Mayfield Standout
Kendra Butler
Commits to NMSU

Preseason Rankings: No. 35 La Cueva Bears

The 2015-2016 season has officially started and today we start our countdown of the top 50 programs in New Mexico Big School Division (6A-4A).

More: Preseason Rankings Home | Rankings 72-51 | Preseason Preview Page

The La Cueva Bears enter the season after a (12-16, 5-3) season and state tournament appearance.

Overview: The Bears enter the season outside the Top-25 for the first time. The Bears have graduate plenty of top talent and gone are the days as favorite each year. The Bears had one of their worst seasons in program history and they graduated eight players off that team. The program likely continues their step back in a year that will have a pair of seniors in Simeon Moya (6-2/F) and Alejandro Ruiz (6-4/F). Ruiz averaged 6.5 points per game along with 6.5 rebounds, being the main option for the Bears this season in the paint.

Last Season
Record: 12-16, 5-3
Home Record: 5-4
Away Record: 3-7
Post Season: First Round, lost to Hobbs (77-55)
Points per game: 57.8 (1621)
Points against: 58.6 (1643)


Realistic Prediction: It's hard to imagine a program this solid to be ranked outside the top-25 and might be a situation that they rise quickly through the ranks but for now, after seeing them this summer it might be a situation where they miss the playoffs. Our prediction is a 10-14 win season again but they could be sitting at home for the state tournament this time around. They have great size returning but they replace several holes for a team that was 12-16 and could be a long season in Bear country.

District Champ: 60%
Playoff Team: 60%
Elite Eight: 20%
Final Four: 2%
Title Game: 1%

Returning Players: The Bears return some good size in a pair of bigs in the paint but will need to replace guard play. The backcourt only returns one player in Amarante Rhodes who averaged 1.7 points per game and it will have a handful of junior varsity players from a year ago.

Roster
Simeon Moya (F/2016)
Alejandro Ruiz (F/2016)
Amarante Rhodes (G/2017)
Thomas Jensen (F/2017)

Best Player in Each District?

So I have read the anxiety of many on NM and the changing Districts. This year Mansfield High was in the toughest District in 6A in Texas.
DeSoto
Cedar Hill
Duncanville
South Grand Prairie
Grand Prairie
Midlothian


Our new District for 2016
Arlington Lamar
Arlington Bowie
Arlington Martin
Arlington High
Arlington Sam Houston
Ft Worth Paschal
Ft Worth Men's Leadership Academy

Totally new District new faces and new Stadiums to see.

Do you like the State Wrestling Tournament being held there?

What are the pros and cons?

Please post or text in scores: 505-414-4313.

SATURDAY
Centennial 74, Belen 67
Cibola 62, La Cueva 47
Grants 56, Pojoaque Valley 52
Kirtland Central 71, Shiprock 57
Lordsburg 64, Cliff 42
Los Lunas 58, Chaparral 28
Loving 77, Hagerman 66
Melrose 68, Mora 62
Pecos 66, Santa Fe Prep 32
Santa Teresa 70, Valencia 69
Taos 54, Albuquerque Academy 52
Tohatchi 56, Rehoboth Christian 49
Tucumcari 55, Raton 17

FRIDAY
Albuquerque 65, Rio Grande 30
Atrisco Heritage 54, West Mesa 44
Carlsbad 60, Alamogordo 44
Capital 54, Espanola Valley 44
Cibola 74, Cleveland 71 (2OT)
Cliff 66, Animas 22
Cobre 62, Hot Springs 50
Desert Academy 49, ATC 48
Farmington 56, Gallup 43
Floyd 75, Clovis Christian 41
Gadsden 49, Las Cruces 44
Hobbs 72, Clovis 46
Los Alamos 76, Bernalillo 63
Melrose 56, Fort Sumner 37
Menaul 70, To'hajiilee 54
Miyamura 75, Aztec 61
Mora 72, Penasco 66
Navajo Prep 56, Newcomb 50
Portales 90, Ruidoso 70
Roswell 94, Goddard 65
Sandia Prep 53, Bosque 39
Santa Fe 53, Volcano Vista 34
St. Michael's 72, Santa Fe Indian 64
Texico 94, Loving 56
Tularosa 68, Estancia 57
Valley 74, Sandia 71 (OT)

