Grab Bag Moved; Aztec Notes

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.

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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.

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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