Daniel Mendenhall is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Sunrise Mountain High School for AZPreps365.com

The Sunrise Mountain Mustangs were not always having consistent seasons of impressive winning records and state tournament appearances.

Matter of fact, head coach Jennifer Tolle has seen much of her team’s success just recently. This all started when they began their six-season stretch of winning in 2018.

Tolle credits much of this success to her players and the performances they put on for the team. “It’s just great players,” Tolle said. “We’ve had a couple groups of kids that have come through and that have been four-year varsity players.”

The humbleness of their coach and the chemistry between the players is what makes the Mustangs team so special.

“I like how connected we all are,” said sophomore forward Addison Wiemann. “We’re always with each other before games, after games, and that really helps our connections on the court as well.”

While Sunrise has had consistently solid win-loss records since its 2018-2019 season, this new tightknit group seems to be operating on a new level. The Mustangs won their first state championship in the school’s history during the 2022-2023 season.

This prestigious achievement came after recording an impressive 16-2 record in the regular season. This was a very special moment that brought the Sunrise Mountain community together to support the team.

“It was such a community thing,” Tolle said. “Former players reached out, former coaches came to the game, and it was just cool to see our entire community get to enjoy it.”

This was a revenge season for the Mustangs after they made it all the way to the 5A state championship, ultimately falling short to the Millennium Tigers 30-59 in 2020. This was a disappointing loss considering their impressive 18-0 record that season.

“From last season towards the end of the season, everyone grew super close due to our state championship win,” said junior guard Savanna Dotray. This experience has only made the team that much hungrier for another state championship appearance.

Sunrise Mountain currently ranks fifth in the 5A Conference sitting at a notable 15-3 record in the regular season. The Mustangs’ 22-54 loss at Seton Catholic Prep in the open state championship has not affected their determination to succeed in the 5A state tournament.

“We try to just do the same thing to prepare for every game,” Tolle said. “We think about each game as its own thing and don’t worry too much whether we won the last game or we lost the last game.”

This idea of committing to a matchup one at a time has proved to be quite helpful in Tolle’s 14-year career serving as head coach for the Mustangs. She has established a winning culture with her team in Peoria and they will continue to fight together for back-to-back championship wins.

Sunrise Mountain faces off against the Higley Knights on Thursday in the second round of the 5A state tournament. The Mustangs will continue to pursue that same unforgettable experience from last season.

“All of our coaches are really confident in us,” Dotray said. “I think we can defend our title this year.”