THURSDAY
Bloomfield 60, Thoreau 34
Hondo Valley 70, Valley Christian 30
Kirtland 67, Wingate 60
La Cueva 77, Eldorado 72 (OT)
Manzano 58, Eldorado 56
Shiprock 75, Zuni 55
St Pius X 58, Valencia 48
Tucucmari 70, Clayton 45
Tularosa 53, Magdalena 47

WEDNESDAY
Albuquerque 46, Valley 42
Atrisco Heritage 57, Rio Grande 48

TUESDAY
Capital 64, Del Norte 55
Carlsbad 66, Clovis 30
Carrizozo 77, Lake Arthur 62
Centennial 79, Valencia 66
Cibola 93, Rio Rancho 78
Cleveland 64, Volcano Vista 46
Cuba 79, Tse'Yi'Gai 68
Dulce 81, Santa Fe Prep 57
Espanola Valley 80, Los Alamos 70
Farmington 64, Shiprock 36
Gallup 79, Aztec 35
Highland 63, Eldorado 62
Hobbs 88, Alamogordo 71
Hope Christian 70, St. Mikes 58
La Cueva 70, St. Pius X 54
Liberal 81, Clayton 28
Lordsburg 57, Silver 37
Los Lunas 52, Belen 39
Lubbock (TX) 55, Texico 52
Mayfield 68, Las Cruces 63 (OT)
Melrose 79, Santa Rosa 74
Moriarty 50, Portales 48
Navajo Pine 61, Rehoboth 49
NMMI 64, Eunice 58
Onate 79, Deming 51
Pecos 72, Desert Academy 49
Sandia 66, Manzano 61
Sandia Prep 45, Albuquerque Academy 42
Santa Fe Indian 76, Bosque 49
Socorro 47, Hot Springs 45
West Las Vegas 94, Penasco 42

MONDAY
Hobbs 101, Lovington 68
Shiprock 47, Tohatchi 44

NMPreps.com's Girls Top 25 Rankings - Updated February 1st, 2016

Rankings Powered By First Financial Credit Union

All feedback and comments welcomed and wanted.

1. Gallup - 20-0

2. Cibola - 18-1

3. Carlsbad - 20-2

4. Volcano Vista - 17-3

5. Roswell - 17-2

6. Eldorado - 15-4

7. Mayfield - 15-6

8. Las Cruces - 15-6

9. La Cueva - 13-5

10. Portales 16-3

11. Aztec 17-5

12. Espanola - 17-4

13. Los Alamos - 16-5

14. Kirtland 14-5

15. Hope - 12-9

16. Shiprock 17-3

17. Valencia - 16-4

18. Los Lunas 14-6

19. Rio Rancho - 12-9

20. Tularosa - 20-0

21. Hobbs - 9-10

22. Valley - 10-9

23. Centennial - 13-7

24. West LV - 16-3

25. Cleveland 11-9

Please Post Here or text to 505.577.5953

Alexis Lovato - Espanola - Scored 31 and 9 boards against Los Alamos

Ashlynn Trujilo - Los Alamos - Scored 21 against Espanola

Ashly Logan - Los Alamos - Scored 19 against Espanola

Amaya Brown - Cibola - 14 points and 5 assists, 10 boards against Rio Rancho

Amaya Lewis - Hobbs - Scored 26 against Alamogordo

Aylin Sheehan - Santa Fe Waldorf - Scored 22 and 5 boards

Aylin Sheenan - Santa Fe Walford - Scored 27 against Victory Christian

Boswell - Carlsbad - Scored 23 against Clovis

Cassey Vickery - Tularosa - Scored 16 against Silver

Cassey Vickery - Tularosa - Scored 29 against Dexter

Dimitri Fog - Cibola - Scored 14 against Rio Rancho

Kaitlyn Romero - Espanola - Scored 26 against Los Alamos

Kambrey Blakey - Portales - Scored 27 against Lovington

Kristyn Archuleta - Alamogordo - Scored 17 against Hobbs

Makaela Jones - Los Alamos - Scored 14 against Espanola

Reyna - Texico - Scored 33 against Lubbock Christian

Who will be the most improved team in 2016?

