Charly Martin, now of the Carolina Panthers, is expected to be in full uniform tonight wearing No. 83 against the Miami Dolphins.
The inactives list is not official yet but several people, including a few from Piedra Vista, said Martin will be active for the game.
The inactives list is not official yet but several people, including a few from Piedra Vista, said Martin will be active for the game.
Thank goodness for Oregon.
There are two Mr. Pibb cans sitting on the corner of my desk.
What do those two things have to do with each other, you may be wondering?
Copy editor Jodi Farmer, resident recycling guru at the Daily Times, glanced in my trash and saw two empty cans. She dug them out and told me that we have a recycling bin for cans next to the coffee machine.
I don't drink coffee.
Well, thank goodness for Jodi, because she also makes sure we recycle all our paper. The downfall of newspapers, as you may know, has a big benefit -- it may singlehandedly save the rainforest. This business wastes more paper by itself than the rest of industry combined.
So, now that I'm publishing this diddy, I have no excuse not to recycle my cans.
Hoops Tidbits: I previewed the District 1-4A girls basketball season today.
I don't know that they're a state championship team, Kirtland Central feels confident with their returning experience.
Coach Charles Kromer heeded the wishes of some of the parents and players and will try to push the pace on offense more often this season, partly because he graduated much of his rebounding in LaTeesha Nez and Jessica Benally.
Amanda Kerr told me the team isn't in top shape yet, with several members acclimating from other sports and/or injuries, and it showed in their scrimmage, but Kromer's been running the team hard in practice for the past two weeks.
The Lady Broncos don't have the star power they did last year, but it will be more difficult for opposing teams to focus on two players.
"We have a lot of young players this year. Playing the offseason together, it seems like everyone's equal. Everyone works together and supports each other," Kerr said. "I'm going to try my best to help out the players that aren't experienced, but just between the three of us, I think that'll help the younger players step up their game."
PV coach Mike Christie, too, said he'd like to see more from his girls once the season starts.
"I'm hoping we're gonna get there. We had a real good summer and I'm hoping that translates to the girls learning how to win. We've got just about everything back from last year. A little bit more experience coming in and a
lot more will to win," he said. "Right now we're off to a bit of a slow start in practice. The kids forgot
how to play hard."
After studying all the teams a bit, here's my early projection, with Kromer's take in parenthesis:
Girls' Power Rankings
1. Kirtland Central
2. Shiprock (Shiprock lost pretty heavy but Shiprock always is competitive.)
3. Piedra Vista (I think Piedra Vista should be pretty good this year because I think Mike Christie will bring them along. I think they'll be real competitive this year.)
4. Aztec (Aztec lost pretty heavy last year.)
5. Farmington (Gosh, they haven't won a district game in two years. I don't know what they have coming up.)
*****
Basketball rankings: As it turns out, the 4A coaches agree with me. KC and Shiprock are both ranked in the top 3. The boys don't have a team receiving votes in the top 10 poll and neither Bloomfield team is ranked.
Navajo Prep is ranked No. 1, a tribute to their 2A state championship last year, but they shouldn't stay there long. Nicole Crisp was sure to emphasize that this is a different Lady Eagles team that lost all three All-State performers.
4A
1. St. Pius (7) 96 points
2. Roswell (4) 90
3. Kirtland Central 70
4. Shiprock 48
5. Los Alamos 40
6. Belen 36
7. Espanola Valley 32
8. Deming 30
9. Volcano Vista 27
10. Piedra Vista 24
2A
1. Navajo Prep (4) 72
2. Texico (3) 68
3. Santa Rosa 61
4. Clayton 44
5. Navajo Pine (1) 34
6. Tularosa 28
7. Lordsburg 26
8. Mora 20
T9. Estancia 14
T9. Rehoboth 14
*****
Blade Runner cut down: South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, he of the carbon fiber lower legs, took a hit this week from the Journal of Applied Physiology.
Doctors say Pistorius' blades for legs give him a 10-second advantage over a 400-meter race.
Pistorius nearly qualified for the Olympics in the 400 when the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned a ban by the International Association of Athletics Federations that said Pistorius wasn't allowed to compete against able-bodied athletes.
The advantage he has over an able-bodied athlete is several times greater than if he were to use steroids and the CAS ruling the most cockamamie bunch of politically-correct hogwash this century.
There aren't many average-looking white guys that can run anything under 48, Jeremy Wariner being the exception. Pistorius ran a 46.25 last summer, less than a second away from the Olympic qualifying time.
If you believe the study, he would run 56.25 with the same upper body and real legs. Maybe it wouldn't slow him down that much, but it doesn't take a physics Ph.D to realize the springy blades gave him a mechanical advantage.
What gets my goat, though, is that Pistorius is basically a robot runner. Part of the challenge of reaching the Olympic level is withstanding the physical punishment that comes from training and then surviving the subsequent qualifying rounds. Some of the best sprinters in the World -- Tyson Gay, for example -- have missed out on Olympic glory because of muscle injuries.
It's tough to get shin splints when -- well -- you don't have shins.
I competed in a few 400-meter dashes at the Division I level and I would be furious if someone with blades for legs was allowed to beat me. I can only imagine how it would anger some of the best runners in the world.
There's nothing wrong with Pistorius wanting to compete. Just don't give him a shot at an Olympic medal.
*****
All-Academic: We've printed the All-District teams in the paper, but the list of students doing well in the classroom is much larger.
The NCAA released data this week showing that college athletes do much better (based on graduation rates) in school than their counterparts, something that's happening in the Four Corners, if you look at the long list of athletes that made All-Academic in the fall sports.
