Legend has it that the late great Yogi Berra once said, “It’s not over till it’s over,” or something similar, and I’m beginning to believe longtime Estrella Foothills coach Jennifer Gonzales is living proof of just how true that phrase is. Down 19-16 to Mica Mountain in the first set of the 4A championship match on Saturday, the Wolves closed out the set on a nine to four run to take it 25-23. The victory there propelled the team to a 3-0 sweep over the Thunderbolts and a second title since 2022.

Judging by recent events, the comebacks by the Wolves are nothing new. Ranked No. 3 in the state playoffs, Estrella Foothills came back from a 2-1 set deficit to No. 6 Thunderbird in the quarterfinal round to take that match 3-2. Then, down 21-16 at No. 2 Salpointe in the fourth set of a semifinal match on Thursday, the Wolves took that set 25-23 to avoid a deciding fifth set on the road. Almost everything has to work for that to happen. No service errors, no pulling punches at the net and staying focused.

“You tell them it just takes one point at a time, hold them here, and we chip away one point at a time,” Gonzales said. “They believe that and the never get rattled. And then Sadie saved her best for last.”

“Sadie” is junior outside Sadie Snyder. Never one to take any kind of credit, Snyder recorded a championship-match high 15 kills and five aces but seven of those kills and two of those aces came in the first set. Aubrey Necas took an Addison Andrews offering to put Mica Mountain back on top 22-21 but a service error and a kill from Toto Carter to Snyder tied it back up 22-22 and then Wolves went on to take it 25-23.

Estrella Foothills won the second set 25-16 to go up 2-0 and things were going smoothly for the Wolves in the third set until the Thunderbolts went on a run of their own to cut a 20-10 deficit down to 23-20 but the lead was too much to overcome and the Wolves won the third set 25-20.

Soso Okpara and Aubrie Fellmeth finished with nine kills each for Mica Mountain and Necas added eight on 28 assists from Andrews. Necas also had three aces. Snyder had her 15 kills and five aces to go along with 11 kills from Kaylee O’Conner, who put down the championship score in the third set.

As mentioned before, Estrella Foothills won the 2022 state championship but the team also took second place last year before taking it all again this fall. Gonzales will lose seven seniors to graduation, including Carter, who will be playing for Tennessee State as an early graduate.

“We have to reload,” Gonzales added. “Every year, we always build from the bottom.”

Mica Mountain is coached by legendary head coach Amy Johnson, who recently passed the combined 800-win mark. Johnson led the Salpointe boys to a 2011 runner-up finish and she helped rebuild the Sabino program before taking over at Mica Mountain where she guided the program to a semifinal finish in the second year as a full program last fall to go with her runner-up finish this year. Johnson will have to replace six seniors including Okpara, who will be playing for the Air Force Academy.