ABQ Metro January 29th and 30th

At Atrisco Heritage

Who you got?

What Are Your Thoughts On This NMSU QB Commitment?

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TOP 25 SCOREBOARD
No. 3 Cibola: Come back tonight with a 62-47 beating of unranked La Cueva.
No. 5 Grants: The Pirates prevail the upset, beat Pojoaque Valley 56-52.
No. 10 Centennial: The Hawks go to 3-1 in district with a 74-67 win at home over No. 22 Belen.
No. 22 Belen: Falls on the road to No. 10 Centennial, 74-67.

SCOREBOARD - SATURDAY
Centennial 74, Belen 67
Cibola 62, La Cueva 47
Grants 56, Pojoaque Valley 52
Kirtland Central 71, Shiprock 57
Lordsburg 64, Cliff 42
Los Lunas 58, Chaparral 28
Loving 77, Hagerman 66
Melrose 68, Mora 62
Pecos 66, Santa Fe Prep 32
Santa Teresa 70, Valencia 69
Taos 54, Albuquerque Academy 52
Tohatchi 56, Rehoboth Christian 49
Tucumcari 55, Raton 17

TOP PERFORMERS - SATURDAY
Cesar Molina - Centennial - Scored 31 points vs Belen.
Nathan Bates - Evangel Christian - Scored 24 points and 8 rebounds vs Clovis Christian.
Alex Baez - Centennial - Scored 20 points vs Belen.
Bryce Rewalt - Centennial - Scored 16 points vs Belen.
Michael Chambers - Grants - Scored 15 points in win over Pojoaque Valley.
Dominic Roybal - Pojoaque Valley - Scored 11 points vs Grants.
Andres Romero - Pojoaque Valley - Scored 10 points vs Grants.

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN
District 3-5A: Los Lunas with the win over Chaparral stays perfect at 4-0 (12-8 overall). No. 10 Centennial alone in second at 3-1 (14-5 overall). Belen with the loss to Centennial tied for third at 2-2 (12-5) with Santa Teresa who earned a one point win over Valencia, 70-69.

District 1-4A: Kirtland Central and Bloomfield at the top at (4-0) in district play, they square off on February 4th for the lead.

Small School Division HOT: Melrose and Mora are ranked at the top of 2A basketball, Melrose gets the 68-62 win and the resume signature Head-to-Head. Melrose took a huge lead with a big third quarter and avoided a comeback by Mora having a big fourth. Could secure a 1-seed come the state tournament with the win.

Staying on topic Lordsburg coming out firing as they beat Cliff by double digits.

TWEET AT ME (@CoachGrine)
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Note: We will update features as more updates from Saturday night updates come through.

Rank The Teams Going into February

Thoughts on the Jaguars going into the State Tournament?

2016 Rivals Camp Series Presented by Under Armour

Link
https://n.rivals.com/news/rivals-camp-series-presented-by-under-armour-2016-schedule

FAQ
https://n.rivals.com/news/rivals-camp-series-frequently-asked-questions

Week 11: The Week That Was
Joshua J Grine

Just when you believe you have seen it all. Another week of basketball brings the excitement all in it's own. No. 1 goes down, a pair of double overtime games and the fight to the end.

The Big Five For Week 11

Top Performance by a Mr. Basketball Candidate: Cesar Molina, Sr, Centennial HS
Molina, had a setback early in the season with an injury on opening night but has come into his own as of late. Molina, dropped 31 points on Saturday night against Top-25 team Belen High School.