Boys Soccer
Devin Cole, Aztec
Lester Garcia, Aztec
Foster Harvel, Aztec
Jaime Lopez, Aztec
Cameron Nash, Aztec
Silverio Arredondo, Aztec
Luis Chaco, Aztec
Sterling Farnsworth, Aztec
Jorgen Oyasaeter, Aztec
Garth Hjalmarson, Aztec
Marius Dypaune, Aztec
Ryan Neitzel, Aztec
Orlando Pina, Aztec
Tobias Ryter, Aztec
Aaron Simpson, Aztec
Shane Turner, Piedra Vista
Scott Schwab, Piedra Vista
Shane Woodson, Piedra Vista
Graham Hoffman, Piedra Vista
Marcus Fodor, Piedra Vista
Cody Scaggari, Piedra Vista
Andy Moore, Piedra Vista
Alejandro Munoz, Piedra Vista
Ray deKay, Piedra Vista
Jesse Wood, Piedra Vista
Sam Morrison, Farmington
Cameron La Selle, Farmington
Ryan Reeves, Farmington
Riley McGovern, Farmington
Nate Rodgers, Farmington
Anthony Klepac, Farmington
Reyes Gutierrez, Farmington
Presley Paxson, Farmington
Zach Pavlik, Farmington
Brycen Campbell, Farmington
Cole Johnson, Farmington
Daniel Hernandez, Farmington
Girls Soccer
Karissa Auckland, Aztec
Tyra Gabehart, Aztec
Kelcie Gerry, Aztec
Hannah Jones, Aztec
Brigette Davee, Aztec
Molly Enenbach, Aztec
Cari Englehart, Aztec
Kaylee Spencer, Aztec
Hailee Ammons, Aztec
Meghan Gerry, Aztec
Ashley Hayes, Aztec
Jessica Kaufman, Aztec
Taylor McGarry, Aztec
Peyton Parks, Aztec
Kristie Thatcher, Aztec
Brittany Burns, Aztec
Addison Wods, Aztec
Alex Blackie, Piedra Vista
Katie Clafton, Piedra Vista
Sarah Dinning, Piedra Vista
Laura Fodor, Piedra Vista
Emma Goff, Piedra Vista
Morgan Hazzard, Piedra Vista
Becca Kothe, Piedra Vista
Jordan McPheeters, Piedra Vista
Ali Rhodes, Piedra Vista
Audrey Turner, Piedra Vista
Amanda Chee, Piedra Vista
Reagan Cooper, Piedra Vista
Allie England, Piedra Vista
Francesca Goff, Piedra Vista
Jenna Hall, Piedra Vista
Madison Hunt, Piedra Vista
Samantha McCall, Piedra Vista
Samantha Miller, Piedra Vista
Taylor Sanchez, Piedra Vista
Annalissa Arthur, Kirtland Central
Taylor Bennett-Begaye, Kirtland Central
Kallie Farnsworth, Kirtland Central
Shantell Foutz, Kirtland Central
Jennifer Hastings, Kirtland Central
Melanie Heslop, Kirtland Central
DeMeshanique Jefferson, Kirtland Central
Alyssa Jones, Kirtland Central
Sydney Manning, Kirtland Central
Taylor Nez, Kirtland Central
Kimberly Smith, Kirtland Central
Madilyn Tanner, Kirtland Central
Mariesa Thompson, Kirtland Central
Taylor Abbott, Farmington
Kendra Carter, Farmington
Nicole Couder, Farmington
Paige Nygren, Farmington
Zoe Wilson-Meyer, Farmington
Morgan Eddy, Farmington
Nicole Hampton, Farmington
Halie Thompson, Farmington
Mackenzie Pavlik, Farmington
Noelle Phillips-Nelson, Farmington
Lauren Hammond, Farmington
Maggie Gomez, Farmington
Shayla Baysinger, Farmington
Molly Merrion, Farmington
Ellae Montoya, Farmington
Kayla Killifer, Farmington
Dasmin Grace, Farmington
Chloe Wells, Farmington
Chantel Grabelnik, Farmington
Cross Country
Deion Benally, Shiprock
Herbert Beyale III, Shiprock
Robert Lapahie, Shiprock
Jaron Shorty, Shiprock
Chad Tso, Shiprock
Eric Williams, Shiprock
Nanette Beyale, Shiprock
Autumnrain Chee, Shiprock
Winterblossom Chee, Shiprock
Kailyn Begay, Shiprock
Kolette Dayish, Shiprock
Sharlinda Gould, Shiprock
Nicole King, Shiprock
Taylor Lyman, Shiprock
Kyle Edgerton, Aztec
Rio Escojeda, Aztec
Rachel Kresl, Aztec
Hannah Jacobson, Aztec
William Snyder, Aztec
Jessica Burbridge, Aztec
Walter Delwiche III, Aztec
Tobias Ryter, Aztec
Rebekah Tallman, Aztec
Nakel Toldeo, Aztec
Kerstin Ortiz, Piedra Vista
Jenna Olson, Piedra Vista
Kristyn Bates, Piedra Vista
Coah Charley, Piedra Vista
Ajahannah Wilcox, Piedra Vista
Tayla Harmon, Piedra Vista
MickKayla Hodgman, Piedra Vista
Kristy Bates, Piedra Vista
Shelby Ramirez, Piedra Vista
Kevin Mike, Piedra Vista
Jordan Keeley, Piedra Vista
Matthew Detmer, Piedra Vista
Colby Gibson, Piedra Vista
Travis Dockter, Farmington
Aaron Gomez, Farmington
Brandon Miller-Castillo, Farmington
Joshua Miller-Castillo, Farmington
Kyle Todacheeney, Farmington
Marina Alvarado, Farmington
Melissa Deweese, Farmington
Becca Hall, Farmington
Hannah Merrion, Farmington
Kellea Salcido, Farmington
Samantha Sheak, Farmington
Taylor Billey, Kirtland Central
Kashley Badoni, Kirtland Central
Sheri Adair, Kirtland Central
Genea Baca, Kirtland Central
Samantha Lamonte, Kirtland Central
Natalie Adair, Kirtland Central
Myka Benally, Kirtland Central
Amanda Kerr, Kirtland Central
Martha McCabe, Kirtland Central
Deidre Pine, Kirtland Central
Raychelle Smiley, Kirtland Central
Channing Jim, Kirtland Central
Whittaney Boyd, Kirtland Central
Malcolm Toledo, Kirtland Central
Volleyball
Keeley Aspaas, Shiprock
Lisa Atcitty, Shiprock
Monique Atcitty, Shiprock
Elimina Barber, Shiprock
Tessa Begay, Shiprock
Tyler Charley, Shiprock
Laria Hatch, Shiprock
Kristy Peshlakai, Shiprock
April Smith, Shiprock
Olivia Whitehorse, Shiprock
Katherine Hegarty, Aztec
Angela Evans, Aztec
Kendra Mitchell, Aztec
Taylor Simmons, Aztec
Jasmine Eagle, Aztec
Mollie Evans, Aztec
Danielle Helms, Aztec
Debuse Von Bijsterveld, Aztec
Tawnee Woosley, Aztec
Emily Bushard, Piedra Vista
Jaclyn deKay, Piedra Vista
Morgan Lindsey, Piedra Vista
Ticaboo Perkins, Piedra Vista
Aliz Russell, Piedra Vista
Mariah Culepper, Piedra Vista
Jourdan Ensign, Piedra Vista
Olivia McKinsey, Piedra Vista
Brittany Sofka, Piedra Vista
Samantha Begay, Kirtland Central
Meldrea Begaye, Kirtland Central
Danielle Garcia, Kirtland Central
Alessandra Harris, Kirtland Central
Olivia Harris, Kirtland Central
Chera Jake, Kirtland Central
Kayla Joe, Kirtland Central
Raquel Woody, Kirtland Central
Taylor Yazzie, Kirtland Central
Kim Galli, Farmington
Marianna Mauzy, Farmington
Jaimie Dayish, Farmington
Kendyl Moore, Farmington
Rebecca Debrick, Farmington
McKenna-Culp, Farmington
Randi Mitchell, Farmington
Brianna Villalobos, Farmington
Lindsey Rasmussen, Farmington
Sarah Ballard, Farmington
*****
I'll try to get in touch with Charly Martin on Friday to ask him about his NFL debut with the Carolina Panthers.
Until then...
Stay true and keep pounding,
Christopher
There are two Mr. Pibb cans sitting on the corner of my desk.
