Red Mountain junior Tyler Mathews (left) in the Division I 800m final at last year's AIA State Track and Field Championships at Mesa Community College. Mathews, the defending state champion in the event, comes into the 2023 season as the top overall returning athlete in Arizona for the 800m with his time of 1:51.39. Mathews, who beat state-record holder Brian Fair Jr. last year at the state meet, has a very realistic shot at breaking the state record himself this spring.

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