The District 2AAAA season has already produced some surprises, the most recent being Los Alamos’ upset of Española Valley 59-53 Jan. 30 at Española (see related story).
The Sundevils fell to 17-4 overall and 2-1 in District 2AAAA, a district they have dominated since the 2006-2007 season. The last district loss for the Sundevils had come at the hands of the Taos Tigers Feb. 16, 2007, at Española. Since then the Sundevils had won 13 straight games and captured two consecutive district titles.
The loss to Los Alamos will likely result in the Sundevils losing their top ranking in the Class AAAA New Mexico High School Coaches Association poll. Los Alamos, which had been ranked sixth, will likely move up with the win.
This year’s Española team has been led by the play of guards Donovan Maldonado, Matt Brito and Ray Romero, all seniors. Coach Richard Martinez has been trying to develop an inside game, and 6-foot-4-inch junior Gabe Rodriguez has been seeing more playing time in recent games. Junior Luis Alvarado is the Sundevils best leaper and needs to play a larger role on the boards. Ryan Salazar has been playing some quality minutes for the Sundevils at guard and Aaron Aragon has had some big games for the Sundevils recently.
If the Sundevils have shown a weakness, it’s the inability to finish what they started. In their losses to Hope Christian, Hobbs and Los Alamos, Española has not taken advantage of chances to take the lead after rallying back from a deficit. That same weakness doomed them last season in the Class AAAA semifinals of the state tournament against Albuquerque Academy, where the Sundevils missed shot after shot that could have won the game in regulation.
It looks like Los Alamos is ready to challenge the Sundevils this season. The Hilltoppers are 15-6 on the season and 3-0 in district play. The victory over the Sundevils secures them the top spot in District 2AAAA with a 3-0 record that includes two road victories. Los Alamos’ last victory over the Sundevils came in 2007 during the district season.
Los Alamos is led by junior post Alex Kirk. The 6-foot-11-inch Kirk is a legitimate Division I prospect already receiving attention from major colleges across the country.
The third best team in the five-team district is Bernalillo. The Spartans won two consecutive Class AAA state championships in 2004 and 2005 before moving up to Class AAAA, in 2006. This year, the Spartans had won seven consecutive games (including a win over District 2AAAA member Capital) against Class AAAA teams before being blown out by Los Alamos. Bernalillo has never beaten Española in District 2AAAA competition.
The Spartans are 13-8 overall and 2-1 in District 2AAAA. They play Española Wednesday (2/4) in Bernalillo.
Capital follows Bernalillo in the district pecking order. Capital’s last victory over the Sundevils was Feb. 14, 2006,. Since then, the Sundevils have won 10 straight games against the Jaguars in both district and non-district competition. Española has already beaten Capital three times this season, including a 68-60 victory Jan. 21 in district play.
Capital is 12-9 so far this season, but just 1-2 in District 2AAAA. The Jaguars suffered a surprising loss to Bernalillo on their home court Jan. 24 in Santa Fe.
Taos has struggled so far this season and is just 3-14 overall and 0-3 in District 2AAAA. The Tigers played Española tough in their 64-56 loss to Española Jan. 13 at Taos. The Tigers have a history of stepping up against the Sundevils, as they did in their 2007 victory over Española.