What do those two things have to do with each other, you may be wondering?
Copy editor Jodi Farmer, resident recycling guru at the Daily Times, glanced in my trash and saw two empty cans. She dug them out and told me that we have a recycling bin for cans next to the coffee machine.
I don't drink coffee.
Well, thank goodness for Jodi, because she also makes sure we recycle all our paper. The downfall of newspapers, as you may know, has a big benefit -- it may singlehandedly save the rainforest. This business wastes more paper by itself than the rest of industry combined.
So, now that I'm publishing this diddy, I have no excuse not to recycle my cans.
Hoops Tidbits: I previewed the District 1-4A girls basketball season today.
I don't know that they're a state championship team, Kirtland Central feels confident with their returning experience.
Coach Charles Kromer heeded the wishes of some of the parents and players and will try to push the pace on offense more often this season, partly because he graduated much of his rebounding in LaTeesha Nez and Jessica Benally.
Amanda Kerr told me the team isn't in top shape yet, with several members acclimating from other sports and/or injuries, and it showed in their scrimmage, but Kromer's been running the team hard in practice for the past two weeks.
The Lady Broncos don't have the star power they did last year, but it will be more difficult for opposing teams to focus on two players.
"We have a lot of young players this year. Playing the offseason together, it seems like everyone's equal. Everyone works together and supports each other," Kerr said. "I'm going to try my best to help out the players that aren't experienced, but just between the three of us, I think that'll help the younger players step up their game."
PV coach Mike Christie, too, said he'd like to see more from his girls once the season starts.
"I'm hoping we're gonna get there. We had a real good summer and I'm hoping that translates to the girls learning how to win. We've got just about everything back from last year. A little bit more experience coming in and a
lot more will to win," he said. "Right now we're off to a bit of a slow start in practice. The kids forgot
how to play hard."
After studying all the teams a bit, here's my early projection, with Kromer's take in parenthesis:
Girls' Power Rankings
1. Kirtland Central
2. Shiprock (Shiprock lost pretty heavy but Shiprock always is competitive.)
3. Piedra Vista (I think Piedra Vista should be pretty good this year because I think Mike Christie will bring them along. I think they'll be real competitive this year.)
4. Aztec (Aztec lost pretty heavy last year.)
5. Farmington (Gosh, they haven't won a district game in two years. I don't know what they have coming up.)
*****
Basketball rankings: As it turns out, the 4A coaches agree with me. KC and Shiprock are both ranked in the top 3. The boys don't have a team receiving votes in the top 10 poll and neither Bloomfield team is ranked.
Navajo Prep is ranked No. 1, a tribute to their 2A state championship last year, but they shouldn't stay there long. Nicole Crisp was sure to emphasize that this is a different Lady Eagles team that lost all three All-State performers.
4A
1. St. Pius (7) 96 points
2. Roswell (4) 90
3. Kirtland Central 70
4. Shiprock 48
5. Los Alamos 40
6. Belen 36
7. Espanola Valley 32
8. Deming 30
9. Volcano Vista 27
10. Piedra Vista 24
2A
1. Navajo Prep (4) 72
2. Texico (3) 68
3. Santa Rosa 61
4. Clayton 44
5. Navajo Pine (1) 34
6. Tularosa 28
7. Lordsburg 26
8. Mora 20
T9. Estancia 14
T9. Rehoboth 14
*****
Blade Runner cut down: South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, he of the carbon fiber lower legs, took a hit this week from the Journal of Applied Physiology.
Doctors say Pistorius' blades for legs give him a 10-second advantage over a 400-meter race.
Pistorius nearly qualified for the Olympics in the 400 when the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned a ban by the International Association of Athletics Federations that said Pistorius wasn't allowed to compete against able-bodied athletes.
The advantage he has over an able-bodied athlete is several times greater than if he were to use steroids and the CAS ruling the most cockamamie bunch of politically-correct hogwash this century.
There aren't many average-looking white guys that can run anything under 48, Jeremy Wariner being the exception. Pistorius ran a 46.25 last summer, less than a second away from the Olympic qualifying time.
If you believe the study, he would run 56.25 with the same upper body and real legs. Maybe it wouldn't slow him down that much, but it doesn't take a physics Ph.D to realize the springy blades gave him a mechanical advantage.
What gets my goat, though, is that Pistorius is basically a robot runner. Part of the challenge of reaching the Olympic level is withstanding the physical punishment that comes from training and then surviving the subsequent qualifying rounds. Some of the best sprinters in the World -- Tyson Gay, for example -- have missed out on Olympic glory because of muscle injuries.
It's tough to get shin splints when -- well -- you don't have shins.
I competed in a few 400-meter dashes at the Division I level and I would be furious if someone with blades for legs was allowed to beat me. I can only imagine how it would anger some of the best runners in the world.
There's nothing wrong with Pistorius wanting to compete. Just don't give him a shot at an Olympic medal.
*****
All-Academic: We've printed the All-District teams in the paper, but the list of students doing well in the classroom is much larger.
The NCAA released data this week showing that college athletes do much better (based on graduation rates) in school than their counterparts, something that's happening in the Four Corners, if you look at the long list of athletes that made All-Academic in the fall sports.
