District season is upon us now ...

At least for the big schools. All the regular-season tournaments and most big nondistrict games are behind teams around New Mexico. Thus begins the stretch run for the coveted 16 spots for the state tournaments in boys and girls basketball.
So, I will dedicate the beginning of the week to list and quickly summarize the big matchups for the week. Times are approximate due to C-team and JV games, which we all know run long. Very long.
All records provide reflect play before Tuesday's games.

So, without further adieu ...

Today
Boys
Albuquerque High (4-12) at Santa Fe High (7-10), 7 p.m.
Skinny: The Demons were riding high 10 days ago, with a three-game-in-three-days winning streak over Albuquerque Cibola, Capital and St. Michael's. Now, they desperately need to start off the District 2AAAAA season strongly. A loss to the Bulldogs, who are 4-12 entering the contest, would be a crucial blow to the Demons' state tournament chances.
It didn't help that two players - Issac Jeantette and Mario Herrera - were suspended for a 62-43 loss to No. 2 Manzano on Thursday, but that was followed by Saturday's 79-64 loss at Albuquerque Eldorado. Herrera played on Saturday, Jeantette did not.
Will Jeantette be on hand - and in uniform - for tonight?

Wednesday
Boys
Capital (11-7) at Española Valley (16-2), 7 p.m.
Skinny: The Jaguars have come up short for the last 12 games against their District 2AAAA foes, so a win here would do wonders for their confidence. It would come on the heels of a 46-44 win at Albuquerque St. Pius X, the three-time reigning AAAA champion that had gone 6-1 over its previous seven games.
Capital's problem is that it can't shoot - either from the perimeter or from the free-throw line. Isaiah Bustamante and Mark Maes are inconsistent from the perimeter, and the Jaguars can be downright obscene in running their halfcourt offense.
Española doesn't win pretty, but the Sundevils do win. They held off Taos 64-56 in their district opener on Jan. 13 and then had to navigate a rough third quarter at Albuquerque High to beat the Bulldogs, 67-49. The Sundevils have lived from the perimeter, but an emerging threat is 6-foot-4 junior post Gabe Rodriguez, who is providing a spark in the paint. If he maintains his aggressiveness, the Sundevils will win a 13th straight over the Jaguars.

Thursday
Girls
Pojoaque Valley (16-0) at Las Vegas Robertson (8-8), 7 p.m.
The Elkettes are big and strong in the post, but so are the Lady Cardinals. That's the best way to attack Pojoaque, which seems to find getting to the basket easier and easier as the season progresses. Brooke Knezevich will need perhaps her best game of the season to neutralize 6-foot-2, 250-plus pound Pojoaque senior Jackie Bartleson, the most immovable of objects in the paint. But someone else will need to step up against the Elkettes' all-everything player, Ellen Cruz. She is just as capable of working down low as she is to find the cutter in the lane.
Here's another point to ponder: Since Knezevich began playing on Dec. 11, Robertson is 8-4.

Friday
Boys
Pojoaque Valley (8-7) at Santa Fe Indian School (N/A), 7 p.m.
Skinny: The District 2AAA winner here should emerge as the chief challenger to the Horsemen, the four-time defending champions. After an 8-2 start, the Elks are in free-fall. Could it be that teams have figured out how to defend their 3-point shooting prowess? Or are the Elks not as good as they looked at the start of the year. The Braves, meanwhile, will be coming off their biggest test of the year, against the No. 3 Sun Devils of Albuquerque Sandia Prep. SFIS might not be big (no player is listed taller than 5-10) but few teams are quicker.

Saturday
Boys
Hobbs (13-4) at Española Valley (16-2), 7 p.m.
This is the matchup between the tradition that is vs. the tradition that could have been. The Eagles are the standard bearers of basketball in the state of New Mexico. Their 17 state titles top all boys programs in New Mexico and are equalled only by the girls of Kirtland Central. When Sundevil fans make he return trip to Hobbs next year, they will see that tradition and history laid out not just in a trophy case. They will be met by a museum-like shrine to Hobbs athletics, with most of the space dedicated to boys basketball.
Española counters with the spirit of a community that identifies itself with its basketball team, one that has yet to make it even to a state final in its history. This game will go far in helping determine if the Sundevils make that historic trip - and perhaps an even more historic trophy presentation - in March.

