IF Centennial was 6A this year where would you seed them?

Week 12: Top 50 Performers

Send us updates to nmpreps@yahoo.com or text 505.577.5953

Alex Sais - St. Pius X - 8 tackles against Los Lunas

Andrew Erickson - Manzano - 2 touchdowns against Sandia

Antonio Vazquez - Hondo - Threw for 97-yards, ran for 118-yards, and 3 touchdowns against Floyd

Augustine Larranaga - Capital - Scored 4 touchdowns against Goddard

Axel Fowler - Farmington - Scored 2 touchdowns against Espanola Valley

Bradon Baez- Las Cruces - 2 interceptions against Cibola

Brandon McAllister - St. Mike’s - Scored 52 yard touchdown against Silver

Cade Barnard - Melrose - Threw for 3 touchdowns, ran for 3 touchdowns against Logan

Caleb Meyer Hagen - Hope - Threw for 194-yards and 2 touchdowns against NMMI

Cameron Stevenson - Goddard - Threw 2 touchdowns, ran for a score against Capital

Chris Kuykendall - Hobbs - 9 tackles and a sack with a loss of 14 yards and caused 1 fumble against Volcano Vista

Chross Jaramillo - St. Mike’s - Big game on both sides of the ball against Silver

Cisco Mayville - Ruidoso - Scored 2 touchdowns against Hot Springs

Devin Beard - Hobbs - Scored 2 touchdowns against Volcano Vista

Diego Miranda - Goddard - 2 touchdown catches against Capital

Dominic Montano - Escalante - Ran for 208-yards off 44 carries, 2 touchdowns, threw for 2
touchdowns against Ft. Sumner

Drew Ortiz - St. Pius X - Threw for 151-yards, ran for 107-yards and 3 touchdowns against Los
Lunas

Dylan DiLorenzo - St. Pius X - Scored 2 touchdowns against Los Lunas

Ethan Featherstone - Goddard - 50-yards of offense from the Tight End position

Farmington’s Kody Becenti - Scored 1 touchdown against Espanola Valley

Guy Ross Tippy - Hobbs - One interception against Volcano Vista

Isaac Amaya - Hobbs - Accounted for 398-yards and 5 touchdowns against Volcano Vista

Jeremy Padilla - Hobbs - Scored 2 touchdowns against Volcano Vista

Jordan Byrd - Manzano - 150 all purpose yards and 2 touchdowns against Sandia

Jordan Leake - Hope - Caught for 110-yards and 1 touchdown against NMMI

Josh Williams - Volcano Vista - Threw two touchdowns against Hobbs

Kameron Miller - Las Cruces - Threw for 184-yards, ran for 71-yards, and 2 touchdowns against Las
Cruces

Las Cruces - Las Cruces - Ran for 121-yards and 2 touchdowns against Cibola

Lukas Gutierrez - Goddard - 100 yards and 1 touchdown against Capital

Michael Estrada - Logan - Returned kick for touchdown against Melrose

Orlando Perez - Manzano - 2 touchdowns against Sandia

O’Muary Samuels - Los Lunas - Ran for 167-yards and 2 touchdowns against St. Pius X

Rowdy Allen - Melrose - Interception against Logan

Torry Locklin - Mayfield - 169-yards passing and 5 touchdowns against Atrisco Heritage

Wyatt Williams - Melrose scored 3 touchdowns against Logan

Xavier Vigil - St. Mike’s - 9 tackles against Silver

Preseason Rankings: No. 13 Las Cruces Bulldawgs

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: 50-1 | Rankings 72-51 | Preseason Preview Page

The Las Cruces Bulldawgs are coming off a (19-9, 7-1) season, they reached the 2015 State Tournament and won District 3-6A.

Overview: Head coach William Benjamin has created or developed one of the top 6A programs in the State. The Bulldawgs even on "down" years or "rebuilding" years are a tournament team and a threat any given night. The Bulldawgs return seven players from last seasons' playoff team. The roster, however will be relatively young but will have some key players to keep a close eye on. One player in particular that we are looking at is point guard Mike Uribe, who will be the floor general for the Bulldawgs.