Boys Soccer
Devin Cole, Aztec
Lester Garcia, Aztec
Foster Harvel, Aztec
Jaime Lopez, Aztec
Cameron Nash, Aztec
Silverio Arredondo, Aztec
Luis Chaco, Aztec
Sterling Farnsworth, Aztec
Jorgen Oyasaeter, Aztec
Garth Hjalmarson, Aztec
Marius Dypaune, Aztec
Ryan Neitzel, Aztec
Orlando Pina, Aztec
Tobias Ryter, Aztec
Aaron Simpson, Aztec
Shane Turner, Piedra Vista
Scott Schwab, Piedra Vista
Shane Woodson, Piedra Vista
Graham Hoffman, Piedra Vista
Marcus Fodor, Piedra Vista
Cody Scaggari, Piedra Vista
Andy Moore, Piedra Vista
Alejandro Munoz, Piedra Vista
Ray deKay, Piedra Vista
Jesse Wood, Piedra Vista
Sam Morrison, Farmington
Cameron La Selle, Farmington
Ryan Reeves, Farmington
Riley McGovern, Farmington
Nate Rodgers, Farmington
Anthony Klepac, Farmington
Reyes Gutierrez, Farmington
Presley Paxson, Farmington
Zach Pavlik, Farmington
Brycen Campbell, Farmington
Cole Johnson, Farmington
Daniel Hernandez, Farmington
Girls Soccer
Karissa Auckland, Aztec
Tyra Gabehart, Aztec
Kelcie Gerry, Aztec
Hannah Jones, Aztec
Brigette Davee, Aztec
Molly Enenbach, Aztec
Cari Englehart, Aztec
Kaylee Spencer, Aztec
Hailee Ammons, Aztec
Meghan Gerry, Aztec
Ashley Hayes, Aztec
Jessica Kaufman, Aztec
Taylor McGarry, Aztec
Peyton Parks, Aztec
Kristie Thatcher, Aztec
Brittany Burns, Aztec
Addison Wods, Aztec
Alex Blackie, Piedra Vista
Katie Clafton, Piedra Vista
Sarah Dinning, Piedra Vista
Laura Fodor, Piedra Vista
Emma Goff, Piedra Vista
Morgan Hazzard, Piedra Vista
Becca Kothe, Piedra Vista
Jordan McPheeters, Piedra Vista
Ali Rhodes, Piedra Vista
Audrey Turner, Piedra Vista
Amanda Chee, Piedra Vista
Reagan Cooper, Piedra Vista
Allie England, Piedra Vista
Francesca Goff, Piedra Vista
Jenna Hall, Piedra Vista
Madison Hunt, Piedra Vista
Samantha McCall, Piedra Vista
Samantha Miller, Piedra Vista
Taylor Sanchez, Piedra Vista
Annalissa Arthur, Kirtland Central
Taylor Bennett-Begaye, Kirtland Central
Kallie Farnsworth, Kirtland Central
Shantell Foutz, Kirtland Central
Jennifer Hastings, Kirtland Central
Melanie Heslop, Kirtland Central
DeMeshanique Jefferson, Kirtland Central
Alyssa Jones, Kirtland Central
Sydney Manning, Kirtland Central
Taylor Nez, Kirtland Central
Kimberly Smith, Kirtland Central
Madilyn Tanner, Kirtland Central
Mariesa Thompson, Kirtland Central
Taylor Abbott, Farmington
Kendra Carter, Farmington
Nicole Couder, Farmington
Paige Nygren, Farmington
Zoe Wilson-Meyer, Farmington
Morgan Eddy, Farmington
Nicole Hampton, Farmington
Halie Thompson, Farmington
Mackenzie Pavlik, Farmington
Noelle Phillips-Nelson, Farmington
Lauren Hammond, Farmington
Maggie Gomez, Farmington
Shayla Baysinger, Farmington
Molly Merrion, Farmington
Ellae Montoya, Farmington
Kayla Killifer, Farmington
Dasmin Grace, Farmington
Chloe Wells, Farmington
Chantel Grabelnik, Farmington
Cross Country
Deion Benally, Shiprock
Herbert Beyale III, Shiprock
Robert Lapahie, Shiprock
Jaron Shorty, Shiprock
Chad Tso, Shiprock
Eric Williams, Shiprock
Nanette Beyale, Shiprock
Autumnrain Chee, Shiprock
Winterblossom Chee, Shiprock
Kailyn Begay, Shiprock
Kolette Dayish, Shiprock
Sharlinda Gould, Shiprock
Nicole King, Shiprock
Taylor Lyman, Shiprock
Kyle Edgerton, Aztec
Rio Escojeda, Aztec
Rachel Kresl, Aztec
Hannah Jacobson, Aztec
William Snyder, Aztec
Jessica Burbridge, Aztec
Walter Delwiche III, Aztec
Tobias Ryter, Aztec
Rebekah Tallman, Aztec
Nakel Toldeo, Aztec
Kerstin Ortiz, Piedra Vista
Jenna Olson, Piedra Vista
Kristyn Bates, Piedra Vista
Coah Charley, Piedra Vista
Ajahannah Wilcox, Piedra Vista
Tayla Harmon, Piedra Vista
MickKayla Hodgman, Piedra Vista
Kristy Bates, Piedra Vista
Shelby Ramirez, Piedra Vista
Kevin Mike, Piedra Vista
Jordan Keeley, Piedra Vista
Matthew Detmer, Piedra Vista
Colby Gibson, Piedra Vista
Travis Dockter, Farmington
Aaron Gomez, Farmington
Brandon Miller-Castillo, Farmington
Joshua Miller-Castillo, Farmington
Kyle Todacheeney, Farmington
Marina Alvarado, Farmington
Melissa Deweese, Farmington
Becca Hall, Farmington
Hannah Merrion, Farmington
Kellea Salcido, Farmington
Samantha Sheak, Farmington
Taylor Billey, Kirtland Central
Kashley Badoni, Kirtland Central
Sheri Adair, Kirtland Central
Genea Baca, Kirtland Central
Samantha Lamonte, Kirtland Central
Natalie Adair, Kirtland Central
Myka Benally, Kirtland Central
Amanda Kerr, Kirtland Central
Martha McCabe, Kirtland Central
Deidre Pine, Kirtland Central
Raychelle Smiley, Kirtland Central
Channing Jim, Kirtland Central
Whittaney Boyd, Kirtland Central
Malcolm Toledo, Kirtland Central
Volleyball
Keeley Aspaas, Shiprock
Lisa Atcitty, Shiprock
Monique Atcitty, Shiprock
Elimina Barber, Shiprock
Tessa Begay, Shiprock
Tyler Charley, Shiprock
Laria Hatch, Shiprock
Kristy Peshlakai, Shiprock
April Smith, Shiprock
Olivia Whitehorse, Shiprock
Katherine Hegarty, Aztec
Angela Evans, Aztec
Kendra Mitchell, Aztec
Taylor Simmons, Aztec
Jasmine Eagle, Aztec
Mollie Evans, Aztec
Danielle Helms, Aztec
Debuse Von Bijsterveld, Aztec
Tawnee Woosley, Aztec
Emily Bushard, Piedra Vista
Jaclyn deKay, Piedra Vista
Morgan Lindsey, Piedra Vista
Ticaboo Perkins, Piedra Vista
Aliz Russell, Piedra Vista
Mariah Culepper, Piedra Vista
Jourdan Ensign, Piedra Vista
Olivia McKinsey, Piedra Vista
Brittany Sofka, Piedra Vista
Samantha Begay, Kirtland Central
Meldrea Begaye, Kirtland Central
Danielle Garcia, Kirtland Central
Alessandra Harris, Kirtland Central
Olivia Harris, Kirtland Central
Chera Jake, Kirtland Central
Kayla Joe, Kirtland Central
Raquel Woody, Kirtland Central
Taylor Yazzie, Kirtland Central
Kim Galli, Farmington
Marianna Mauzy, Farmington
Jaimie Dayish, Farmington
Kendyl Moore, Farmington
Rebecca Debrick, Farmington
McKenna-Culp, Farmington
Randi Mitchell, Farmington
Brianna Villalobos, Farmington
Lindsey Rasmussen, Farmington
Sarah Ballard, Farmington
*****
I'll try to get in touch with Charly Martin on Friday to ask him about his NFL debut with the Carolina Panthers.
Until then...
Stay true and keep pounding,
Christopher
I wrote my column this week on five local teams with rising stock. Feel free to chime in if you disagree or I've left someone out.
Since I wrote about the future, here's a note on the past. There were a heck of a lot of people born this week according to my Facebook feed... Valentine's Day, perhaps?
If I ever invent a time machine, I'm going to do mankind a favor and concoct two or three more romantic holidays.
