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Home / Sports News / St. Michael’s boys looking forward to district 2-3A play, as are Santa Fe High and Capital in 5- 5A, and Pecos in 7-2A, all in quest of state tournament invitations down the road

St. Michael’s boys looking forward to district 2-3A play, as are Santa Fe High and Capital in 5- 5A, and Pecos in 7-2A, all in quest of state tournament invitations down the road

By Arnie Leshin 
Arnie Leshin

A look at the boy’s basketball District 2-3A does not look all that impressive, except that district has yet to begin and all six schools stand at 0-0.

Yet, the overall records have half of these teams above .500, barely. St. Michael’s is 8-7, Santa Fe Indian School is 7-6, and Santa Fe Prep is 5-4. To round out the other pre-district records, West Las Vegas is 5-6, Raton is 7-8, and Robertson is 6-8.

Which at a glance, has the making of a tight district, but most important is finishing first when the state tournament field is announced. In the state current 3A ratings, Hot Springs is on top at 11-2, Navajo Prep is 11-4, Tularosa is 8-3, and Laguna-Acoma is 7-3.

You’ll find the Griffins at No. 8, the Braves at No. 9, the Horsemen at No. 10, the Dons at No. 11, the Tigers at No. 14, and the Cardinals at No. 19, which is a real drop for them.  

But with non district games out of the way, it’s the chance to make up ground. St. Michael’s had won six in a row before losing to Indian School, Clovis and Capital, before going 2-1 in its Horsemen Round-Robin Invitational, with the defeat coming against No. 5 Silver in a tight test lost at the buzzer.

Robertson is not having one of its better seasons and comes off two-straight losses, one to 2A Mora. Same with West Las Vegas, so who knows how they will do now. Same with the Griffins, Braves and Tigers, all around .500, but untested.

The Horsemen open district play on Jan. 23 at Prep, then play Feb. 1 at Robertson. Five days later they are home to the Dons, and on Feb. 9, head up to Raton. Next comes a contest on Feb. 12 at Prep, home to the Cardinals on three days later, at WLV on Feb. 20, and home to Indian School on the 23rd.

Of all these schools, St. Michael’s has probably played the toughest schedule so far with games against 4A and 5A schools that includes rivals Santa Fe High and Capital.

The Horsemen have height, with 6-foot-4 senior Connor Glatz, 6-3 senior Hayden Lee, 6-2 senior Derek Mcquiston, 6-2 junior Thomas Wood, and 6-2 freshman Lucas Coriz. There’s also 5-11 seniors Dominic Morgan, Victor Otero, and Jevon Montoya, the point guard.

So head coach David Rodriguez has depth, six experienced seniors, and a confident team on track to win district. Oh, and its junior varsity has won eight of nine.

In 5A, Santa Fe High’s boys have posted a 13-3 record, come off a one-point loss at the final buzzer at 5A Clovis, handed Rio Rancho Cleveland its first loss, routed Capital, and have just played well as the No. 4 team in the state rankings.

District 5 has the Demons as the team to beat, with the main challenges coming against the Jaguars and maybe Albuquerque Manzano. Capital (10-3) is always up there contending, and rounding out the district is Albuquerque High, Albuquerque Manzano, Albuquerque Rio Grande, and Albuquerque Sandia.

The Jags don’t have much size, but are always tough under head coach Ben Gomez, who coached them to their only state championship in 2003. They are strong on defense, are well-balanced, and are led by 5-9 junior point guard A.J. Sanchez and 6-1 junior wing Seth Arroyos.

There is only one senior in the lineup, and they play non district games at Valencia Tuesday and up at Espanola Valley on Jan. 19 before their district opener on Jan. 23 versus visiting Rio Grande, followed by a visit to Sandia.

Along with the close loss at Clovis, Santa Fe High has concern for its 6-4 versatile sophomore Fedonta “J.B.” White, who went down with a leg injury in the first quarter. He was taken to the hospital, his X-rays came back negative, but he did have blood around the kneecap after it apparently dislocated. He is scheduled for an MRI today.

That would a big loss. The Demons don’t have that much height with the exception of White, who is strong inside, can toss them in from outside, and is a fierce rebounder and defender.

Pecos’ boys are seeking their third state title in a row. They are 13-3, lost to Mora in the final of the Northern New Mexico Rio Grande Invitational, and should receive a District 7 challenge from Texico, whose undefeated streak was ended by the Panthers at last year’s state tournament.

The trio of Xavier Padilla, Omar Dominquez and Ismael Villegas have been the key players for head coach Ira Harge, Jr., with Padilla the leading scorer, and with a team that has strength off the bench.

They are at Tucumcari in a non district game Saturday, and also have Penasco and Espanola McCurdy on the slate before opening district play against visiting Santa Rosa on Jan. 31. It’s a quality district, with Texico now at 13-2, Santa Rosa (8-3), and Clayton at 7-9.

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