(6A) We got one: Santa Fe High School is fighting with all it has for the final spot in the state tournament, earn a win over Volcano Vista, 53-34. It was a convincing win that could have them as IN this week in what will create a crowded bubble. The win was also their first district win since joining 1-6A.

(5A) Not The 'Favorites' but the Leaders: Farmington beat Gallup on Friday night, 56-43 to take the lead of District 1-5A. Gallup a Top-25 team last week (No. 15) has a nice resume and was talked about for a Top-4 seed. Farmington could be in play for one of those seeds. Los Lunas moved to 4-0 in District 3-5A also moving into first ahead of Centennial (No. 10 in week 11). Los Lunas was unranked last week behind two top-25 teams in week 11.

(4A) Return to Form: Sandia Prep moved to (3-0) in district play and will go head-to-head with Hope Christian for the district lead in week 12. Sandia Prep and Hope Christian were the usual teams battling for a district title and would be almost earlier in the Final Four. Well, they could return this season to form in a talented 4A classification.

(3A) Who's Number 2 in 3A?: Lordsburg dominated over small school power Cliff in week 11. Next, we look for a two seed in 3A. Santa Rosa (15-7, 2-0), Laguna-Acoma (15-5, 2-0), Texico (11-5), Mesilla Valley (9-7), Pecos (15-5) and Tucumcari (13-5) all in play. Texico beat Santa Rosa but lost to Pecos. Pecos split with Santa Rosa. Santa Rosa beat Laguna-Acoma. Mesilla Valley has 7-losses but all to big school division teams. Tucumcari has a loss to Texico and Santa Rosa. Crowded anyone? Mesilla could get the nod but they have a pair of district games against Lordsburg.


NMPreps.com Week 11 Awards

Player of the Week: Jake Flaming, Moriarty High School

Jake Flaming the 6-7 forward has returned to the scene with an impressive week 10 going for 25, 24 and 33 this week to take home the award. Flaming was one of the top freshmen in the state of New Mexico and has fallen some-what off the radar until posting big numbers.

Coach of the Week: Ray Rodriguez, Cibola High School

Head coach Ray Rodriguez is having one of his best seasons with a young roster. The Cougars went (3-0) this week with wins over, then No. 1, Cleveland High School, Rio Rancho and La Cueva.

Team of the Week: Cibola Cougars

Mentioned above with the coach of the week the Cougars also take home team of the week honors after a (3-0) week beating two Top-25 teams, one ranked No. 1 in week 10. The Cougars are making a case for a 1-seed as they take the lead in 1-6A at 3-0.

Timeout: Questions after Week 11

Tournament Worthy?: Santa Fe Indian (10-11, 1-3). The Braves looked like a lock a week ago. Well, after going 1-3 to start district play they could be playing catch-up the rest of the way and need to steal a win from St. Mikes or Sandia Prep.

Out of the Top-8?: Gallup Bengals (16-5, 2-1). Let's just be honest District 1-5A hasn't fared to well against other districts in 5A. The Bengals have a resume but falling behind Farmington could hurt their chances. The lost at home to the Scorpions making the climb even more difficult.

Out of the 16?: Volcano Vista (7-12, 0-4). Well, the first go-around in District 1-6A play didn't go well. The Hawks do have a few signature resume wins over Sandia, La Cueva, and Hobbs but going 0-8 in district play could have them at home. They have 5-games left and will need to beat Santa Fe and Highland to have a fight when the committee meets. A win over top 3 in this district would only help but they lost by double digits in each contest.

Leftovers: Unofficial Awards

Hall Pass: Emilo Arellano, St. Pius X. Dropped 36-points against Valencia and followed it up with 26 points, 9 rebounds and 6 steals against Piedra Vista.

Free Lunch: Jordan Leake, Hope Christian. Leake is one of the top players in the state of New Mexico and he backed that up with 32 points against St. Michael's on Tuesday night.

Student of the Week: Desmond Carpenter, Cibola. Carpenter has been underrated to this point in the season and backed it up with a 21-point night against Cleveland. The junior is a joy to watch on the court and improved his stock drastically.