*****
Speaking of the past, someone (likely a St. Pius soccer fan) made an interesting proposal today. Piedra Vista knocked the No. 1 Sartans from the state tournament, and Pete Rankin's Scorps won the 4A title.
The field in Albuquerque isn't regulation size, and St. Pius, apparently, was missing one of its best players. A championship is a championship, the fan said, but FHS and St. Pius should play an exhibition game on a regulation field just for kicks.
It won't happen, because the soccer season has been over for a couple weeks, but that would be an interesting and entertaining deal.
*****
Fort Lewis College, ranked No. 5 in Division II, play Northern New Mexico College tonight at 5 p.m.
The venue: Piedra Vista High School.
Has anyone else heard of NNMC? Online editor Patrick Hogan, who looked over my copy tonight, had to look them up online, and he's lived in New Mexico far longer than me.
The Skyhawks, which held a second-half lead on the Pac-10's University of Arizona, could score 100 points -- NNMC gives up more than 110 per game.
Here's an early-season preview article from Durango Herald sports editor Aaron Unterreiner.
Stay true and keep pounding,
Christopher
Since I wrote about the future, here's a note on the past. There were a heck of a lot of people born this week according to my Facebook feed... Valentine's Day, perhaps?
If I ever invent a time machine, I'm going to do mankind a favor and concoct two or three more romantic holidays.
*****
Speaking of the past, someone (likely a St. Pius soccer fan) made an interesting proposal today. Piedra Vista knocked the No. 1 Sartans from the state tournament, and Pete Rankin's Scorps won the 4A title.
The field in Albuquerque isn't regulation size, and St. Pius, apparently, was missing one of its best players. A championship is a championship, the fan said, but FHS and St. Pius should play an exhibition game on a regulation field just for kicks.
It won't happen, because the soccer season has been over for a couple weeks, but that would be an interesting and entertaining deal.
*****
Fort Lewis College, ranked No. 5 in Division II, play Northern New Mexico College tonight at 5 p.m.
The venue: Piedra Vista High School.
Has anyone else heard of NNMC? Online editor Patrick Hogan, who looked over my copy tonight, had to look them up online, and he's lived in New Mexico far longer than me.
The Skyhawks, which held a second-half lead on the Pac-10's University of Arizona, could score 100 points -- NNMC gives up more than 110 per game.
Here's an early-season preview article from Durango Herald sports editor Aaron Unterreiner.
Stay true and keep pounding,
Christopher
Piedra Vista's tournament is done.
The Lady Panthers came against Pool C No. 3 Los Alamos in the first round of bracket play, an unfortunate pairing.
The Lady Hilltoppers split their pool play and lost on points, meaning PV had to face the No. 3 overall seed in their first elimination game.
Los Alamos won 3-0.
Shiprock, meanwhile, split with No. 4 Albuquerque Academy and beat Del Norte in Pool D to earn a first-round bye. They'll play Silver at 8 a.m. in the quarterfinals.
Bloomfield finished third in Pool B and drew a tough first-round opponent in St. Michael's, the No. 5 overall in 3A. The Lady Bobcats fell 3-0 and got eliminated in the first round of 3A bracket play.
The Lady Panthers came against Pool C No. 3 Los Alamos in the first round of bracket play, an unfortunate pairing.
The Lady Hilltoppers split their pool play and lost on points, meaning PV had to face the No. 3 overall seed in their first elimination game.
Los Alamos won 3-0.
Shiprock, meanwhile, split with No. 4 Albuquerque Academy and beat Del Norte in Pool D to earn a first-round bye. They'll play Silver at 8 a.m. in the quarterfinals.
Bloomfield finished third in Pool B and drew a tough first-round opponent in St. Michael's, the No. 5 overall in 3A. The Lady Bobcats fell 3-0 and got eliminated in the first round of 3A bracket play.
For those of you that can't get enough Farmington or Piedra Vista coverage from the 4A state soccer tournament, here's two more links.
First, the Santa Fe New Mexican's Kenn Rodriguez says FHS keeper Brycen Campbell made a save in the 71st minute of the championship game "like a steel bolt to a magnet, and Los Alamos' best chance evaporated into the clear November sky."
The Albuquerque Journal's James Yodice called PV's upset over St. Pius unprecedented. He quotes Sartans senior Sam Paterniti as saying, "We got beat by a lesser skilled team that took advantage of our mistakes."
Last week was be the best in the history of Farmington soccer. Next year will have trouble competing.
*****
Stay true and keep pounding,
Christopher Smith
First, the Santa Fe New Mexican's Kenn Rodriguez says FHS keeper Brycen Campbell made a save in the 71st minute of the championship game "like a steel bolt to a magnet, and Los Alamos' best chance evaporated into the clear November sky."
The Albuquerque Journal's James Yodice called PV's upset over St. Pius unprecedented. He quotes Sartans senior Sam Paterniti as saying, "We got beat by a lesser skilled team that took advantage of our mistakes."
Last week was be the best in the history of Farmington soccer. Next year will have trouble competing.
*****
Stay true and keep pounding,
Christopher Smith
Volleyball is a game of momentum.
I've heard that statement several times this week. Still, Kirtland Central's two games featured more long runs and disheartening droughts than usual.
KC, too, seemed to thrive on their crowd once they strung together a few points. That's why I figured they'd make an improbable trip to the District 1-4A finals after they erased a 13-6 deficit in Game 5 and had two match points. But Piedra Vista, banking on their healthy number of five-game matches (8), survived and advanced.
Here are a few scribblings from my notebook that didn't make the game story:
Game 1
Piedra Vista used a 10-2 run to storm to a 19-11 lead.
Game 2
PV wasn't hitting hard -- they were trying to tip and roll and it wasn't working. Kirtland Central had four aces as they built a 13-3 lead.
KC's key players sprinkled in enough kills to add to PV's mistakes passing and hitting out of bounds.
Game 3
The Lady Panthers started to funnel the ball to the middle effectively. Emily Bushard and Brittany Jackson combined for 10 kills and a block each, churning a 12-10 lead to a 25-17 win.
Game 4
In a point that typified KC's run through the District 1-4A tournament, the Lady Broncos blocked/dug several big hits from PV's work horses with pancake digs, keeping a long rally alive when they looked dead several times before Taylor Yazzie spiked it to the gym floor.
The healthy KC crowd went crazy, the Broncos bursted to a 23-17 lead and won 25-21 to stay alive.
PV almost stopped their momentum, getting within 23-21. PV coach Ron Becker, I thought, took a good time out down 24-21 to quiet the crowd and stem the emotion a bit, but it didn't work out.
The Broncos lost a similar point down 5-3 in the final game.
Game 5
Piedra Vista's defense played much better after Becker inserted defensive specialist Brittany Softka to shore up the back line and the passing.
They overcame problems in the service game -- four service errors and an ace by KC's Samantha Begay -- by preventing a lot of kill shots from being successful.
"I think I'll definitely use it again tomorrow night. I think that really made a big difference," Becker said. "It's probably something I should've tried earlier.
"Alix (Russell) is trying to swing outside and hit, and she's also passing. She's trying to do two jobs at once so it takes away her focus from both."
