair in the mail today! Cool. Everything is on track for this Saturday from 10:00 to 2:00!

I’ll have a complete post tomorrow with who will be “exhibiting” and the activities Liz is putting together for the kids.

My wife, Liz, has been having a ton of fun planning the kids activities. [It's reminding us of when our boys were young.]

Saguaro WINS State Championship!

John Wake — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 17:19:23 +0000

Saguaro High School kicked a field goal with 6 seconds left to win 23-21 over Canyon Del Oro (Tucson) in an incredibly exciting game, where Saguaro had to convert two 4th down plays to keep their game winning field goal drive alive.

Be sure and check out the video in the upper right column in the Arizona Republic story. Especially, don’t miss the sportsmanship shown in the final frames.

Scottsdale’s first planning director lauded as outstanding visionary

John Wake — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 14:47:06 +0000

It sure looks like McCormick Ranch was one of the greatest legacies of George Fretz.

The city’s first planning director who later became the planning guru for Scottsdale’s first master-planned community, McCormick Ranch, has left a legacy as one of the city’s most outstanding and productive visionaries.

George Fretz, who is credited with “having his finger on the pulse of the city” during the 1960s and 1970s, died Friday morning while on a hunting trip with his sons, David and Drew. He was 83.

“I knew George for 35 years,” said McCormick Ranch’s executive director Garth Saager. “He was an outdoorsman and had a cabin at Kenai, Alaska, where we fished for king salmon. We had a lot of fun up there.”

Saager considers the deceased a visionary in league with former Councilman Bill Walton and developer Bill Arthur.

“He was in charge of laying out (McCormick) Ranch when he was city planning director. Later he was hired by Kaiser-Aetna to lay out the subdivisions and the streets,” Saager said.

Arthur was chairman of Scottsdale’s Planning Commission when Fretz arrived in Scottsdale from Chula Vista, Calif., in 1963.

“George was really a great visionary. He had his finger on the pulse of the city,” Arthur said.

Scottsdale’s general plan, sign ordinance, subdivision designs, the Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt, underground utilities and the city’s first master-planned community, McCormick Ranch, were all established during his tenure as planning director, Arthur said.

Bill Schrader, a former Scottsdale mayor, hired Fretz away from the city of Chula Vista.

“He knew nothing about Scottsdale,” Schrader said adding that when Fretz arrived, he liked what he saw and said “I’ll take the job.”

“George laid out the framework for what we have today. He served as our planner until 1970 and then he planned McCormick Ranch which is the most beautiful area in the city,” Schrader said.

“He made us a wonderful city with his vision and his eye to the future as well as the present,” offered historian Patricia Myers. “I live on McCormick Ranch and it’s a beautiful community with small villages within a community.”

Don Prior, an engineering design consultant and former city councilman, first met Fretz in 1971.

“He was a visionary and brought quality development from California and built the first master-planned community in Arizona. (McCormick Ranch) That helped to bring about all the other quality developments that we have today,” Prior said.

Saguaro vs. Tucson Canyon del Oro in Championship Game

John Wake — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 16:41:23 +0000

University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale

1:07 p.m. Saturday, December 9

CLASS 4A DIVISION I

Tucson Canyon del Oro vs. Scottsdale Saguaro

Directions

Saguaro QB nabs big award

John Wake — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 16:37:38 +0000

Saguaro High senior quarterback Tim Ruben has helped Saguaro win 17 straight games, a state championship, is on the verge of rushing for 2,000 yards to go with his 2,000 passing yards.

And now he can call himself the best in Arizona. At least as far as Gatorade is concerned.

Ruben, who has yet to commit to a major college, was chosen Friday as the Gatorade Player of the Year in Arizona in football.

It’s an incredible rise for a kid who started his junior season as a parttime player, sharing quarterback duties.

Because of an injury to the other quarterback, Ruben became the fulltime guy and promptly led the Sabercats to the Class 4A Division I championship.

He came into Friday night’s state semifinal game against Scottsdale rival Chaparral needed 132 yards to reach 2,000 rushing yards. He has surpassed 2,000 passing yards.

Ruben is now eligible for national player of the year honors.