The beginning of the boys basketball season brings renewed hope to teams all over the state.

In the Gila Valley, some teams are looking to follow strong seasons, while others are looking for new beginnings.

Safford

Safford junior guard Matt Hart, left, chases Fort Thomas junior guard Estevan Mesa from behind during a scrimmage Nov. 20 in Safford. The Bulldogs controlled the action and won by 24 points. Photo by Brian Wright

(Last season: 27-2, lost in 3A state semis)

Safford has a daunting challenge in 2008-09 — it has to replace five senior starters who all contributed heavily last season.

In 2007-08, the Bulldogs had one of their best seasons in school history at 27-2, but they will have considerably more youth and inexperience this year.

Senior guard Kaden Larkey and senior forward Michael Moreno both saw significant playing time last season, and both will be key to this year’s success.

Other returning players include seniors Justen John, Jake Taylor, Dominique Hunt and Chris Henager.

Head coach Troy Powell said he is more concerned with the process of improvement than with wins and losses at the moment.

That said, he still expects Safford to compete for the 3A South region title. Fountain Hills may be the Bulldogs biggest competition in the region.

“This group has worked hard,” Powell said. “They know what to expect, but they’re still learning to play together.”

Thatcher

(Last season: 23-9, lost in 2A state finals)

Head coach Kenny Smith and his Thatcher Eagles surprised many people with their improbable run toward the state finals in 2007-08. The Eagles were a year ahead of schedule, in Smith’s mind.

“Last year, I felt this was the year (2008-09) we were building toward,” he said.

Two key starters return from last year’s team in seniors Jon Orr and point guard Brenin Angle.

Orr, a 6-5 forward, led the team in scoring last season and could be one of the top players in Class 2A.

Angle worked hard on his game over the summer, and Smith said his point guard understands the game much better than he did last year.

Returning players include seniors Jace Beals and McKay Stevens and junior Dayton Barney.

Newcomers who will see plenty of action include seniors Cody Thatcher, Lucas Pace and Parker Lewis.

Smith believes his team can achieve great things this season.

“Our goal is to win it all,” he said.

Pima

(Last season: 16-13, lost in 1A state semis)

In his first season as Pima head coach, Tyson Draper took the Rough-riders to the 1A state semifinals in 2007-08.

“We just hope to build on the foundation we laid last year,” Draper said.

Pima will have a strong 1-2 punch with juniors Dillon Goodman and Chris Howard. Goodman (6-5) and Howard (6-3) both have good size and athleticism.

“(Goodman) is lengthy and can rebound and score under the basket but has the ability to step out and knock down the three as well,” Draper said.

Other key contributors this year will be Fermin Legarda, Evan Crockett, Devon Saline, Landon Bryce and Rhett Ramsey.

Fort Thomas

(Last season: 15-9, lost in 1A state 2nd round)

Fort Thomas makes its run this season under new head coach Steve Yoder. Yoder coached Bowie/San Simon for the last three seasons.

The Apaches return Meshech Boni, Lowell Harvey, Lucan Boni, Richard Rope, Dwayne Quade and Troy Stanley.

Stanley, a 6-4 junior forward, is a scoring and rebounding force for the Apaches. Jowen Moses, Estevan Mesa and Daniel Boni are new players who will probably start alongside Stanley and Harvey.

“It’s exciting as a coach to see the enthusiasm these kids have for the game,” Yoder said.