Last Season
Record: 19-9, 7-1
Home Record: 8-3
Away Record: 7-2
Neutral Record: 4-4
Post Season: Elite Eight; Lost to West Mesa (52-49)
Points per game: 57.57 (1612)
Points against: 54.75 (1533)

Realistic Prediction: At, 13 this could be considered one of those most dangerous teams outside the Top-10. The Bulldawgs have some serious returning players, a solid program and a threat to be an Elite Eight or Final Four team in 2016. Right now we have them in the 15-19 category along with First Round (for now) at No. 10 in 6A. However, we could immediately regret ranking a team like this to not make the Elite Eight.

Chances
District Champ: 80%
Playoff Team: 100%
Elite Eight: 49.9%
Final Four: 20%
Title Game: 10%

Returning Players: Uribe was mentioned above in the backcourt, running the point guard spot. We are also keeping a close eye on Sam Silva in that backcourt. The other player that we are high on in the front court is Corey Noel, not big at 6-foot, but gets the job done.

Roster
Sam Silva (2016)
Markus Collins (2018)
Mike Uribe (2016)
Andy Saenz (2016)
Corey Noel (2016)
Rj Brown (2018)
Daniel Guerrero (2016)

Preseason Rankings: No. 21 Silver Colts

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: 50-1 | Rankings 72-51 | Preseason Preview Page

Silver High School went 17-12, 7-1 on the season in 2014-2015 falling in the first round of the state tournament.

Overview: The Silver Colts enter the NMPreps.com preseason Top-25 for the first time in program history. The Colts are led by head coach Brandon Siqueiros, a head coach, that we at NMPreps.com are high on. The program continues to get better and this could be it's best season to this point. The Colts return their entire roster from a season ago and when we saw them this summer, we left impressed. They will be only the third team from 4A basketball ranked in the NMPreps.com Top-25 this preseason and for good reason.

Last Season
Record: 17-12, 7-1
Home Record: 6-3
Away Record: 7-2
Neutral Record: 4-7
Post Season: First Round; Lost to Cobre (41-29)
Points per game: 52 (1510)
Points against: 46.6 (1354)

Realistic Prediction: I bought into the hype, so I guess I think this team is the real deal. They are always well coached, they welcome back a majority of their roster and at preseason No. 2 in 4A this team has the chance to play on the final day in March. The move the ball extremely well, take high percentage shots and play sound defense. I see this team (captain obvious) as a contender to play for the State Championship. 20-win season is our realistic approach, dependent on their 2015-2016 schedule.

District Champ: 99%
Playoff Team: 100%
Elite Eight: 92%
Final Four: 90%
Title Game: 88%

Returning Players: They return their roster, a couple players who will be three year letterman and plenty of size. They don't lose any from last season and possible additional player that will put them over the hump.

Roster
Moran Weber (2016)
Shawn Gutierrez (2016)
Kaleb Rigg (2016)
Garrett Laney (2016)
Sebastian Cruz (2016)
Yoshi Saenz (2016)
Keshawn Thornton (2017)
Wyatt Olgesby (2017)
Konnor Riddle (2017)
Jaydon Lewis (2017)
Tyler Gonzales (2018)
Jacob Morales (2018)
Sal Cruz (2018)

Preseason Rankings: No. 28 Farmington Scorpions

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 Farmington Scorpions are coming off a 20-10, 6-2 season along with an Elite Eight showing in a two point loss to Gallup.

Overview: Head coach Paul Corley has come out of nowhere and nearly shocked a jam packed PIT last March in a two point loss to Gallup in a game the Scorpions controlled about three quarters of. The Scorpions only graduate three players off that 20-win team from a season ago and hope to use last season as motivation moving forward. The Scorpions welcome back a trio of players led by Clayton Corley (2016) a player the Scorpions will rely on for consistent numbers.

Last Season
Record: 20-10, 6-2
Home Record: 7-2
Away Record: 10-6
Post Season: Elite Eight; Lost to Gallup (61-59)
Points per game: 56.76 (1703)
Points against: 47.06 (1412)


Realistic Prediction: Losing a 24-point lead has to be fresh on the minds of the Scorpions and we will avoid talking about that loss. Ironically that loss has us giving the Scorpions a better rank though because it shows the capability of this team. I honestly see another 20-win season and if you are following along the favorite to win their district. I see an Elite Eight or better showing for them. 5A is deep in talent and will be an interesting state tournament.

