By Arnie Leshin
The Espanola McCurdy girls have ruled District 2-2A. They have put together district championships and then added the district tournaments. They didn’t do much in the state tournament by losing in the first round, but to the other teams, they are most concerned about moving up in the district standings.
That’s the goal for Academy of Technology and The Classics, Santa Fe’s Tierra Encantada Charter School, and Monte del Sol, three young teams that have placed numerous players on the All-District team, and that’s an even dozen players with only two seniors and one junior.
The Phoenix, in its initial season under head coach Ron Drake, finished second and had four players on the team. But whereas ATC lists a pair of 8th graders, a freshman, and a junior, the Bobcats number five on All-District, but will lose four of them to graduation. That leaves only freshman Emma Lovato.
So this could put the district title up for grabs. And that’s a Maybe, because who knows what McCurdy has coming back along with Lovato, and if anyone on the junior varsity can play varsity ball.
Now the Phoenix, who had the best district overall record, do not have a single senior. The junior on the All-District team is Naomi Lujan. The remaining trio are all starters, 8th graders Charli Koseoglv and Perla Miramontes and freshman Chanelle Jaeger. They are stellar athletes and now have more experience.
Then there’s Tierra Encantada, which had a season of struggling to fill out the lineup for each game, and the shortage of numbers can bring forfeits and foul trouble. On All-District it placed sophomores Giselle Acevedo and Adrana Flores and senior Maylin Hernandez.
Monte del Sol also had three players on the team, and they are sophomores Aracell Pena, Daisy Ortiz and Gabriela Rosas. Desert Academy’s lone member is senior Olivia Rugatti, whose team forfeited twice.
And these three district teams (and McCurty) can say goodbye to Bobcat seniors Erika Loera, Jayme Bustos, Megan Archuleta, and Devyn Cordova.