Local Athletes Recognized as All-State
The New Mexico High School Coaches Association released its football and volleyball all-state teams for 2022, highlighting the top performers around the state in each classification.
In football, four Española Valley athletes received recognition in 4A: Leandro Salazar was a second-team offensive lineman, Alex Chavez was second team at running back, and Kevin Coffeen was second team at tight end, while Adrick DeLeon was an honorable mention at wide receiver. Nate Chacon was not one of the three 4A quarterbacks selected despite a fantastic season.
Escalante’s Dominick Arellano won recognition at three different positions: he was first team at kicker, and honorable mention at slot receiver and defensive back. Ezekiel Martinez was second team for offensive line play, Luka Torrez was honorable mention at running back, Damon Emery was honorable mention at outside linebacker, and Trey Archuleta was an honorable mention at inside linebacker.
In volleyball, Pojoaque’s defensive specialist Adrianna Rodriguez, outside hitter Anica Urioste and middle blocker Sonya Quintana all were first-team in 4A. For Escalante, defensive specialist Katelyn Hinds and outside hitter Brycelyn Martinez were both named to the 2A second team.
Pojoaque Girls Win Cheer Competition
The Pojoaque Elkettes cheer team won first place at the Pride of Q competition, held in Questa on Dec. 17.
The competition also included the Taos Tigers, the defending state champions, as well as defending 2A state champion Questa, and two other teams from Taos. The McCurdy Bobcats cheer team took third place in the competition.
The Elkettes were back home by the evening, where they repeated their performance at halftime of the basketball game, and cheered the Elks as they won the championship game of the Ben Lujan Tournament.
Española Does Well at Wrestling Tourney
Sundevil senior Landon Atencio was the big winner at the Rio Hondo Scuffle in Roswell on Dec. 16, taking first place in the 114-pound division with a 4-0 day, including a 16-1 technical victory in the championship. Atencio is now 12-2 this year.
Noah Maez finished in second place at 152 pounds, losing on a 5-2 decision in the championship, and is 10-2 this season. Cruz Sandoval lost in the championship at 139 pounds for his first loss of the season, and Kyle Coffeen had his first loss of the year at 160 pounds in the championship against the defending state champion.
The Sundevils finished fourth in the team total out of 20 teams.
Española’s Kianna Moreland finished third at 235 pounds on the girls side, losing her two matches on the day.
Girls Basketball: Escalante 46, Pecos 45
Brycelyn Martinez stole a ball in the backcourt and drew a foul with 1.1 seconds remaining in a tie game, then made one of two free throws to give the Lady Lobos (6-2) a win over Pecos (4-3) on Dec. 17.
A messy final minute featured multiple free throws missed by both teams, including two by Cipriana Garcia after an offensive rebound, leading to Martinez’s winning steal and foul shot.
The day prior, the Lady Lobos lost to Navajo Prep (8-2) 68-47, when they led by three after the first quarter but fell behind by eight at halftime and by 22 at the end of the third quarter. Emma Maestas scored a team-high 17 points in the loss. On Monday, the Lobos defeated Estancia (4-7) 65-40.
The Escalante boys basketball team (2-5) lost in overtime at home to Estancia (3-3) on Monday, 56-52. On Dec. 17, they lost 70-40 to Pecos (6-1) and on Dec. 15 they fell 71-53 to West Las Vegas (5-1).