One of the toughest basketball games the Española Valley boys team played this past season was against Grants in the Class AAAA state quarterfinals. One of the Pirates’ key players in that game was Brandon Rael, who was a standout running back for Grants’ football team. He is just one example among many of athletes throughout the state who have successfully competed in more than one sport.
The lack of athletes participating in multiple sports at Española, particularly football, concerns me. I support multi-sport athletes and wish Española had more of them. Star forward Luis Alvarado was also the second-best cross country runner for the Sundevils this past season, forward Ariel Flores made plays for the baseball team and guard Jacob Serrano was a two-time state qualifier for the Española golf team. They formed the exception rather than the rule.
Athletes concentrating on a single sport is not something that happens only at Española. I went back and checked both the football and basketball teams at Roswell. None of their starting basketball players were on the football team. They had just one basketball player (Robert Orona) who was also listed on the football roster. The problem I see at Española is a lack of participation among the student body and a lack of support for sports besides the basketball team. Thirty players fill out the boys “C,” junior varsity and varsity basketball teams. With an enrollment of 996 students, that leaves plenty of students to participate in other sports.
Española is justly famous for the size of the crowds at its boys basketball games. It’s a different story when it comes to the other sports.
Unfortunately, I think that influences young athletes. The attitude at Española seems to be if it’s not basketball, it’s not worth doing.
Blaming basketball boys basketball coach Richard Martinez for a lack of participation in football or other sports is not going to solve the problem.
The problem does not exist at several smaller schools in Española and Rio Arriba County. Multi-sport athletes are the norm rather than the exception at Dulce, Escalante, McCurdy and Mesa Vista.
The smaller numbers of students at the small high schools has something to do with this, but what’s important to point out is that multi-sport participation is encouraged at smaller schools. Coaches realize the situation and do not jealously hoard their athletes. Cooperation is the name of the game, rather than conflict.
Some of the most successful athletes from New Mexico went to small schools. University of New Mexico’s Sandy Fortner, who won the heptathlon May 13 at the Mountain West Conference track and field championships, went to Fort Sumner High School, a Class A school in eastern New Mexico. She played volleyball, basketball and participated in track and field for the Lady Vixens.
Closer to home, McCurdy’s Myriah Spence had probably the most successful collegiate career of any local athlete. She played basketball for four years at Old Dominion University and competed in the NCAA Division I basketball tournament every season. Although she finished her career concentrating on basketball, while at McCurdy she participated in volleyball, track and field and even baseball.
Small schools nurtured these athletes. Larger schools might well try to create a small-school atmosphere among their athletes, encouraging them to participate in other sports and activities. A big school with a small-school mentality would be a great combination.