Becker also said that he thinks Russell's lingering foot injury is affecting her. He added that she wouldn't admit as much and called her a tough player.
*****
So it's set: Piedra Vista at Shiprock, Saturday, 7 p.m.
"They're gonna have a heck of a crowd out there," Becker said. "(Shiprock coach) Tim (Liufau) has done a really great job coaching those girls, so I expect it to be tough."
Becker said he felt less pressure for Saturday's championship game because he's more secure about PV's standing in the state tournament field.
Stay true and keep pounding,
Christopher
I've heard that statement several times this week. Still, Kirtland Central's two games featured more long runs and disheartening droughts than usual.
KC, too, seemed to thrive on their crowd once they strung together a few points. That's why I figured they'd make an improbable trip to the District 1-4A finals after they erased a 13-6 deficit in Game 5 and had two match points. But Piedra Vista, banking on their healthy number of five-game matches (8), survived and advanced.
Here are a few scribblings from my notebook that didn't make the game story:
Game 1
Piedra Vista used a 10-2 run to storm to a 19-11 lead.
Game 2
PV wasn't hitting hard -- they were trying to tip and roll and it wasn't working. Kirtland Central had four aces as they built a 13-3 lead.
KC's key players sprinkled in enough kills to add to PV's mistakes passing and hitting out of bounds.
Game 3
The Lady Panthers started to funnel the ball to the middle effectively. Emily Bushard and Brittany Jackson combined for 10 kills and a block each, churning a 12-10 lead to a 25-17 win.
Game 4
In a point that typified KC's run through the District 1-4A tournament, the Lady Broncos blocked/dug several big hits from PV's work horses with pancake digs, keeping a long rally alive when they looked dead several times before Taylor Yazzie spiked it to the gym floor.
The healthy KC crowd went crazy, the Broncos bursted to a 23-17 lead and won 25-21 to stay alive.
PV almost stopped their momentum, getting within 23-21. PV coach Ron Becker, I thought, took a good time out down 24-21 to quiet the crowd and stem the emotion a bit, but it didn't work out.
The Broncos lost a similar point down 5-3 in the final game.
Game 5
Piedra Vista's defense played much better after Becker inserted defensive specialist Brittany Softka to shore up the back line and the passing.
They overcame problems in the service game -- four service errors and an ace by KC's Samantha Begay -- by preventing a lot of kill shots from being successful.
"I think I'll definitely use it again tomorrow night. I think that really made a big difference," Becker said. "It's probably something I should've tried earlier.
"Alix (Russell) is trying to swing outside and hit, and she's also passing. She's trying to do two jobs at once so it takes away her focus from both."
Becker also said that he thinks Russell's lingering foot injury is affecting her. He added that she wouldn't admit as much and called her a tough player.
*****
So it's set: Piedra Vista at Shiprock, Saturday, 7 p.m.
"They're gonna have a heck of a crowd out there," Becker said. "(Shiprock coach) Tim (Liufau) has done a really great job coaching those girls, so I expect it to be tough."
Becker said he felt less pressure for Saturday's championship game because he's more secure about PV's standing in the state tournament field.
Stay true and keep pounding,
Christopher
Astute readers may have noticed that my off days have shifted from Wed./Thurs. to Tues./Wed.
I will continue my weekly Thursday Grab Bag, but I'm moving it to Wednesday. It takes too many Mountain Dews to write the thing when I get home from work closer to 1 a.m. on Thursdays, and frankly, it's not like I have a bustling social life during my off days.
So you'll see that return to my blog next week on Wednesday.
*****
Tigers anxious: In the meantime, I got back from Aztec's gym a few hours ago and watched Kirtland's volleyball team pull out a 3-2 win.
The Lady Broncos' hitters did a good job of keeping Aztec's block off balance, tipping, feigning and whaling away, a lot of times doing the opposite of what the Lady Tigers expected.
It's cliche to focus on attitude in close games -- a lot of times we try to inject context where it doesn't exist. Sometimes odds and luck factor more than clutch play, 'heart' and 'guts,' as we like to think. But KC's players sure looked more confident and relaxed down the stretch Thursday.
Perhaps it's because Aztec felt so much pressure to win, or because Kirtland got such an emotional high off their big runs that skunked the Tigers. Whatever the case, I thought that body language and mental approach played at least some role in KC outscoring Aztec 8-2 in the deciding fifth game.
Aztec coach Anna Strauss vouched for her players after the game, saying she felt the committee should include her team in the state playoffs. They're likely vying with Belen and Española for spots No. 11 and 12 -- the final two -- based on a cursory look at the 4A standings.
The Tigers' chances have taken a blow over the past two weeks, losing to Shiprock and Piedra Vista to fall to third and dropping the District 1-4A quarterfinals at home. Still, they have a shot -- the Lady Chieftains and Lady Panthers are both ranked in the top seven.
*****
Future exciting: In other news, the Aztec girls' soccer team also saw their season end with a 2-0 loss to Albuquerque Academy. The Tigers must replace keeper Addison Woods -- coach Stephen Parks already was considering her replacement, although he didn't want to name her and close the position to competition.
Still, Aztec loses just two seniors and returns a healthy stable of juniors, including District Player of the Year candidate Taylor McGarry. The Tigers advanced further than any District 1-4A team this year and beat district champion Farmington during the regular season. They seemed to take to their new home field at the Aztec Sports Complex fast and should have a nice home advantage next year, where they'll be the team to beat.
Stay true and keep pounding,
Christopher
I will continue my weekly Thursday Grab Bag, but I'm moving it to Wednesday. It takes too many Mountain Dews to write the thing when I get home from work closer to 1 a.m. on Thursdays, and frankly, it's not like I have a bustling social life during my off days.
So you'll see that return to my blog next week on Wednesday.
*****
Tigers anxious: In the meantime, I got back from Aztec's gym a few hours ago and watched Kirtland's volleyball team pull out a 3-2 win.
The Lady Broncos' hitters did a good job of keeping Aztec's block off balance, tipping, feigning and whaling away, a lot of times doing the opposite of what the Lady Tigers expected.
It's cliche to focus on attitude in close games -- a lot of times we try to inject context where it doesn't exist. Sometimes odds and luck factor more than clutch play, 'heart' and 'guts,' as we like to think. But KC's players sure looked more confident and relaxed down the stretch Thursday.
Perhaps it's because Aztec felt so much pressure to win, or because Kirtland got such an emotional high off their big runs that skunked the Tigers. Whatever the case, I thought that body language and mental approach played at least some role in KC outscoring Aztec 8-2 in the deciding fifth game.
Aztec coach Anna Strauss vouched for her players after the game, saying she felt the committee should include her team in the state playoffs. They're likely vying with Belen and Española for spots No. 11 and 12 -- the final two -- based on a cursory look at the 4A standings.
The Tigers' chances have taken a blow over the past two weeks, losing to Shiprock and Piedra Vista to fall to third and dropping the District 1-4A quarterfinals at home. Still, they have a shot -- the Lady Chieftains and Lady Panthers are both ranked in the top seven.