District Champ: 90%
Playoff Team: 99%
Elite Eight: 90%
Final Four: 65%
Title Game: 29%

Returning Players: Farmington has an experienced roster coming back in 2015-2016 and could be one of the best teams that nobody is picking at this point. They truly haven't been talked about much and return Corley, Bentley and Riley but will have a deep bench.

Roster
Berrett Bentley (2016)
Diego Corley (2016)
Tyren King (2016)
Clayton Corley (2016)
Zack Lee (2016)
Joseph Broussard (2016)
Nicholas Granger (2017)
David Riley (2017)
Joey Gillen (2017)
Sol Rascon (2017)

Going back to the Volcano Vista game...The Hawks fumbled the ball 6 times losing 5 of them and had 2 interceptions. So, that is a total of 7 turnovers in a playoff game. That has to be some sort of record as I don't ever recall hearing about anything like that. Also, I understand that the fumble that went out of the back end zone is not being called a turn over as it resulted in a safety and score. But, actually that fumble was a big time turn over which resulted in 6 "lost" fumbles (I know, if they would have recovered their own fumble it would still have been a safety.) by the Hawks. Do any of you guys recall that many turnovers whether you look at it as 7 or 8 in a game?

Which Top Seeds Have The Most To Worry About In The Quarterfinals?

Please Post Tournament Dates Here

What team that won tonight will win next week?

Thoughts? Very sad. Did they find out who the terrorists were?

The ENMU Greyhounds will be hosting Angelo State at Noon on Sat. @ Blackwater Draw in the Consolation game of the LSC tournament. This will be the last college game played at the site as the Hounds are getting a new on Campus Stadium that will open next fall. They Greyhounds just missed pulling of an upset of #10 ranked Midwestern State last week as they led the entire game until Midwestern scored with a minute left to edge the Hounds 25-21. The Hounds are currently 6-4 and bowl eligible.

Lobos defeat Boise St. 31-24 after stopping the Broncos on the 4 yard line.

Meet The New Mexico Volleyball State Champs
By: Josh Grine of NMPreps.com

More: Coach of the Year | Top 50 Volleyball Player Rankings



6A La Cueva Defeated Cleveland 3-1
Head Coach: Steven Archibeque
Record: 22-0, 8-0
The La Cueva Lady Bears won their first ever big school state volleyball championship defeated Cleveland 3 games to 1. Sophomore Annabelle Kubinski record 154 kills on the year and also recorded 126 blocks. Senior Abigail Stomp has 120 blocks on the year.

5A Los Lunas Defeated Centennial 3-1
Head Coach: Amy Bell
Record: 20-5, 10-1
Los Lunas upset highly favored Centennial to the win the girls Class 5A State Title. On the season the Tigers were led by Junior Prospect Jordan Holland who recorded an incredible 338 kills and 68 blocks.

4A Sandia Prep Defeated Hope Christian 3-1
Head Coach: Audra Gentry
Record: 24-1, 8-0
Sandia Prep defeated cross town rival Hope Christian in the finals 3-1 to win the 4A state title. Sophomore Duo Catherine Kelly and Camryn Nelson recorded a total of 377 kills on the season.

3A Texico Defeated Eunice 3-0
Head Coach: Kristen Scanlan
Record: 23-1, 6-0
The Lady Wolverines ended their season with a remarkable 23-1 run defeating the Eunice Cardinals 3 games to 0.

2A Melrose Defeated Ft. Sumner 3-2
Head Coach: Casey Jackson
Record: 20-4, 5-1
Melrose had to dig deep in the finals to defeat Ft. Sumner in an epic battle 3 games to 2. On the season the Lady Buffs were led by Addisen Dial who recorded 245 kils.

1A Elida Defeated Springer 3-0
Head Coach: Darrell Cenault
Record: 22-3, 11-0
The Elida Tigers won their 6th state volleyball title defeating Springer in the finals 3 games to 0.