Homework Pass: Caleb Wroten, Sandia HS. Much like player of the week Jake Flaming, Wroten was a top-3 freshman to watch four years ago. Well, the big fella is playing his best basketball yet with a 27-point, 22 rebound night against Valley. He had a double-double of 18 and 18 last week.

Who would get in?

I think D2 5A gets all 5 in right now. Santa Fe in with a road opener. Mike's in as a possible double digit seed. I think Gadsden gets a home game right now too. Cibola would be the 1 in 6A, Grants in 5A, Hope in 4A.

Jordan Holland LLHS 19 points 7 stops, 3 assists VS Chaparral

Alamogordo
Running Back
Hunter Graham
Commits to New Mexico Highlands

More to come. Really liked him this year. About 200 pounds I would say. I had heard he committed a while back, but got confirmation today.

The Belen Eagles got by P.V. by 10 points and LL was a distant third at the Robertson Tournament. Lots of very talented wrestlers who provided much entertainment and excitement. Congrats to all who participated.

WEEK 11 TOP PERFORMERS
Text 505-414-4313

FRIDAY

Daniel Amador, Roswell - Scored 38 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals vs Goddard.
Emilio Arellano, St. Pius X - Scored 26 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists vs Piedra Vista.
Desmond Carpenter, Cibola - Scored 21 points vs Cleveland
Marcus Hill, Cleveland - Scored 19 points vs Cibola.
Isaac Villegas, Deming - Scored 19 points vs Mayfield.
Jalen Guerro, Mayfield - Scored 15 points vs Deming.
Isaac Maldonado, Cibola - Scored 14 points vs Cleveland.
Eric Coca, Capital - Scored 14 points vs Espanola Valley.
Augie Larranaga, Capital - Scored 14 points vs Espanola.
Ismael Holguin, Mayfield - Scored 14 points vs Deming.
Jayden Phillips, Cleveland - Scored 13 points vs Cibola.
Adam Cook, Cleveland - Scored 12 points vs Cibola.
Marcos Flores, Espanola Valley - Scored 12 points vs Capital.
Jerome Arroyos, Capital - Scored 10 points vs Espanola Valley.
Marcus Gibson, Cleveland - Scored 10 points vs Cibola.
Brayan Gallegoes, Mayfield - Scored 10 points vs Deming.


THURSDAY

Emilio Arellano, St. Pius X - Scored 36 points vs Valencia.
Cameron Cauley, Manzano - Scored 18 points vs Highland.
Eric Sonnenberg, Manzano - Scored 10 points vs Highland.


WEDNESDAY

Jake Flaming, Moriarty - Scored 33 points vs Taos.
Estevan Martinez, Atrisco Heritage - Scored 21 points vs Rio Grande.
Anthony Chavez, Valley - Scored 17 points vs Albuquerque.
Aaron Bean, Atrisco Heritage - Scored 15 points vs Rio Grande.
Allonzno Armijo, Albuquerque - Scored 12 points vs Valley.
Segun Oyeku, Valley - Scored 11 points vs Albuquerque.

