Arizona
Eaglestaff leads North Dakota against Northern Arizona after 24-point game
North Dakota Fightin’ Hawks (8-8, 0-2 Summit League) at Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (6-8, 0-1 Big Sky)
Flagstaff, Arizona; Saturday, 3 p.m. EST
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Lumberjacks -1.5; over/under is 141
BOTTOM LINE: North Dakota visits the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks after Treysen Eaglestaff scored 24 points in North Dakota’s 97-87 loss to the Northern Colorado Bears.
The Lumberjacks have gone 2-0 at home. Northern Arizona has a 1-7 record in games decided by 10 or more points.
The Fightin’ Hawks are 2-5 on the road. North Dakota ranks fourth in the Summit League scoring 34.0 points per game in the paint led by B.J. Omot averaging 6.0.
Northern Arizona scores 66.1 points per game, 5.8 fewer points than the 71.9 North Dakota allows. North Dakota averages 8.1 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.6 more made shots on average than the 6.5 per game Northern Arizona gives up.
TOP PERFORMERS: Trenton McLaughlin is averaging 15.1 points and 1.5 steals for the Lumberjacks.
Eaglestaff averages 2.6 made 3-pointers per game for the Fightin’ Hawks, scoring 14.5 points while shooting 36.2% from beyond the arc.
LAST 10 GAMES: Lumberjacks: 5-5, averaging 68.9 points, 29.3 rebounds, 13.4 assists, 5.5 steals and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 44.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.6 points per game.
Fightin’ Hawks: 3-7, averaging 70.9 points, 35.1 rebounds, 11.0 assists, 6.0 steals and 2.8 blocks per game while shooting 41.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 69.9 points.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Arizona
NFL mock draft: Arizona Cardinals fill biggest needs in 4-round mock
The 2026 NFL draft is still more than a month away, and we are beginning to get more multi-round mock drafts. We have a four-round mock draft from NFL.com’s Chad Reuter.
What does that mean for the Arizona Cardinals, who have one pick in each round? In this case, it means hitting their four biggest needs with their first four picks.
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Let’s see.
Round 1, pick No. 3: Miami OT Francis Mauigoa
The Cardinals don’t overthink this pick. Mauigoa’s a strong, hard-nosed run blocker who fills a major need in Arizona and should be an NFL starter for a decade.
This pick appears to be destined for one of two routes — a tackle or a pass rusher. The question is whether they value Mauigoa over David Bailey, who goes with the very next pick of this mock draft, or another pass rusher.
The Cardinals have not done anything on the defensive edge this offseason. They have made some minor moves at right tackle.
Round 2, pick No. 34: Clemson EDGE T.J. Parker
If they don’t get a pass rusher in Round 1, it makes sense to go with one in Round 2. Parker looks the part at 6-4, 263 pounds with long 33 1/8-inch arms.
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He had 11 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss in 2024 but saw his production dip to five sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss last season.
Round 3, pick No. 65: LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier
Yes, it makes sense for the Cardinals to draft a quarterback, one they can develop a bit. Nussmeier has the tools but was very inconsistent.
Round 4, pick No. 104: Alabama DT Tim Keenan
The Cardinals have thrown bodies on the defensive line this offseason, signing three and re-signing one. Getting one on Day 3 who is more of a space-eater than playmaker would continue with this trend.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: NFL mock draft: Arizona Cardinals fill biggest needs in 4-round mock
Arizona
20K fans back bid for pro women’s soccer team at Fiesta Mall site
Developers begin Fiesta Mall demolition, tearing down 80-acre site
It could take more than a week to fully raze the shuttered mall, located on an 80-acre site in Mesa.
Joel Angel Juarez, Arizona Republic
Nearly 20,000 people signed a fan initiative to attract a National Women’s Soccer League team to Mesa’s former Fiesta Mall site, its developer said.
Now known as the Palo District, the 80-acre site along Alma School Road and Southern Avenue is poised for a major transformation that its owner, Vicki Mayo, hopes will be a hub for women’s sports.
Mayo is aiming to attract Arizona’s first National Women’s Soccer League by building a 25,000-seat enclosed soccer stadium that is planned to break ground in the summer.
Her company, Sunny Day Sports, an investment firm, launched an initiative in January called the Founding Fan to showcase that the development would be a “perfect” location for a professional women’s soccer team.
She said the initial goal was to get 10,000 founding fans in 10 days, but exceeded that by reaching over 15,000 signups in that time frame. Now that number is close to 20,000 fans, she said.
The aim is to show the NWSL that metro Phoenix has a fan base and interest to sustain a team.
The 2026 NWSL season launched in March, debuting two new teams and expanding from 14 to 16 teams.
In 2028, two new teams are expected to debut, including the already announced 17th franchise in Atlanta.
NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman, in her 2026 Kickoff Address, stated the 18th team would be awarded later this year, USAToday reported on March 13.
The league would not “comment on specific markets or pending bids,” said Jennifer Levine, the vice president of public relations and communications for the NWSL.