More: Coach of the Year | Top 50 Volleyball Player Rankings

Poll: Which 5A 1-4 Seed Won't Win

holly holm just won

Week zero scoreboard

Poll: Which 6A 1-4 Seed Won't Win In The Quarterfinals

Congratulations to Rio Rancho senior catcher Chris Carr.. Chris has committed to Eastern Arizona!!

Week 12: Statewide Playoff Recap, Highlights, & More
By: Kyle Henderson of NMPreps.com

Login to view embedded media
Playoff Brackets
https://nmpreps.forums.rivals.com/threads/2015-football-playoff-brackets-here.10188/

6A 1st Round Playoff Games

No. 6 Las Cruces 38, No. 11 Cibola 0
Las Cruces no2 8-3, advance to quarterfinals to face No. 3 Rio Rancho
Cibola ends season with a record of 6-4
Las Cruces racked up 407-yards of offense
Las Cruces’ Brandon Baez had 2 interceptions
Las Cruces Payton Ball ran for 121-yards and 2 touchdowns
Las Cruces’ Kameron Miller threw for 184-yards, ran for 71, and 2 TDs

No. 10 Hobbs 43, No. 7 Volcano Vista 21
Hobbs now 7-4 on the season, advance to quarterfinals to face No. 2 Eldorado
Volcano Vista ends season with a record of 6-5
Hobbs’ forced 7 Volcano Vista Turnovers
Hobbs’ Isaac Amaya accounted for 398-yards and 5 touchdowns
Hobbs’ Devin Beard scored 2 touchdowns
Hobbs’ Guy Ross Tippy had 1 interception
Hobbs Jeremy Padilla scored 2 touchdowns

No. 5 Mayfield 77, No. 12 Atrisco Heritage 22
Mayfield now 8-3, advance to quarterfinals to face No. 5 Clovis
Atrisco Heritage ends season at 5-6
Torry Locklin - Threw for 169-yards and scored 5 touchdowns
Mayfield led 45-7 at the half
Mayfield finished with 666 yards of offense

No. 8 Manzano 41, No. 9 Sandia 13
Manzano now 7-4, advance to quarterfinals to face No. 1 Cleveland
Sandia ends season at 7-4
Jordan Byrd - Had 145 all purpose yards and 2 touchdowns
Orlando Perez - Scored 2 touchdowns
Andrew Erickson - Scored 2 touchdowns

5A 1st Round Playoff Games

No. 6 Roswell 52, No. 11 Aztec 14
Roswell now 7-4, advance to quarterfinals to face No. 3 Piedra Vista
Aztec finishes season with a record of 4-7
Roswell led 35-6 at half
Roswell had over 450-yards of total offense
Roswell's Dominic Anaya was 6-7 passing for 167 yards, 4 total touchdowns
Roswell's Jacob Miley had two interceptions

No. 12 Farmington 48, No. 5 Espanola 20
Farmington now 8-3, advance to quarterfinals to face No. 4. Moriarty
Espanola ends season with a record 9-2
Farmington led 35-14 at halftime
Farmington's Axel Fowler scored 2 touchdowns
Farmongton’s Kody Becenti scored 1 touchdown

No. 8 Goddard 27, No. 9 Capital 26
Goddard now 6-5, advance to Quarterfinals to face No. 1 Centennial
Capital ends season with a record of 7-4
Capital led 12-7 at half
Goddard had 4 turnovers
Capital missed 3 extra points
Goddard’s Lukas Gutierrez scored 2 touchdowns
Capital’s Augustine Larranag scored 3 touchdowns

No. 7 St. Pius X 35, No. 10 Los Lunas 19
St. Pius X now 10-1, advance to quarterfinals to face No. 1 Artesia
Los Lunas ends season with a record of 6-5
Game was 7-6 St. Pius X at the half
Drew Ortiz threw for 151-yards, ran for 107-yards and 3 touchdowns
O’Muary Samuels ran for 167-yards and 2 touchdowns