Remember when steroids were the big scare in prep sports?

Well, Texas was the state which made the biggest splash in the steroid testing pool, spending $6 million on its athletes.
The results of the first 10,000 samples are in. Want to guess how many were caught? Read on ...

http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=900053

New Mexico High School Coaches Association prep poll

Here are the latest rankings for the state, as provided by the NMHSCA. The voting is done by coaches in each class:

NMHSCA prep poll
The New Mexico High School Coaches Association has compiled a weekly prep boys and girls basketball poll. Voting is done by the coaches in each class. First-place votes are in parenthesis:
Boys
Class AAAAA
1. Highland (11) 110
2. Manzano 91
3. Valley 71
4. Clovis 61
5. Hobbs 51
6. La Cueva 41
7. Gallup 40
8. Eldorado 33
9. Las Cruces 29
10. Rio Rancho 27
Also receiving votes: Alamogordo 14, Oñate 12, Sandia 7, Rio Grande 5, Los Lunas 4, Cibola 3, Gadsden 3, Mayfield 2.
Class AAAA
1. Española (6) 140
2. Artesia (7) 131
3. Roswell(1) 117
4. Alb. Academy (1) 91
5. Los Alamos 78
6. Belen 60
7. Capital 58
8. St. Pius X 39
9. Deming 33
10. Santa Teresa 26
Also receiving votes: Grants 23, Silver 13, Roswell Goddard 11, Bernalillo 2, Farmington 1, Chaparral 1, Del Norte 1.
Class AAA
1. Hope Christian (13) 130
2. St. Michael’s 110
3. Sandia Prep 97
4. Socorro 70
5. Portales 66
6. W. Las Vegas 60
7. Pojoaque 51
8. Bloomfield 39
9. Wingate 27
10. Santa Fe Indian 25
Also receiving votes: Ruidoso 16, Lovington 11, Crownpoint 5, NMMI 4, Cobre 3, Thoreau 2, Newcomb 1, Robertson 1.
Class AA
1. Mesilla Valley (8) 162
2. Santa Rosa (8) 152
3. Mesa Vista (1) 138
4. Texico 119
5. Bosque School 77
6. Peñasco 72
7. Tularosa 51
8. Questa 31
9. (tie) Navajo Pine 24
9. (tie) Rehoboth (1) 24
9. (tie) Mora 24
Also receiving votes: Lordsburg 17, Pecos 16, Clayton 15, Hagerman 14, Escalante 10, Dulce 7, Santa Fe Prep 7, Jemez Valley 6, Estancia 4, Ramah 3, Coronado 2, Monte del Sol 1, Tucumcari 1.
Class A
1. Cliff (6) 79
2. Springer (2) 70
3. Dora (1) 52
4. Fort Sumner 36
5. (tie) Gateway Christian 30
5. (tie) Reserve 30
7. Elida 29
8. Des Moines 27
9. (tie) Cimarron 23
9. (tie) Tatum 23
Also receiving votes: Floyd 16, Quemado 12, Menaul 11, Logan 10, Melrose 8, Maxwell 8, San Jon 5, Mountainair 5, Gallup Catholic 3, Valley Christian, Magdalena 2, Temple Baptist 2, Animas 1, Carrizozo 1.
Girls
Class AAAAA
1. Rio Rancho (11) 125
2. Eldorado (1) 117
3. Las Cruces 100
4. (tie) La Cueva 72
4. (tie) Cibola (1) 72
6. (tie) Sandia 58
6. (tie) Clovis 58
8. Valley 49
9. Mayfield 30
10. Hobbs 29
Also receiving votes: Gallup 15, Alamogordo 10, Santa Fe 3, West Mesa 1, Rio Grande 1.
Class AAAA
1. (tie) Moriarty (3) 88
1. (tie) St. Pius X (7) 88
3. Roswell 73
4. Kirtland Central 57
5. Deming 52
6. Shiprock 41
7. Belen 36
8. Aztec 25
9. Alb. Academy 24
10. Del Norte 19
Also receiving votes: Los Alamos 10, Volcano Vista 9, Silver 6, Artesia 5, Capital 4, Española 4, Goddard 4, Grants 4, Farmington 3.
Class AAA
1. Pojoaque (9) 90
2. Lovington 72
3. W. Las Vegas 60
4. St. Michael’s 51
5. Portales 48
6. Santa Fe Indian 37
7. Ruidoso 36
8. Socorro 26
9. Robertson 21
10. Hope Christian 16
Also receiving votes: Bloomfield 11, Crownpoint 10, Cuba 7, Tohatchi 7, Hatch 2, NMMI 2.
Class AA
1. Texico (5) 98
2. Navajo Prep (3) 93
3. Clayton (1) 73
4. Mora (1) 69
5. Santa Rosa (1) 51
6. Navajo Pine 48
7. Rehoboth 34
8. Mesa Vista 27
9. McCurdy 26
10. Lordsburg 22
Also receiving votes: Tularosa 15, Jemez Valley 12, Capitan 8, Jal 7, Loving 6, Coronado 3, Questa 2, Hagerman 2, Estancia 2, Pecos 1.
Class A
1. Cliff (5) 96
2. (tie) Cimarron (4) 77
2. (tie) Magdalena (1) 77
4. Animas (1) 62
5. Elida 49
6. Des Moines 44
7. Dora 42
8. Gallup Catholic 40
9. Floyd 21
10. Clovis Christian 15
Also receiving votes: Tatum 14, Roy 14, Springer 10, Menaul 10, Grady 6, Fort Sumner 3, Melrose 3, Hondo Valley 3, Gateway Christian 3, Carrizozo 2, Temple Baptist 1.

