St. Michael’s state golf championships at Piñon Hills

St. Michael’s girls and boys tee off today in state golf championships on the links of the Piñon Hills course in Farmington, with girl’s roster now including five players, and the boys with 10

Senior Allen Sanchez paves the way for the boys, the girls have been led by freshman Carissa Padilla

By Arnie Leshin

St. Michael’s last won state golf championships in 2006 when girl’s head coach Robin Martinez completed her third in a row, and in 2010 when boy’s head coach Lee Sanchez won his second-straight.

Despite this short draught, the program is a regular each year at the state championships. Once again, it’s the Horsemen and the Lady Horsemen when the tournament tees off today at the Pinion Hills GC in Farmington.

Martinez now has a five-girl roster, but when she returned as head coach in 2015, she had one player, 8^th grader Miquela, her daughter.

It was Miquela, a standout on the volleyball team, who helped out by bringing in two freshmen the following season. Now the roster includes senior Danielle Vigil off the basketball team, freshmen Alyssa Torres and Carissa Padilla, junior Sydney Halford, and Miquela, now a sophomore.

Miquela has plenty of experience on the links in the years with her mom and dad, and her sister, Jonelle, state champion in 2006, who is now the school’s assistant to athletic director Tom Manning.

But Padilla might have the best chance at doing well. She has average scores of 84.4 that she’s done eight times. Regardless, at least the program has picked up again, with David Martinez assisting his wife, Robin, and interest increasing.

Other girls to win state for St. Michael’s was the former Alyssa Otero in 2001 and 2003, and Jamie Palermo in 2008.

The girls will be teeing off against defending champion Silver and Ruidoso.

The boys now have a 10-player roster, but only five will represent the Horsemen at state. Senior Allen Sanchez leads the way in his fourth season with scores between 75 and 78 five times, and he has broken 80 four times.

The other senior, Marshall Springer, winds up his fifth year on the squad.

Then there’s freshman Ryan Vigil, junior Cameron Gonzales, and sophomore Angelo Baca.

Geno Torres is head coach. He had been co-head coach with Tom Manning, but with Manning still recovery from several knee surgeries, Torres has to call the shots.

The Horsemen, too, had not won a state title until Marty Sanchez, son of the head coach, took individual honors in 2010. Two years later, Zack Berhost finished first. In 2005, it was Brandon Putnam as state champ.

The boys go against Albuquerque Hope Christian, Ruidoso and Portales.

Other golfers from this area who won state are Santa Fe Prep’s Paul Otte III in 2007 and Desert Academy’s Colin Pratt the following year.