Boulder Creek brings 1st state title to Anthem
Marc Buckhout ~ Managing Editor ~ 03/04/2010

As Boulder Creek junior Ryan Zettle flipped the ball into the air and the final horn sounded a wild celebration erupted at center court inside Arizona State University’s Wells Fargo Arena on March 3.
Hugs were plentiful and tears were shed as players and coaches celebrated a 59-58 win over No. 7 Chaparral in the 5A Div-II state championship game, the first state championship in the basketball program’s history.
Zettle, who prior to the tournament had said he and his teammates were looking to, “live the dream,” made it a reality when he hit the game-winning three pointer with 10.9 seconds left.
“The play was supposed to go to either Alex (Dykhuizen) or Ryan (Crane), but coming out of the timeout I asked coach if I could shoot if the guy guarding me went under the screen,” Zettle said. “He went under and I was wide open so I took it.”
While Zettle’s clutch shot gave his team the lead the Firebirds would get one final chance to try and win the back-and-forth affair which included 15 lead changes.
Following a timeout Chaparral’s Luke Roh drove to the basket and passed the ball to Zeke Chapman, who appeared as though he would have an open shot from right underneath the basket.
Instead freshman Josh Braun, who played well beyond his years throughout the season, but especially during the Jaguars four-game run through the state tournament, came flying in from the weak side and blocked Chapman’s attempt with two second remaining to preserve the win.
“I just saw the guy penetrate and coach always tell us you have to help the helper on defense,” Braun explained. “Ryan stepped in front of the first guy and out of the corner of my eye I saw where he was going to pass the ball. I just tried to make it a tough shot. I love these guys. I am so happy to be a part of this team.”
While Zettle and Braun had the punctuating plays to a school best 28-2 season, which concluded with 20 straight wins, heroes were plentiful for coach Randy Walker’s team.
“All year we said it doesn’t matter who gets the credit as long as the job gets done,” said the veteran coach, in his second year with Boulder Creek. “Some games a player might get 10 seconds, some games they might play 32 minutes, but all of them believed they could play a part in our success. I couldn’t be more proud of a team. Nothing I’ve experienced in coaching compares to this.”
Whether it was Walker’s level-headed, even-tempered demeanor on the sideline, or the example set by senior team captains Dykhuizen and Crane the Jaguars displayed an ability to conquer adversity throughout the tournament, overcoming second half deficits of at least six points in three of the four state games.
Crane’s senior season, one which included Northwest Region MVP honors after leading Boulder Creek in scoring, was an opportunity to make up for lost time as the guard bounced back from an ACL injury which ended his junior season after only one game.
“This feels so great,” he said after a 12-point performance that included nine of the team’s 16 fourth quarter points. “We have a real poised team and we believe in each other. I don’t know what to say. We have a great bunch of players and coaches. It was a total team effort.”
Dykhuizen, who finished his career as the program’s all-time leading scorer, was able to overcome a series of both physical and mental challenges during the season.
The senior was in an ATV accident this summer in which one of his friends was killed. The accident caused the Jaguars star to experience severe headaches throughout the summer, a condition that flared up again in the postseason when he fell and was kicked during the team’s regular season finale. To make matter worse he came down with the flu heading into the two biggest games of the season, requiring IV treatments in order to play in the March 2 semifinal win over Horizon and the March 3 championship game.
Despite the challenges it was Dykhuizen who kept his team afloat when they were struggling for offense in the third quarter. After Chaparral increased its lead to seven at the 4:20 mark of the third quarter, as part of a 10-3 run, the Jaguars forward scored six straight points for his team on a pair of drives and then a pretty drop-step move in the post that regained momentum for Boulder Creek.
When Zettle hoisted in a buzzer-beater from well beyond half court to end the third quarter, a seven-point hole had been transformed into a three-point advantage for the team from Anthem.
An offense that had struggled in the opening round and the quarterfinals rediscovered its fluidity on the biggest stage regaining its accustomed precision.
“I think once we got past the first two rounds, and knew we had improved on what we accomplished last year we were able to relax a little,” Dykhuizen said. “I’ve never been on a team this close. It didn’t matter what the situation was we always felt we could come out on top. Coach Walker helped us get to where we felt that way. He taught us a new work ethic and it helped us figure out how good we could be.”
In addressing his team in the locker room following the game Walker said he hoped the accomplishment, in going from a program that had never had a winning season to one that would win a state title in just two seasons, would be something they could reflect back on as inspiration.
“Don’t ever let anybody tell you you can’t do something,” he said.
Walker later explained that the players didn’t want to let one and other down.
“This team proved what’s possible when you do the right things and work as hard as you possibly can,” he said. “We played to our strengths all season. I feel really lucky to have had the chance to work with these kids.”

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