4A 1st Round Playoff Games

No. 8 St. Mike’s 21, No. 9 Silver 0
St. Mike’s now 6-5, advance to quarterfinals to take on No. 1 Portales
Silver ends their season with a record of 4-7
St. Mikes led 7-0 at half
St. Mike’s Brandon McAllister scored 52 yard TD

No. 6 Ruidoso 41, No. 11 Hot Springs 18
Ruidoso now 5-6, advance to quarterfinals to take on No. 3 Cobre
Hot Springs ends season with a record of 6-4
Ruidoso’s Cisco Mayville scored 2 touchdowns

No. 7 Hope 27, No. 10 NMMI
Hope Christian now 8-3, advance to quarterfinals to take on No. 2 Hatch Valley
NMMI ends regular season with a record of 7-4
Hope led 7-0 at the half
Hope’s Caleb Meyer Hagen threw for 194-yards and 2 touchdowns
Hope’s Jordan Leake caught for 110-yards and 1 touchdown

No. 5 Bloomfield 41, No. 12 Taos 7
Bloomfield now 10-0, advance to quarterfinals to take on No. 4 Robertson
Taos ends their regular season with a record of 5-6
Bloomfield rushed for 410-yards and 6 touchdowns

3A 1st Round Playoff Games

No. 7 Santa Rosa 30, No. 10 Navajo Prep 22
Santa Rosa now 5-6, advance to quarterfinals to face No. 2 Clayton
Navajo Prep ends season with record of 5-6

No. 5 Lordsburg 54, No. 12 Tohatchi 0
Lordsburg now 8-3, advance to quarterfinals to face No. 4 Dexter
Tohatchi ends season with a record of 7-4

No. 8 Texico 34, No. 9 Tucumcari 7
Texico now 4-7, will advance to quarterfinals to face No. 1 Estancia
Tucumcari ends regular season with a record of 3-7

No. 6 Capitan 45, No. 11 Laguna Acoma 21
Capitan now 7-4, will advance to the quarterfinals to face No. 3 Eunice
Laguna Acoma ends regular season with a record of 4-6

2A State Championship

No. 1 Escalante 28, No. 2 Ft. Sumner 20 Final

8Man Semifinals

No. 1 Melrose 68, No. 4 Logan 13
Melrose now 12-0, advance to finals to take on No. 2 Gateway
Logan ends season with a record of 7-2

No. 2 Gateway 56, No. 3 Magdalena 6
Gateway now 10-1, advance to finals to take on No. 1 Melrose
Magdalena ends season with a record of 10-2

6Man State Championship

No. 2 Hondo 40, No. 5 Floyd 22
Hondo wins 6Man Title with a record of 6-3
Floyd takes 2nd in 6Man with a record of 5-4
Hondo wins back to back 6Man titles
Hondo led 32-0 in the 3rd quarter
Eagl’es QB Antonio Vazquez - Threw for 97-yards, ran for 118-yards, and scored 3 touchdowns

Playoff Brackets
https://nmpreps.forums.rivals.com/threads/2015-football-playoff-brackets-here.10188/

Amaya Brown, Cibola
Jordan Holland, Los Lunas
Kavvi Brown, Cibola
Ni'Asia McIntosh, Gallup
Top four Prospects in NM. Top 3 have been tried & tested at the big time AAU Showcases in the U.S. The showcases that Regan Williams spoke about in his post.

Preseason Rankings: No. 17 Gadsden Panthers

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: 50-1 | Rankings 72-51 | Preseason Preview Page

The Gadsden Panthers are coming into the season after a 17-11, 5-3 campaign in 2014-2015. The Panthers also reached the State Tournament with a first round showing.

Overview: A new era has started for the Gadsden Panthers after longtime head coach Michael Harper retired, a head coach with over 800-wins in his career. The Panthers are also a preseason ranked Top-25 team for the first time in the last five years. The roster returns one of it's most talented in that five year span and could be a team to crack the Top-10 fast. Tomas Cano (2016) hit the scene last year and found himself ranked in the NMPreps.com Top 60 players this summer. Cano, will be a top player this season and one to keep a close eye on. The Panthers under Harper are widely known for slowing the game down, way down, but this could be a change of scenery in that aspect as well.

