Although a new year has begun with lofty expectations for local athletes and teams, this also is a good time to look back on the sports year that was 2025, which had some extreme highs and some excruciating lows.
This is a capsule look at the top 10 local sports stories for the year that was, in reverse order.
10. Mesa Vista boys set Class 2A state record in 4×800 relay
The track and field record book is not exactly loaded with Mesa Vista athletes, but the quartet of Kenneth Gallegos, Andres Valdez, Jonathan Martinez and Ezequiel Nevarez punched that ticket, zooming through the 4×800 relay event at the Class 2A state track and field meet in a time of 8 minutes, 26.57 seconds, blowing the prior mark away by more than 23 seconds.
9. Española Valley boys and Mesa Vista girls reach state basketball semifinals
A local basketball team had not reached the state championship game since the Escalante girls in 2023, while for the boys, it goes back to 2018 with Española Valley. So having two squads come within one game of that goal was noteworthy, indeed. The Sundevils ended up losing to Artesia, 72-51, in the 4A semifinals, while the Lady Trojans fell to Pecos 52-36 in the 2A semis.
8. Northern New Mexico College names new hoops coaches
A new era dawned for Northern New Mexico College, which went uber local in the hiring of men’s basketball coach Mike Dominguez and women’s coach Mandy Montoya. Dominguez is from Alcalde and played at Capital High School before turning to coaching, coming to the Eagles from New Mexico Highlands. And Montoya is from Española and attended Coronado High School, where she won a state championship before being an assistant at Northern and winning a state title as coach of the Peñasco girls.
7. McCurdy football forfeits games following fight/suspensions
After the McCurdy homecoming game against Laguna Acoma was halted in the first half because of a series of fights, a number of Bobcats were ejected, leaving them unable to continue the game and it was declared a forfeit. Likewise, with five players receiving a one-game suspension, McCurdy did not have enough players to field a team the following week, either, and that game was also ruled a forfeit.
6. Pro boxing returns to Northern New Mexico
Once considered a hotbed for boxing, the area has been fallow since COVID. But promoter Pat Holmes brought the sport back with a wildly successful card at the Ohkay Hotel Casino. The six-bout lineup, which played to a sold-out audience, included Cordova native Leanna Martinez, a longtime local favorite, as well as Angelo “San-I Warrior” Sanchez, of San Ildefonso Pueblo.
5. Mesa Vista boys basketball reaches state championship game
No local team has hoisted the blue championship trophy for basketball since the Española Valley boys did in 2016. It’s been an even longer drought for the girls, dating back to Pojoaque Valley in 2009. But the Trojans came oh-so-close to ending that streak, zipping through the 2A state tournament before bumping into Texico, which came away with the heartbreaking 66-65 win. Mesa Vista has not won the championship since 1998.
4. Española Valley turbulence with head football coaching position
After Tylon Wilder, who had the best-ever two-season run as the Española Valley head football coach left to go to Sandia, the Sundevils turned to rookie head coach Caleb Holbrook following a three-month search. But after one season in which Española failed to reach the playoffs after going 5-5, Holbrook was released and the Sundevils are now looking for their third head coach in as many seasons.
3. Española Valley fires boys basketball coach following verbal altercation with fan
It was an eventful game late last year for Española Valley and Mesa Vista, as the game not only featured a fight among opposing fans, but also a verbal interaction between coach Joey Trujillo and a fan in the stands. The exchange first cost Trujillo a suspension, but he was later fired, to be replaced on an interim basis by Jordan Romero, a volunteer assistant with the girls program.
2. Pojoaque Valley football earns first-ever home playoff game
Pojoaque Valley has not exactly been linked to gridiron success, but the Elks are changing that narrative, first gaining a program-first win over powerhouse Robertson, then playing well enough on the season to get the team’s first playoff bye and a home playoff game, Although Pojoaque lost the quarterfinal game 42-28 to the New Mexico Military Institute, it was a noteworthy season.
1.Ohkay Owingeh brothers, mainstays in Santa Fe Indian School athletics department, killed
Santa Fe Indian School boys basketball coach Jayson Abeyta, 47, and his brother, assistant athletic director Nathan Abeyta, 42, who were Ohkay Owingeh tribal members, were killed in April, in an early morning head-on collision near the U.S. 84 and N.M. 554 intersection. The brothers were known for their commitment to high school athletics, academics and Native American youth.