SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By Arnie Leshin
Small-town Pecos, right off I-25 West, exit at Glorieta, make a left over the overpass, make a quick right, and when you see the church, go left and tune in to the sound of basketballs on the Panthers’ campus.
That’s right, each time the Pecos varsity plays at home, it’s the hottest show in town and played at the Louis G. Sanchez Memorial gymnasium.
The parking lot fills up, the lines form to purchase game tickets, but if it’s already sold out, blame it on the town’s support of both the school’s boys and girls teams. Opening tip-off, game’s on, Panther fans roar, and the beat goes on. Another game, another chance to follow the bouncing ball and another happening in Panther town.
It’s not just a high school that specializes in hoops, although three-straight state championships by the boys joined by one from the girls last season in 2A. The girls lost their head coach when Ron Drake decided to take the vacant head coaching girl’s position at Academy of Technology of The Classics, but the boys still have Ira Harge, Jr., and although it’s a part-time job for him, he never complains, just speaks about how much he likes to coach the sport in this town.
Everything happening on the basketball court in the past 3 and one-half years has been special. In the three state title seasons, the record totaled 83 wins and only seven losses. This season the mark is 16-1, the lone defeat to 5A Santa Fe High, and when 5A Clovis comes to town for Friday night‘s non district game, it will no doubt be another challenge for the Panthers, for a win would bring their 100th win in this span against just eight setbacks.
The Wildcats are presently 14-5 with a non district game Tuesday night versus Goddard, who they previously defeated. They opened the season at home, where they are now 6-1, and lost an exciting 60-59 tussle against 5A Rio Rancho Cleveland, which is now 17-0 and top-ranked in the state.
The other tight tests for the Storm were over Albuquerque Volcano Vista, 48-47, and 60-59 over Las Cruces Centennial. It has also turned in wins over Roswell and Hobbs, both from Clovis’ district, and both were impressive. The other team in that district is Carlsbad, which is currently 11-6, while Roswell is 13-3 and Hobbs is 12-7, but while the Wildcats are ranked 9th, Roswell, Carlsbad and Hobbs are ranked 10th, 11th and 12th.
And while despite the outcome Friday night, Pecos will remain as No. 1 in 2A and will be a top seed for the state tournament, it will be a pressure test for Clovis, for a loss to a small-school program will not only knock its state ranking down, but could spoil its vision of making a big run in the state tournament, and with its district that tight, it needs victories over whoever it plays, and that’s where these Panthers remain a possible thorn in the Wildcats’ side.
Clovis has a veteran team, return four starters and powered by the man in the middle, 6-foot-6, 245-pound senior Bryce Cabeldue. He is its leading scorer, very tough underneath and can also toss in outside jumpers. On defense, he slows the team down, especially on fast breaks, but playing man-to-man is his main strength. Cabeldue, in his fourth straight campaign with the varsity, is scoring 18.2 points per game, bringing down 8.6 rebounds, and blocking shots.
Then there’s 6-foot senior point guard Dewayne Dawson, and he’s quick to the basket, can hit from outside, and dish it off. He is also one of the leaders on the team in steals. From the floor, he’s averaging 15.3 a game.
Fortunately for Pecos, Cabeldue is the only Wildcat standing 6-6, for after him comes 6-3 senior forward Darion Morgan, who scrubs the boards and plays aggressive defense. Then there’s 6-1 senior small forward Ethan Gershon and 6-1 junior forward Mason Figueroa, starters most of the time with 5-11 senior guard Malik Phillips.
Phillips is a spark with the offense, creates fouls and is a thief on defense. The lineup has balance, which includes 5-10 junior two-guard Blake Muscato, 5-10 senior point guard Josiah
Lambrana, and 5-10 junior shooting-point guard Jaylen Hyman.
Everybody gets into the act, but it’s the same with the Panthers. Their top three are all seniors, 6-3 post Ismael Villegas, 6-1 forward Xavier Padilla, and 5-9 guard Anthony Armijo, all three having been a part of the run to the state championships. Padilla is averaging 18.4 a game. Villegas 16.1 per game, while Armijo, who runs the show from the backcourt, has tossed in 10.4 a game.
The other two starters have been seniors Juan Varela and Devin Gonzales, the latter a 5-9 guard scoring at a 3.9 clip and Varela a 6-1 forward with a 7.5 norm.
Harge, too, can go to the bench. He can call on 5-10 senior forward Keith Flores, 6-foot junior small forward Rolando Sandoval, 6-1 senior post Jacob Sandoval, and 5-10 junior forward Christian Tanuz.
Checking the Clovis schedule, it has played all 3A, 4A and 5A schools, and matching up with pesky small-school Pecos is a different look. The Panthers though are used to playing a strong slate acknowledged as the strongest in the state regarding the 2A schools.
They have won back-to-back regular-season tournaments, disposing of 4A Bernalillo in the Stu Clark final at New Mexico Highlands University, and then rolling past the small-school field in the Northern New Mexico Rio Grande tournament. They lost in the semifinals of the Al Armendariz big-school tournament to 5A Santa Fe High, a state finalist last year.
Just another basketball special for the town folks, followed by presently undefeated Magdalena (15-0) coming to Pecos on Feb. 11 for a non district contest previously snowed out. Yes, the beat goes on in basketball happy Pecos.
But it’s not only hoops, for the boys have won state in cross country and track and field, and the girls have finished first in the state cross country, and their track and field program has rapidly improved under the coaching of former Panthers’ distance star Patrick Ortiz and his son, Victor.
It’s a Pecos family thing for them with three other Ortiz boys already having done their part sparking the school’s athletic program, and no doubt they will be sitting in on Friday’s anticipated contest.
Game time is scheduled for 6:30.