Last Season
Record: 17-11, 5-3
Home Record: 8-4
Away Record: 9-4
Neutral Record: 0-3
Post Season: First Round; Lost to Rio Rancho (66-58)
Points per game: 51.75 (1449)
Points against: 45.78 (1282)

Realistic Prediction: The Gadsden Panthers have arguably their best roster in years (all the years I've work for NMPreps.com). This Panther team could be one of the best dark horse teams in 6A basketball classification. Right now we didn't want to cash all in on our hype of this team and will say 15-19 win category along with a first round tournament game. We did lean closer to saying Elite but at No. 13 in 6A basketball preseason rankings we stayed consistent with that prediction.

District Champ: 80%
Playoff Team: 100%
Elite Eight: 58%
Final Four: 25%
Title Game: 18%

Returning Players: Tomas Cano, Fernando Jauregui (2016) and Chayenne Barrientos (2016) are a trio of players that create one of the best rosters the Panthers have had.

Roster
Fernando Jauregui (2016)
Antonio Torres (2016)
Chayenne Barrientos (2016)
Tomas Cano (2016)
Jacob Holguin (2016)
Cutberto Barraza (2016)
Joshua Bailey (2017)
Kevin Medrano (2017)

Well, I have changed the 25 headlines that we are looking forward too in 2015-2016 to the 28 (I turned the magically 28 yesterday) so I found that number more fitting. Can't believe when I started at NMPreps.com the first time around I was 22-years old, going on 23. Time sure does fly by, this has been my community for a majority of my 20's, still talk with plenty of people via text that I have met around the state to this day. When you feel like talking hoops why not come here and pick something to talk about.

Okay my eulogy is over (joke).......

28 THINGS WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TOO

28. Okay, the obvious, I know it's basketball season because the weather is starting to change, the smell is a bit different and my phone is starting to pick up with coaches, basketball junkies and people ready to talk hoops. Oh yeah if I didn't mention I turned another year older, would say lost more hair but I don't really have anymore (haha). Oh yeah the NBA opening night is tonight and yes I will watch that over the World Series (bitter Dodgers fan). Okay, Ill flip back and forth. Anyhow, welcome to the 2015-2016 season, I love this game, NM and just being apart of the game. If you see me at a game, come chat or talk (be warned I'll keep you talking). Glad to be back.

27. Making my trip to Hobbs (maybe for the Holiday Classic) in December. Not only great basketball but the hospitality was unmatched so far. Remember that I love food (I rank the concession stands) and program T-shirts are my fav (haha). The tournament should feature more NM teams this year, only three were at my first visit.

26. The Rio Rancho trio. I found it fitting to put them here as I mentioned the three in the Top 25 Guards to Watch feature today. Snider, Hurt and Patterson are a solid trio for the Rams and this could be a special year.

25. Las Cruces basketball. Okay, I look forward to watching all four programs this season. All should be ranked in the 25 (Mayfield might need a year) but that is a wait and see.

24. Grants Alumni Game. Yup, yours truly will be lacing up the Nikes and attempting to run up and down the court in the Grants alumni on Nov. 14th. I get to go home and see the Pirates and I hope 9-1-1 is not called in the 1st quarter.

23. Johnny McCants (Onate): The first of many players on this countdown that will be a potential NMPreps.com Mr. Basketball candidate. We hear the good news about this young fella and we look forward to cover the first potential D-1 prospect from the 2016 class.

22. Cliff Cowboys. I have never made this trip to the SE corner of New Mexico to visit one of the most historic basketball programs in the state of New Mexico. Can they win another title this season? Head coach Brian Shock continues the Shock legacy and we look forward to seeing this dynasty continue.

21. Capital Jaguars and coach Ben Gomez. In my honest opinion they should have never let Gomez leave the first time. He took them their title in 2003 and was building a solid thing with that 2011 team. Well, the swag seems to be back and he has a guard that people are talking about, the last time he had a guard that still is referred to when me and my buddies talk hoops in Mikey Dominguez. Another special year? We will go see and we look forward to it.