TUESDAY

Jordan Leake, Hope - Scored 32 points vs St. Mikes.
Jake Flaming, Moriarty - Scored 24 points vs Portales.
Johnny McCants, Onate - Scored 20 points vs Deming.
Martin Trujillo, Los Lunas - Scored 18 points and 10 rebounds vs Belen.
Lucas Conway, St. Mikes - Scored 18 vs Hope Christian.
Nick Trujillo, Belen - Scored 14 points vs Los Lunas
Kayden Walker, Los Lunas - Scored 13 points vs Belen.
Ishmael Holguin, Mayfield - Scored 18 points vs Las Cruces.
Marcos Flores, Espanola - Scored 25 points vs Los Alamos.
Uriah Arellano, Espanola - Scored 21 points vs Los Alamos.
James Archuleta, Espanola - Scored 10 points vs Los Alamos.
Jeremy Anaya, Capital - Scored 19 points and 7 rebounds vs Del Norte.
Jerome Arroyo, Capital - Scored 12 points vs Del Norte.
Tyler Alarid, Capital - Scored 10 points vs Del Norte.
Isaiah Brooks, Capital - Scored 10 points vs Del Norte.
Alonso Cano, Del Norte - 18 points vs Capital.
Daniel Flores, Del Norte - 12 points vs Capital.
Paul Perez , Del Norte - 10 points vs Capital.
Jacob Esquivel, Lordsburg - Scored 24 points vs Silver.
Braxton Bouyer, Manzano - Scored 14 points vs Sandia.
Cameron Cauley, Manzano - Scored 14 points vs Sandia.
Nathan Bates, Evangel Christian - Scored 22 points, 9 rebounds and 5 steals vs NMSD.
Joseph Padilla, Evangel Christian - Scored 16 points and 4 steals vs NMSD.
Bryce Rewalt, Centennial - Scored 23 points vs Valencia.
Zane Cunico, Centennial - Scored 20 points vs Valencia.
Tennessee Owens, Centennial - Scored 10 points and 5 assists vs Valencia.

Belen Hires Next Football Coach

Greg Hennington - Former Mayfield Offensive Coordinator is their guy

Full Article Here
https://nmpreps.n.rivals.com/news/belen-hires-football-coach

Which Team has the most Seniors In 2016

Henderson: Predictions On Where The Un-Signed Seniors Will Commit

Teton Saltes - Valley - Defensive End
Have to think he pulls the trigger and signs with Oregon. I am surprised that he is still un-committed at this point to be honest. He recently took trips to CAL and to San Diego State. He also told me he might not even make a commitment before or on Signing Day, what that means. Prediction: Oregon

Justin Houghtaling - Artesia - Quarterback
Though Houghtaling has a baseball offer on the table from the New Mexico Lobos, I think he follows his heart and heads east to West Texas A&M where he was recently offered by the Buffs. His uncle attended West Texas A&M, so I think him heading to Canyon makes sense. Prediction: West Texas A&M

Noah Sweitzer - Eldorado - Running Back/Linebacker
I really feel that he is a guy that could play D1 football somewhere, but the good thing is he has a handful of D-2 offers on the table right now and I think it comes down between three: Highlands, Eastern New Mexico, and West Texas A&M. I don’t have a good feel on which school he is leaning towards and again, he is going to be a baller at any school he attends. Prediction: Eastern New Mexico

Josh Williams - Volcano Vista - Quarterback
Does not even have an offer on the table which I cannot believe. A three year starter that showed tremendous ability time and time again. Great leader and some of the best pocket presence we’ve seen. Good luck to this young man whichever route he takes.

Isaac Amaya - Hobbs - Quarterback
The Hobbs Eagle Quarterback who threw for more than 3,000-yards as a senior has a few offers on the table from Gustavus Adolphus College (Minnesota) and Earlham College (Indiana). Not sure he’ll head to the midwest or not, but I would like to see him continue playing some ball somewhere. He has proved himself over the last two-years as a guy that can make continued plays and get the ball downfield. Prediction: No Clue

Strong Predictions

Hunter Graham - Alamogordo - Running Back - New Mexico Highlands
Gabe Desoto - Del Norte - Offensive Linemen - New Mexico Highlands
Sabio Morales - West Mesa - Kicker - Eastern New Mexico
Dominic Anaya - Roswell - Athlete - Eastern New Mexico
Demtry Rodriguez - Cleveland - Defensive Linemen - Eastern New Mexico
Landry Hayes - Cleveland - Running Back/Linebacker - Eastern New Mexico
Cory Noel - Las Cruces - Linebacker - Eastern New Mexico
Andres Campos - Las Cruces - Long Snapper - Eastern New Mexico

Complete List of Commitments

https://nmpreps.forums.rivals.com/threads/scholarship-offer-list-updated-january-27th-2016.8277/