SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By Arnie Leshin
Happy days are here again for the St. Michael’s girls soccer team. Welcoming back former head coach Alfonso Camarena, it held its first practice Wednesday morning at the Christian Brothers Athletic Complex.
After a splendid season in which it lost 2-1 in the state 3A semifinals to Albuquerque Sandia Prep, it played its final matches without Camarena, who in his second campaign, was informed he was no longer allowed to be on its sidelines because of what was reported as practices with some illegal players before the season.
He was informed by the St. Michael’s athletic department. Following that, he and his wife, assistant coach Gabby, had to settle for a different sideline, and in the back-to-back games at Sun Mountain Field at St. John’s College against Santa Fe Prep, twice each game the Lady Horsemen dashed across the field to welcome Alfonso and Gabby.
The forfeit ruling also gave the Griffins first place in the district, but after they lost a third time to the Lady Horsemen, the teams met and even Prep athletic director Todd Kurth was happy to hear his girls inform St. Michael’s that ‘it’ was really district champions and not his team.
Said Alfonso: “I am so happy to get this wonderful news for myself and Gabby, and for the team,” after St. Michael’s new school president Michael Sandoval informed him of it on Tuesday.
Overjoyed, the Camarenas quickly contacted the team members and at 7:30 Wednesday morning, it was a practice reunion.
“The girls were just simply overwhelmed,” Alfonso said, “for those returning, they were concerned about getting a coach because I was the only one who applied last time.”
How true that was, for even the parents of the players weren’t hopeful that the coach would be rehired. But he was.
“I received a call from new St. Michael’s president Sandoval,” said Alfonso, “and he informed me that he would, If I was still interested, bring me back. I quickly said of course I would. Then I called Gabby and we happily arranged the first practice by texting the players.”
Not all the eligible players would be returning, senior defender Cameran Gantt and sophomore striker Iliana Lovato have moved with their families, Gantt to Colorado and Lovato to Oregon. Then there’s the loss of midfield graduate Logan Hunt, whose dad, Lee, assisted in coaching the team in the final matches.
Hunt then became manager of the school’s girls track and field team to join her sophomore sister Raylee, the state champion in cross country and track and field.
The team also loses a key scoring threat in graduate and team leader Grace Sandoval, and must find a replacement in goal for graduate Jacqueline Gorman. But it does return talented sophomore midfielder/striker Sophia Miera, last year’s leading scorer with Sandoval.
Senior midfielder/defender Jada Lujan is also back and she is also quite a versatile player. Also returning are sophomore midfielder/defender Eliana Sandoval, junior midfielder/forward Tara Schneider, and sophomore midfielder Marisa Dominquez, who just might be the new starting goalie.
Then there’s other youngsters in up-and-coming freshman Mia Tokoroyama and crafty sophomore Bella Griego.
The roster also returns two seniors, four juniors, nine sophomores and four freshmen. Some 8th-graders are also expected.
Not welcomed was the unfortunate news that greeted Alfonso late last season, that trimmed the team’s overall record from 12-4 to 4-12 and forfeited four games, but the overall mark was then changed to 10-6 when further news was recovered.
“I was so upset to hear this, so upset to lose my coaching job,” said Alfonso, and then the New Mexican said I resigned, which was not at all true, and why resign from a sport that I loved and from a program here at St. Michael’s that brought me together with a great bunch of players and their parents, as well as the students that supported us.
“So now I’m just very happy to return. The first practice was great, the girls were ready to go and so was I, so was Gabby.”
Before Alfonso, this program had a different head coach or the last four years, the last being Gerzman Chavez, who also came on to assist with this team, and will be back. Also assisting Lee Hunt was Alexa Chavez, a former St. Michael’s basketball player who is now an assistant girls basketball at Santa Fe High School.
Prior to his departure, Alfonso took the Lady Horsemen to the state title and turned in a 32-10-1overall record. He won one of two state championships he appeared in at the UNM Soccer Complex, winning 4-1 over Socorro and losing 1-0 to Sandia Prep.
“I now have a big amount of gratitude to the new St. Michael’s administration,” he said, “so I’m happy. We had three practices, we have a team meeting later today, my wife is happy, my other assistant coach is happy, and our families are happy.”
He added that he went right to texting messages to the players after he received the good news, and they all took it with sighs of relief.
“Made my day and the others involved,” said Alfonso.
Correct, in this case, never say never. No other applicants, bring back the one who truly desires it. He had full support from the team, the parents, the faithful fans, and that’s that, no changes here in the coaching department.
