Over the course of the 2016-17 school year, the boys and girls of the Fountain Hills High School athletics program earned five state titles, breaking the previous school record of two titles in a single academic year.

In the fall, the volleyball team earned their first state title in about two decades. Once winter rolled around, the girls soccer team managed a repeat state championship while the boys basketball team went on to claim their own crown. Finally, in the spring, the girls track squad earned a repeat state championship while the beach volleyball team earned the first title in the program’s six-year history.

According to high school athletic director and dean of students Mike Briguglio, that’s a whole lot of success stuffed into the span of about nine months.

Talk to any high school coach and they’ll tell you that their mind is already focused on the next season once the most recent season draws to a close. Briguglio said that the buzz this past school year was that several teams would do well, but he doesn’t think anyone expected to be adding five major trophies to the cabinet.

“I think volleyball had an inkling they would do so well because they had a great, young team,” Briguglio said. “I think any coaches goal is to get to the playoffs and be playing your best at that time and, if you can do that, you’ve got a shot. I think volleyball definitely felt that way from day one.”

Briguglio said that the boys basketball team had a tough year in 2015-16 but, again, they were a young team with lots of talent coming back to play this most recent season.

“After summer basketball, I think they felt they had a shot, too,” Briguglio said. “Girls soccer I think was another more dominant team. They’ve had a lot of returners each year and I think it was more of an expectation that they would do so well again.”

As for the spring sports, Briguglio said that girls track was another returning state program so, again, the team had an expectation that it would continue to excel.

“When you have that mindset that we’ve done it, or we were close, and we’ve got people returning, that probably gives you a couple points, runs, goals or whatever,” Briguglio added. “You have an advantage going in.”

Rounding out the roster of state champs was beach volleyball.

“It’s a new sport…but it’s growing,” Briguglio said. “Following the success of the [indoor] volleyball team, I think the goal there, from the onset, was to do the same thing.”

Looking back over the past school year, Briguglio said he and his coaching staff are proud of what their athletes were able to accomplish.

“Particularly the girls,” Briguglio added. “We had a tremendous class of female athletes who were there for all four years. It’s great to have a class like that, especially when they play across multiple sports. Erika Yost, for example, I think was a part of five state championships. That’s tremendous.

“When you have something like that going on, you’ve got a perfect storm. Of course the ball still has to bounce the right way, but having a group of athletes like that certainly helps.”

Briguglio said he witnessed something of a chain effect unfold this past year.

“One success begot another,” he added. “The volleyball team began the year with a state title. Something like that helps make the boys basketball and girls soccer team think, hey, we can do this. And then those lead to that same mindset in the spring; we can do this. It becomes a buzz on campus and creates a snowball effect. Even subliminally, I think the confidence level goes up in the individual athletes, the coaches and across the entire campus.

“It was a good wave and we rode it.”

With five titles in one year under its belt, Briguglio said that the athletics program has represented its “small town” well.

“With our facilities, our clubs, our teachers and coaching staff; kids have opportunities to get involved more here,” Briguglio said. “Fountain Hills is a hidden gem.

“These things really help the culture of our campus, especially with the upperclassmen. Your behavior issues are less, your community outreach is greater and it’s just a good feeling. I think it attaches us more to the community, in terms of pride. Everyone is more excited to just get involved.”

Looking ahead, Briguglio has a bit of work left before he can hang up the athletic director cap for the summer. He’s rearranging the trophy cabinets for all of this year’s extra hardware, and five sports banners now have to be taken down from the gymnasium wall in order to have the latest accomplishments added to them.

“That project will take a bit more time than usual,” Briguglio said, chuckling. “We expanded the trophy cases a few years ago and we’re getting close to full again, but that’s a good problem to have.”