Four Española Valley High School basketball players were selected to the Class AAAA All-State teams.
Española Valley was the only school from Rio Arriba County to have players named to either the boys or girls teams in any class. The Sundevils finished the season 28-3 and as runnerup in the state tournament.
Junior guard Rodney Coles was chosen to the Class AAAA All-State first team. The 5-foot-8-inch Coles was the catalyst for the Sundevil’s potent offense. Coles racked up 24 points against Clovis and 27 points against Hobbs as the Sundevils defeated both of the Class AAAAA powerhouses on a January road trip. He was Española’s leading scorer with 20 points in the state title game loss to Roswell.
Senior Luis Alvarado was named to the Class AAAA All-State second team. The high-flying 6-foot-4-inch forward had the ability to dunk the ball, as he did against Rio Rancho in the Sundevils’ 112-79 blowout of the Rams. The versatile Alvarado could also hit from the perimeter, sinking five three-pointers against Albuquerque Academy in Española’s 59-47 victory in the state semifinal victory.
“What a blessing to have players like that,” Española coach Richard Martinez said.
Senior Aaron Aragon joined Alvarado on the Class AAAA All-State second team. The 6-foot forward was another versatile player for the Sundevils, scoring inside and outside. Often overlooked, Aragon was the Sundevils’ leading scorer in a key, Jan. 29 victory over rival Los Alamos.
“Aaron goes unnoticed,” Martinez said. “We always knew we had something special. Now he’s noticed.”
Española senior Nisa Duran was named to the Class AAAA All-State girls first team. The 5-foot-4-inch guard led the Lady Sundevils in scoring, rebounding and steals. She finished her career with over 1,000 points scored.
The Lady Sundevils finished the season 23-5 and lost to eventual state champion Kirtland Central 52-47 in the Class AAAA semifinals.