*****
Future exciting: In other news, the Aztec girls' soccer team also saw their season end with a 2-0 loss to Albuquerque Academy. The Tigers must replace keeper Addison Woods -- coach Stephen Parks already was considering her replacement, although he didn't want to name her and close the position to competition.
Still, Aztec loses just two seniors and returns a healthy stable of juniors, including District Player of the Year candidate Taylor McGarry. The Tigers advanced further than any District 1-4A team this year and beat district champion Farmington during the regular season. They seemed to take to their new home field at the Aztec Sports Complex fast and should have a nice home advantage next year, where they'll be the team to beat.
Stay true and keep pounding,
Christopher
I thought I'd add a bit to my column on Shiprock's propensity to race in a pack.
I asked Robert Bedsole to comment on the subject.
Bedsole, my teammate at Hoover High School, was a 10-time state champion, won the Great American Cross Country Meet in 2004 and qualified for the Footlocker National Championship. He also ran at N.C. State and competed well in the ACC in between incessant stress fractures.
Here are Bedsole's thoughts on pack racing:
"Running may be an individual sport, but there's certainly an advantage to having teammates around you in a race. On the one hand, you know what your teammates are capable of, so you can work off of each other to set a good pace for the group. I've also noticed that racing next to my own teammates helps me to relax in a race. And if I'm having a bad day, and my teammates are right there with me, I feel a little more motivated to suck it up and run through the pain with that audience of close friends nearby.
"But on the other hand, when you're getting closer to the finish, there's extra incentive to beating your own teammates instead of someone you don't even know from another team. Any way you look at it, pack running makes everybody faster."
Stay true and keep pounding,
Christopher
I asked Robert Bedsole to comment on the subject.
Bedsole, my teammate at Hoover High School, was a 10-time state champion, won the Great American Cross Country Meet in 2004 and qualified for the Footlocker National Championship. He also ran at N.C. State and competed well in the ACC in between incessant stress fractures.
Here are Bedsole's thoughts on pack racing:
"Running may be an individual sport, but there's certainly an advantage to having teammates around you in a race. On the one hand, you know what your teammates are capable of, so you can work off of each other to set a good pace for the group. I've also noticed that racing next to my own teammates helps me to relax in a race. And if I'm having a bad day, and my teammates are right there with me, I feel a little more motivated to suck it up and run through the pain with that audience of close friends nearby.
"But on the other hand, when you're getting closer to the finish, there's extra incentive to beating your own teammates instead of someone you don't even know from another team. Any way you look at it, pack running makes everybody faster."
Stay true and keep pounding,
Christopher
I covered the Farmington-Aztec football game, the district track meet and the FHS-Moriarty girls soccer game in an 18-hour period yesterday and today, so there's bound to be a few odds and ends that didn't make the paper.
Like Moriarty coach Larry Denniston, who appeared to be at least 65 years old and wore a sort of Abe Lincoln meets United Kingdom top hat. That guy had some style.
Oh, and Happy Halloween. I recommend eating an Act II popcorn ball -- they're pleasantly moist if not quite exquisite. Thanks to copy editor Brandon Sieben for that one.
*****
• I took a few extra stats from the FHS-Aztec football game. What a game, by the way.
Aztec QB Brycson King, at one point, completed 9-of-9 passes less than eight yards past the line of scrimmage (I may have miscategorized one or two plays but I did my best).
King completed 9-of-11 short passes, 2-of-6 intermediate (8-12 yards) and 4-of-8 long.
FHS QB Tyler Hough completed 2-of-3 short passes, 1-of-3 intermediate and 0-of-2 long.
Check out the Scorpions' third and fourth downs by distance in the second half.
Third-and-12: No first down.
Third-and-4: Yes.
Third-and-4: Yes.
Third-and-8: No.
Third-and-1: Yes.
Third-and-3: Yes.
Third-and-3: Yes.
Third-and-7: No.
Third-and-1: Yes.
Third-and-19: No.
Fourth-and-6: No.
Fourth-and-7: Yes.
Fourth-and-19: No.
Anything under four yards, FHS managed a first down. Anything over, they didn't.
There was one exception. Farmington drew up a halfback pass to Daniel Lacey during a time out and managed to convert a fourth-and-7 on their last drive. Curiously, FHS called for a pass on second-and-6 from the Tigers 14 and Hough got sacked, leading to the two plays with 19 yards to go.
Coach Gary Bradley said his players asked for a different play and blamed himself for calling a pass. Based on the numbers, FHS just needed two or three yards on second down, a number they got almost every time they ran the ball in the second half.
A running play there and the Scorps almost guarantee themselves a first-and-goal with less than a minute left.
• Another trend related to Farmington football: This team is starting to dominate fourth quarters.
They turned a 17-14 deficit into a 28-17 win over Piedra Vista, beat Aztec 6-0 in the period and nearly scored another one and beat Silver 6-0 in the period.
I suggested that the team may get tired in the fourth quarter by playing both ways, and Talon Spearman and Colton Curry balked. No, they said, they don't feel tired at all. And they've placed a big emphasis on finishing the game well.
It's worked. Of course, when you rush for 323 yards, as they did against the Tigers, it's easy to lean on the other team late.
• The Piedra Vista girls soccer team showed up to The Hutch today to watch -- nay, cheer -- for rival Farmington in the state playoffs. Classy move by the Lady Panthers, which were considered the district favorites to start the year and missed the playoffs after a loss to FHS ended their season.
They also sent a signed banner of support to the Bloomfield girls game, which hung on the fence in front of the bleachers at Bobcat Stadium.
• The district cross country meet at Riverview Golf Course was nothing like my old meets on golf courses in the Southeast.
I used to love golf course meets because of the soft grass (no pounding on asphalt), the views and the trees which shrouded every hole and limited my view to a few hundred meters.
The District 1-4A meet stayed on the cart path and I don't remember seeing a tree on the course. You could watch the entire race, just about, from the benches behind the driving range. This can be depressing as you look into the distance and realize just how far you have to go.
I asked girls district champion Myka Benally what she thought of her home course, and she had a different opinion: "I like it because you can see where everybody else is. I like to watch races, too, when I'm running. It's nice to look in the back and see everybody coming, and it helps out because the spectators can watch as well."
Like Moriarty coach Larry Denniston, who appeared to be at least 65 years old and wore a sort of Abe Lincoln meets United Kingdom top hat. That guy had some style.
Oh, and Happy Halloween. I recommend eating an Act II popcorn ball -- they're pleasantly moist if not quite exquisite. Thanks to copy editor Brandon Sieben for that one.
*****
• I took a few extra stats from the FHS-Aztec football game. What a game, by the way.
Aztec QB Brycson King, at one point, completed 9-of-9 passes less than eight yards past the line of scrimmage (I may have miscategorized one or two plays but I did my best).
King completed 9-of-11 short passes, 2-of-6 intermediate (8-12 yards) and 4-of-8 long.
