SPORTS
Going for gold In a cowboy hat and shades, A+ Charter’s Noah Charves lets his legs do the talking
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When he returned home, he trained harder than ever, continuing his running throughout Maricopa. Yet he felt like he was hitting a plateau until a camp at Northern Arizona University heading into his freshman year reignited his drive and introduced him to other elite competitors. The breakthrough Charves’s determination paid off during his sophomore year. After finishing second in several early-season races, he entered the 2024 CAA Cross Country State Championship unsure of himself. He took the lead early, pushing the pace for the first 2 miles. When the pack began closing in, he found another gear, surging in the final 800 meters to claim his first high school cross country state title. He also placed third in state wrestling during his first season on the mat that year — another example of his athletic versatility and competitive drive. A season of confidence Now a junior, Charves has stopped worrying about times. Before a meet at ALA West Foothills, he removed his watch and decided to simply run. The result? A personal best of 15:45 in the 5K — a reminder that sometimes, letting go leads to breakthroughs. “I just ran and stopped worrying about anything,” he said. This year, he entered the 2025 CAA State Championship as a strong favorite to defend his title and continue his rise through the ranks of Arizona distance running. Along the way, he’s also attracted attention from college programs, including Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he hopes to study aviation and become a commercial pilot. Charves’s season doesn’t end at state, either. He has earned an automatic invitation to compete at the Nike Cross Country Southwest Regional Meet (NXR) in late November, where he’ll race against the top runners from Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah.
F YOU’VE EVER DRIVEN THROUGH the neighborhoods of Maricopa — especially in Senita, Glennwilde and the Maricopa Meadows — you
might have seen a quiet young runner gliding down the sidewalks and focused on every stride. Drivers honk, neighbors wave and the runner just smiles and keeps going. That’s Noah Charves, A+ Charter Schools junior, the reigning Canyon Athletic Association Cross Country State Champion — and the kind of student-athlete who defines what it means to be “Stronger Together.” Charves’s running journey began in 5th grade, when he joined cross country and discovered his natural love for racing. But his momentum was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which canceled the track season. Around the same time, he shot up in height, dealing with nagging growing pains that made running uncomfortable. “That year was tough,” he remembered. “Everything just hurt.” By 7th grade, things started to change. His body felt stronger, and so did his mindset. That year, he joined A+ Charter Schools, where his commitment to training set him apart. After he started building success in 7th grade, he was dominant in 8th grade — winning the junior-high cross country state championship and claiming titles in the 400m, 800m, 1600m and 3200m events at the Junior High State Track and Field Championships. “That’s when I started thinking I could actually be good,” he said. Finding his stride Charves’s competitive spirit grew in high school. As a freshman, he captured three CAA State Track and Field Championships — winning the 400m, 800m and 1600m — and placed second at the state cross country meet. But his first taste of defeat on a big stage came at a national meet in Sacramento, where he finished last after reaching the finals in the 1500m. “I’d never gotten last before,” Charves recalled. “That hurt, but it made me want to take it seriously.”
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2023 CAA Track & Field State Champion 400m, 800m and 1600m
2024 CAA Cross Country State Champion
Third place, 2024 CAA Wrestling State Championships
Personal bests 5K – 15:45
800m – 2:00 1600m – 4:18 3000m – 9:24
InMaricopa.com | November 2025
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