The East Valley put up another representative year in terms of state title and individual performances in 2011-2012. Some were shocking, others same old, same old. They're still worth recounting. Here are 10 selected remembrances and in no particular order.

1. Desert Vista's Division I football championship. The 2011 season was very different from many in the past for Dan Hinds and the Thunder. Rather than playing to the level of the competition pretty much every week. Desert Vista produced consistent play week in and week out. The Thunder's lone bad week was a 35-10 thumping at the hands of  three-time defending big-school champ Hamilton around midseason. That week followed Desert Vista's thrilling come-from-behind win over Division II power Saguaro, one in which Desert Vista erased a 28-3 deficit and won, 31-28.  When Desert Vista and Hamilton advanced to the D-I final on Thanksgiving weekend, most everyone was expecting the Huskies to breeze to a fourth title. Not so. Desert Vista dominated in most every facet and pulled off a stunning, definitive triumph, 45-19.

2. Alex Lawson, Corona del Sol boys tennis. An equal opportunity state champ four times. Lawson won two doubles titles and two singles titles in his sterling career for the Aztecs. His singles triumphs both came after losing the first set and one of doubles triumphs with teammate Kyle Ogren both years (freshman year) took three sets to prevail. Dominating for the most part and clutch when it counted in the finals, Lawson was Corona's highlight of the spring team-or individual -wise and he's headed to Notre Dame for college.

3. Highland wins two team titles, firsts for both. Highland, a Gilbert school ready to embark on its third decade, took home a boys cross country title and a girls soccer crown. The boys cross country crown gave long-time coach Dave Montgomery his first-ever title. Montgomery's teams had come close to titles before, but to win one after a couple decades was a joyous and emotional time for Monty. The girls soccer final was a four-overtime, penalty kick, 2-1 win for the Hawks and coach John Berzins over the previous year's champ, Hamilton. It was grueling enough for the players, but as a writer covering it,  I needed a pick-me-up after the match.

4. Chandler district AD John Carlson retires. Carlson helped oversee the rapid growth of the district in athletics starting with Hamilton's arrival in 1998 and followed up by Basha and Perry in the new millennium. But Carlson will always be known for his passion for wrestling. Carlson is former champion wrestler at several levels, a championship coach and arguably wrestling's biggest fan and advocate. I recall the fire in his eye in 1989 when he coached Chandler HIgh to the state title over Sunnyside. It was like he was one of the wrestler's that night. In recent years he's been more relaxed, helping score and coordinate meets of all levels, yet just as passionate. There are more guys out there like Carlson, but not many.

5. Gilbert High twin-titles in volleyball. If you enjoy power volleyball and watching devastating hitters at work, Gilbert High was the place to be in the fall for girls and spring for boys. Gilbert took a dramatic five-game title match with Horizon in Division I behind senior hitter Macey Gardner and junior hitter Penina Snuka. When those two were on a roll the Tigers were close to, if not,  unbeatable. The boys, bringing a  complete game to teh court most of the season and every night during state,  followed suit  two weeks ago. They took down Brophy in four games. Junior Cody Martin, who plays a pretty fair game of basketball, too,  pounded winners all year and likely swayed any fence-sitters for player of the year honors with his prowess.

6. Seton girls volleyball four-peat, girls basketball three-peat. Expected and somewhat unexpected. That's what state titles won by Seton's girls volleyball team and girls basketball team were. Seton's four-peat had a lot to do with four-year standout Haley Lawless, who finished her prep career with four championship rings and dominating play for coach James Felton. Lawless is taking her game to UCLA this fall. If you took a gander at Seton's girls basketball team in mid-December at the Nike Tournament of Champions, they hardly resembled a championship-caliber team. Coach Karen Self realized that, but that didn't stop her from emphasizing an area that can keep a team in contention if they're all on board -- defense. Lacking some athleticism and firepower of its two previous state title teams, a hard-nosed work ethic on defense propelled the Sentinels to a surprising triumph over Peoria and a third straight title. Several teams in Division II looked in warmups like they would overmatch Seton, but defense was the trump card. Self will never forget any of her championship teams, and certainly not her 2012 entry.

7. Corona del Sol boys basketball wins with focus. After seeing their 2010-2011 season abruptly end at the hands of what turned out to be a state-tournament-time juggernaut in Mesa Mountain View, Corona del Sol took time shortly after its quarterfinal loss to hone in on 2011-2012. The Aztecs' focus was 20-20. Suffering only a pre-season tournament loss to Mesquite the first week of the season, the Aztecs and coach Sammy Duane Jr. reeled off a 32-1 campaign and 30 consecutive wins to take the 2012 Division I championship. Four starters returning from the prior season - Calaen Robinson, Casey Benson, Avery Moss and Andrus Peat  -- were primed for a title run. And on several nights during the season, play from a very deep bench picked up the slack to help secure some tight wins. Sam Duane Sr. and Sam Duane Jr. can now quibble over which Corona del Sol team is the best of all-time.

8. Red Mountain softball nets a three-peat.  Two solid, seasoned pitchers. A team that could bunt or bomb opponents into submission and timely, if not improved defense as the season progressed added up to the Mountain Lions and coach Rich Hamilton claiming a third straight big-school title. Pitchers Bre Macha and Siera Phiilips combined for 27 wins. Not many teams had hitters at the top of the order as likely to bunt for hits as slap or slug for them. That's what Haley Culley and Payton Kornfeind did to help rally Red Mountain to a 4-3 win over Mountain Ridge with the lone undefeated spot at state on the line. And take your pick of Phillips, Jordan Beck, Ashley Hill  even a couple others delivering a timely hit down in the order. Red Mountain posted its best record ever -- 35-3 -- and  won its final 19 games in a row.

9. Boys soccer title saves Hamilton's streak of state championships. Football, baseball and boys golf  have been staples of Hamilton's state-title warehouse since the school became a player at the turn of the century. Those  along with one girls golf and one girls soccer crown added up to at least one state title each year beginning with the 2002-2003 school year. Filling the gap for 2011-2012 and extending that streak to 10 years was boys soccer. Coach Nick Markette's squad, which had lost three matches over the last two years by one goal each to Brophy, got some satisfaction in February with a 2-1 win in the title match over the Broncos. That came courtesty of two goals -- both by Jordan Fletcher. The second came in overtime.

10. Chandler High wins most state titles in EV -- three. What put Chandler over the top in most titles won was its Division I wrestling crown, scratched out in a tight battle with Cibola, Desert Vista, Horizon, Sunnyside and Corona del Sol. Chandler had five of its wrestlers place led by state champs Dalton Brady (120 pounds and undefeated) and Tristan Moran (106). that title was the first for Chandler coach Vidal Mejia. Girls track titles have been a given lately for coach Eric Richardson and Chandler, which won its seventh consecutive big-school crown. Last year boys track just missed. The Wolves doubled up this time by leap-frogging Brophy. Chandler's boys, coached by Steve Carson, have won four of the last seven big-school team titles. Chandler's girls track team managed  four individual titles (two each by Ky Westbrook and Makaila Flannigan). The boys picked up two individual titles (Shawn Collins in the shot and Travis Colby, discus).