FHS QB Tyler Hough completed 2-of-3 short passes, 1-of-3 intermediate and 0-of-2 long.
Check out the Scorpions' third and fourth downs by distance in the second half.
Third-and-12: No first down.
Third-and-4: Yes.
Third-and-4: Yes.
Third-and-8: No.
Third-and-1: Yes.
Third-and-3: Yes.
Third-and-3: Yes.
Third-and-7: No.
Third-and-1: Yes.
Third-and-19: No.
Fourth-and-6: No.
Fourth-and-7: Yes.
Fourth-and-19: No.
Anything under four yards, FHS managed a first down. Anything over, they didn't.
There was one exception. Farmington drew up a halfback pass to Daniel Lacey during a time out and managed to convert a fourth-and-7 on their last drive. Curiously, FHS called for a pass on second-and-6 from the Tigers 14 and Hough got sacked, leading to the two plays with 19 yards to go.
Coach Gary Bradley said his players asked for a different play and blamed himself for calling a pass. Based on the numbers, FHS just needed two or three yards on second down, a number they got almost every time they ran the ball in the second half.
A running play there and the Scorps almost guarantee themselves a first-and-goal with less than a minute left.
• Another trend related to Farmington football: This team is starting to dominate fourth quarters.
They turned a 17-14 deficit into a 28-17 win over Piedra Vista, beat Aztec 6-0 in the period and nearly scored another one and beat Silver 6-0 in the period.
I suggested that the team may get tired in the fourth quarter by playing both ways, and Talon Spearman and Colton Curry balked. No, they said, they don't feel tired at all. And they've placed a big emphasis on finishing the game well.
It's worked. Of course, when you rush for 323 yards, as they did against the Tigers, it's easy to lean on the other team late.
• The Piedra Vista girls soccer team showed up to The Hutch today to watch -- nay, cheer -- for rival Farmington in the state playoffs. Classy move by the Lady Panthers, which were considered the district favorites to start the year and missed the playoffs after a loss to FHS ended their season.
They also sent a signed banner of support to the Bloomfield girls game, which hung on the fence in front of the bleachers at Bobcat Stadium.
• The district cross country meet at Riverview Golf Course was nothing like my old meets on golf courses in the Southeast.
I used to love golf course meets because of the soft grass (no pounding on asphalt), the views and the trees which shrouded every hole and limited my view to a few hundred meters.
The District 1-4A meet stayed on the cart path and I don't remember seeing a tree on the course. You could watch the entire race, just about, from the benches behind the driving range. This can be depressing as you look into the distance and realize just how far you have to go.
I asked girls district champion Myka Benally what she thought of her home course, and she had a different opinion: "I like it because you can see where everybody else is. I like to watch races, too, when I'm running. It's nice to look in the back and see everybody coming, and it helps out because the spectators can watch as well."
Riddle me this. You're a successful rental car company. You sell out your cars consistently. Why not buy another car or two? Other than price, the No. 1 danger that pushes potential customers away has to be when you don't have a vehicle available for a few days.
*****
Football power poll: The de facto District 1-4A championship game takes place at FHS this week.
1. Aztec (5-3, 1-0 District 1-4) -- The Tigers got caught with their pants down in the first half last week but their short passing game and hammer Jake Espinoza proved viable options. (Previous: 1)
2. Farmington (5-3, 1-0) -- The Scorpions are stone set on treating Aztec as just another game, but Coach Gary Bradley relished the idea of a win over the Tigers when I talked to him Monday. (Previous: 2)
3. Kirtland Central (3-5, 0-1) -- The Broncos roared to a 20-7 halftime lead over Aztec before letting a second-half comeback discourage them. (Previous: 3)
4. Bloomfield (5-3, 4-0 District 1-3A) -- The Bobcats are in the middle of a three-week coast to the 3A playoffs. (Previous: 4)
5. Piedra Vista (1-7, 0-1) -- The Panthers hung with FHS for most of the game. Can they get their second win in their most winnable district game at home vs. KC? (Previous: 5)
6. Shiprock (6-2) -- The Chieftains need to win this game against Wingate to finish their season on a winning streak. (Previous: 6)
7. Navajo Prep (6-3, 4-1 District 1-2A) -- The Eagles are on the cusp of making the playoffs. They need to take care of business and hope Cuba can pull off a miracle against Newcomb, or leave their teetering fate to the selection committee. (Previous: 7)
*****
Prep rankings:
4A
1. Belen (10) 100 points
2. Goddard 88
3. Artesia 78
T4. Aztec 66
T4. Volcano Vista 66
6. Silver 38
7. St. Pius 35
8. Deming 25
9. Farmington 21
10. Del Norte 11
3A
1. Lovington (5) 85
2. Raton (4) 85
3. St. Michael's 67
4. Bloomfield 51
5. Albuquerque Academy 49
T6. Portales 35
T6. Socorro 35
8. Hatch Valley 33
9. Robertson 23
10. Cobre 17
Volleyball
4A
7. Piedra Vista
8. Shiprock
9. Aztec
3A
4. Bloomfield
*****
Football power poll: The de facto District 1-4A championship game takes place at FHS this week.
1. Aztec (5-3, 1-0 District 1-4) -- The Tigers got caught with their pants down in the first half last week but their short passing game and hammer Jake Espinoza proved viable options. (Previous: 1)
2. Farmington (5-3, 1-0) -- The Scorpions are stone set on treating Aztec as just another game, but Coach Gary Bradley relished the idea of a win over the Tigers when I talked to him Monday. (Previous: 2)
3. Kirtland Central (3-5, 0-1) -- The Broncos roared to a 20-7 halftime lead over Aztec before letting a second-half comeback discourage them. (Previous: 3)
4. Bloomfield (5-3, 4-0 District 1-3A) -- The Bobcats are in the middle of a three-week coast to the 3A playoffs. (Previous: 4)
5. Piedra Vista (1-7, 0-1) -- The Panthers hung with FHS for most of the game. Can they get their second win in their most winnable district game at home vs. KC? (Previous: 5)
6. Shiprock (6-2) -- The Chieftains need to win this game against Wingate to finish their season on a winning streak. (Previous: 6)
7. Navajo Prep (6-3, 4-1 District 1-2A) -- The Eagles are on the cusp of making the playoffs. They need to take care of business and hope Cuba can pull off a miracle against Newcomb, or leave their teetering fate to the selection committee. (Previous: 7)
*****
Prep rankings:
4A
1. Belen (10) 100 points
2. Goddard 88
3. Artesia 78
T4. Aztec 66
T4. Volcano Vista 66
6. Silver 38
7. St. Pius 35
8. Deming 25
9. Farmington 21
10. Del Norte 11
3A
1. Lovington (5) 85
2. Raton (4) 85
3. St. Michael's 67
4. Bloomfield 51
5. Albuquerque Academy 49
T6. Portales 35
T6. Socorro 35
8. Hatch Valley 33
9. Robertson 23
10. Cobre 17
Volleyball
4A
7. Piedra Vista
8. Shiprock
9. Aztec
3A
4. Bloomfield