And the University of Utah football program moves into the national stage

Now, it's not because the Utes played in a BCS bowl game - and won convincingly over an Alabama team that was ranked No. 1 for five weeks. Utah has become the underdog darlings of the media.
All you have to do is see the attention the program is getting.

From the Washington Post (and award-winning journalist and author John Feinstein, no less)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/06/AR2009010600092.html?hpid=moreheadlines

From ESPN (and another award-winning journalist and writer in Rick Reilly)
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3815656

And then there's Yahoo's Dan Wetzel, who reveals more of the hypocrisy that is the BCS system and with the Harris poll in particular
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=dw-utah010509&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

You'll notice the theme here, and it's a good one for anyone who is a Utah fan, a follower of the Mountain West Conference or majority of the country that doesn't live in BCS country.

Lastly, one more column. This is by Randy Harrison of the Albuquerque Journal, and he details his thought process in determining who will get his first-place vote in the Associated Press poll. You won't be surprised at the conclusion he reaches.
For those who don't recall, it was Harrison's colleague, Greg Archuleta, who was the lone voter cast his ballot for Boise State as No. 1 when it went undefeated in 2006.
http://www.abqjournal.com/sports/0794003187sports01-07-09.htm

Welcome to a New Year!

My apologies for not writing during the holidays, but you know how that goes ...
Here's hoping that everybody had a joyous holiday season and that 2009 has gotten off to a good start.

Well, let's just right into it.

First off, an update:
The boys basketball game between Santa Fe High and Capital will be made up on Friday at Capital. Game time is 7 p.m. Thanks to Ron Shirley (via Capital athletic manager Joe Moulton) for finally returning a call.
Santa Fe High will try to stem an 12-game losing streak to the Jaguars, which stretches all the way to the 2000-2001 season. Not since the group of Mike Padilla, Steve Stratton and Andrew Ellsworth have the Demons experienced a win in this suddenly one-sided city rivalry.
This might be the year where the worm finally turns in Santa Fe High's favor. Capital is a team that relies on pressure and defense to win. Santa Fe High can shoot, but has no size.
Fortunately for the Demons, Capital lacks that as well. If the Demons shoot well, it could be a long night for the Jaguars.