She said the league was engaging in a “deliberate, rolling expansion process with a number of world-class potential ownership groups as we look toward the future of the league.”
Mayo said she was “not at liberty to disclose” if she’s had conversations with the league to pitch Arizona and the Palo District.
Are professional soccer leagues interested in Arizona?
The state doesn’t have any top-level professional soccer leagues, neither men’s nor women’s teams, but several amateur or minor leagues exist. That includes the Phoenix Rising soccer team in the United Soccer League, a tier below MLS.
The men’s Major League Soccer organization has flirted with the possibility of coming to Arizona for years and most recently hinted it could land in Mesa at a different site. It also appears that the political will to welcome a soccer team is there, as city officials stated in 2024 that it had entertained conversations.
A women’s professional soccer team could see an easier pathway to landing in Arizona and is the focus of the Palo District, according to Mayo.
Several amateur or minor-league women’s soccer clubs have formed over the years. Most recently, the Women’s Premier Soccer League announced a new team would be based at the Peoria Sports Complex. Those teams are created both to build a fan base and to cultivate local talent.
Mayo wants to build on the state’s popularity of youth soccer and keep rising talent in the state.
The Arizona Soccer Association reported that “more than 55,000 boys and girls” are participating in 45-plus clubs throughout the state in 2026.
She said she wants women coming out of those youth programs to have an opportunity to play in Arizona.
“I want these girls that are top tier that want to play pro to be able to stay in their home state and play for their home team,” she said.
Women like Julie Ertz from Mesa, who went on to play in Chicago and Los Angeles. Ertz made 123 appearances with the women’s national team and was in the NWSL between the 2014 and 2023 seasons.
Several other women soccer players with Arizona backgrounds have gone on to play in the NWSL and on the national team.
Mayo said she hopes the planned 25,000-seat “fully enclosed, fully domed” stadium with air conditioning and a retractable grass pitch will be sufficient to attract a professional soccer team.
Details surrounding the financing of the project remained slim. The Mesa City Council in November approved the creation of a theme park district, which will provide a dedicated financing system and a board that will be in charge of that system. It was not immediately known when the board would gather for its first meeting.
What’s planned for the former Fiesta Mall site?
The Palo District is developing with a focus on women’s sports and health.
It previously announced a women’s sports wellness campus in December as an anchor and “cornerstone” project that will be a $100 million capital investment in partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona.
An AI venture studio, WaveX, backed by LG Electronics, will also be featured at the site.
Two massive hotels with a combined 600 rooms are also planned at the site. The flagship hotel will tie directly into the stadium, which will bring a “VIP” experience, she said. It will be a 4 to 4.5-star property, she said.
“We’re in active conversations with a number of leading hotel chains to see which brand we’re going to solidify on and bring on,” Mayo said.
Like this story? Get more East Valley news straight into your email inbox by signing up for our free weekly East Valley Newsletter, which comes out on Wednesdays.
Is there something under construction you’d like to tell us about or find out more about? Reporter Maritza Dominguez, who covers Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek, can be reached at maritza.dominguez@arizonarepublic.com or 480-271-0646. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @maritzacdom.
Arizona
100-degree heat hits busy Arizona wedding weekend in Maricopa
MARICOPA, Ariz. – It’s one of the busiest times of year for weddings in Arizona, usually because the weather couldn’t be better. But this weekend, the heat is changing plans for some couples getting ready to say “I do.”
Marriage is all about adjusting and adapting — something Elle Vanderham and Reece Pocock have had to do. They thought they were going to be married in perfect March weather; instead, they’ll be tying the knot in the 100-degree desert sun.
What they’re saying:
“Everyone comes in March, so we were like perfect, we’ll do it then,” said bride Elle Vanderham. “And then they all got here and everyone is dying.”
Love is heating up in Arizona, and so are the temperatures.
“What’s that saying… when you make plans, God laughs? Yeah, so here we are,” said Dana Schwartz, the bride’s aunt.
Vanderham and Pocock are set to tie the knot this Saturday in Maricopa. The two met when Pocock would come down from Canada for work. They were hoping for mild spring weather, but now they’re preparing for triple-digit heat.
“I’m very ready,” Vanderham said. “I’m just happy I don’t have to wear a felt cap and a suit jacket.”
Schwartz has been helping set up the event. She says changes had to be made to help keep the over 200 guests from all over the world comfortable.
“We brought in coolers and misters. We’re going to have umbrellas for out there,” Schwartz said. “We had to bring in a refrigerated truck because hydration is going to be a big thing. In fact, we had to buy more. You have to adjust the order of things. It’s all you can do.”
Like many Arizonans, they’re taking the heat in stride and rolling with whatever comes — a little preview of married life. Ultimately, they’re just happy to celebrate together.
“I’m very grateful for everyone I have in my corner,” Vanderham said. “And I’m very grateful for all the Canadians who came down even though they knew it was going to be hot.”
What you can do:
If you are attending an outdoor wedding this weekend or any event outdoors, doctors recommend hydrating as much as possible and seeking shade.
The Source: Interviews with Dana Schwartz, Elle Vanderham and Reece Pocock
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