Here's something of note in other prep news from the Flint (Mich.) News:
The star guard at Flint Northwestern was among four people charged in a drive-by shooting that injured a 20-year-old mother. Apparently, an AK assault rifle was needed as retribution for a $30 dispute between the player, DeAndre Upchurch, and an resident who supposedly lived there.
This from the team's leading scorer (25 p.p.g.) and an honorable mention All-State player.

You can read the rest of it here:
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2009/01/northwestern_basketball_star_d.html

Capital grad Mike Dominguez made a splash on Tuesday

Yes, his Florida International team was routed by No. 12 Georgetown, but Dominguez, the starting guard for the Golden Panthers, knocked down six 3-pointer and scored 20 points in a starring role.
The junior, who spent two years at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colo., is leading Florida International with 11.1 points per game and has hit 21 of 23 free throws. Dominguez, who led the Jaguars to a Class AAAA state title in 2004 and a runner-up finish in 2005, has hit a team-high 31 3s on the year.
Here is the Associated Press write-up of the game:


WASHINGTON (AP) — Austin Freeman scored 17 points, Chris Wright had 14 and DaJuan Summers added 13 to lead No. 12 Georgetown past Florida International 76-38 on Tuesday night.
The Hoyas (9-1), who won their sixth straight, open Big East play on Dec. 29 at No. 2 Connecticut.
The Golden Panthers (4-9) scored the fewest points in their history.
Florida International dressed 10 players — five of them walk-ons — and it was quickly apparent they weren’t in the Hoyas’ class. Georgetown led 23-4 with 10:31 left and were ahead 43-16 at halftime.
Georgetown had a season-high 12 3-pointers. The Hoyas hit their first five 3-point attempts and eight of 10. Freeman was 5-for-6 from beyond the arc.
Michael Dominguez had 20 points for Florida International, losers of five straight and seven of eight.
Six-foot-11 freshman center Greg Monroe, who struggled against Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday, had 10 points, six rebounds and five steals for the Hoyas.
Florida International, which is missing its three leading scorers, have played 18 ranked teams in its history without a win. This was their first game against the Hoyas since Dec. 2, 1989, when they lost 114-67.

Santa Fe High's revolving door

I'll give Santa Fe Public Schools athletic director Skip Hemperley credit for acknowledging the problem that exists with the Santa Fe High football program. He recognizes that the instability with head coaches only leads to instability within the program.
But what qualities does the school have that makes it attractive to a prospective coach?
It had a coach who maintained that Santa Fe High was the only job he wanted - Mike Ulibarri - then he left when the school was about to force him to move from the physical education department to special education.
The weight room is small and cramped for a group of 40 or 50 players to work out.
Ivan Head Stadium certainly has some charm, but it's a relic still stuck in the 1970s. Heck, it took the school district until this year to replace the school's original scoreboard!
The school has gone through four principals in the last six years and nine athletic directors or managers since 2000. One year (2004) saw three ADs come and go.
There also is a leadership gap, meaning athletic manager Ron Shirley. That was punctuated when two boys basketball coaches approach a newspaper to find out where their teams were placed in the Capital City Invitational bracket.
But the program does have one caveat: The coach who turns this program around will be carted around the city as a hailing hero. And that would happen simply by producing a winning season, which Santa Fe High has done once since 1986. A bronze statue might be erected of him if the Demons get into the playoffs for the first time since ... 1986.
But any kind of success there will open avenues for other jobs, probably with better and more stable programs, because coaches know how disfunctional the program has been.
Let's face it, even if (and it's still an if) the school moves to AAAA ,which is scheduled for the 2010 season, it will still have to compete against a steady and much healthier Capital program and a clearly superior Los Alamos team. The Demons also will have to deal with the perception that District 2AAAA is one of the worst in AAAA (only District 3AAAA with Santa Teresa, Deming, Silver and Chaparral is worse from top to bottom).
If there is a coach in the state who truly relishes a challenge, this is the job for you.