20. City of Champions Tournament (Artesia). I found out that I am likely heading this way for that regular season tournament in December. For one I am excited because the field is always good and second I have yet to see the Bulldog PIT. That's the name, right? Any how I have been to Artesia once to purchase my truck from Tate Branch Auto (Damn great people) and look forward to going down there to cover this event. Any of you have a bracket?

19. Albuquerque High vs. Valley: I am looking forward to this match-up because it highlights two top guard among others in what will be a packed house. This district is going to run through this two teams (preseason wise) and I can't wait to see it.

18. APS Metro Championships: This is always a fun time and I am glad when they moved it to January a few years ago. What could be better than a 16-team tournament with 4 guaranteed games. Who is the favorite this year? Valley, Albuquerque High, Volcano are they in the mix?

17. Portales Rams, St. Mikes and West Las Vegas trying to unseat: These three teams (maybe Silver) will be on the hunt to upset Hope Christian, who own 4A. These four are the legitament contenders and I really like Coach McBroom in Portales. If you haven't met this coach, you should, first class and a great person.

16. Brenden Boatwright, Carlsbad: Another NMPreps.com Mr. Basketball candidate? I look forward to watching him this season. He is one of the top players in the state and we look forward to his progression.

15. Staying with C-Bad. Is this the team that takes them to the title game? Coach Brown has done an outstanding job with this program. Reminder they were once ranked as the worst 5A team at the time (2012), based off history of losing. This is definitely not the same program that he took over. I have yet to be to a game in Carlsbad, maybe it's time to check it out.

14. Onate Knights. We have heard plenty about the Knights and this could be one of those teams that takes it all. Coach Perez is a first class guy who always takes the time to help his team out and help the media out. I really like coaches who you know love coaching (all that is involved in it). He has a talented roster, maybe a couple new transfers (Saterfield's) and we all remember what the last talented team did, 2011 anyone?

13. Roswell basketball. Both programs. Coach Cooper is another coach that I have nothing but great things to say. You just know when a coach cares about what he does. I think it shows with his program being one of the top in the state. Well, I always want to say that it might not be a one horse town for hoops as the Rockets of Goddard have a trio of guards that make both teams final four worthy.

12. John Paul Garcia, Tucumcari. Yes, we have all heard the name before and I love this kid, because you know he lives in the Snake Pit (I believe that's what its called). Okay, when I compare it's to give a visual but the youngster has that Curry confidence. He stops, pops and has killer range. He might be one of the few NMPreps.com Mr. Basketball Candidates that become a top-10 finalist. I'll have to look back if we had a finalist from the small school division.

11. Four Corners hoops and concession stands. Okay, you know I had to throw that in for a 28 things that I can't wait for. First, the four corners area love their hoops, they have amazing facilities (Shiprock, KC are top notch) but they also have some nice fry bread on the way in, and I load up for the ride home (haha). The four corners area should have some contenders with Corley having Farmington playing well again, Piedra Vista will be a threat and Kirtland Central will be a top team in 4A.

10. Hobbs vs. Clovis: No other rivalry out there brings the excitement like this one. Maybe not the highlight is was when both teams are ranked 1-2 or any place in the top-10 but will still have a packed house.

9. NMPreps Nation: We had a solid basketball board the last year I was here but this summer (my return) it has a different feel. Very knowledgeable and can tell the junkies are here, where they should be talking hoops. I look forward to the conversations on here. I can tell by the posts we have dudes who love their basketball. 9 b. thanks to the coaches and media personnel who have called and reached out lately, to talk hoops, just talk and kind words. New Mexico is a great distance but plenty of good people, media and coaches out there. Glad to be back on the media side but glad to be apart of both fraternities. Thanks again.

8. Marcus Williams, Cleveland HS: The forward has been on our radar since his freshman campaign when he was a pup hitting treys from outside. He will be an early candidate for the NMPreps.com Mr. Basketball as the keys are his now.

7. Can the Hawks of Centennial Repeat? They lost some players, have one of the top guards and 5A will be deep this season. They were fun to watch last season and I can't wait to see this team with a deadly halfcourt trap/pressure look to repeat.

6. Shot clock, refs and the rest. Every year we debate the shot clock. Should be taken more serious? Refs we all have our thoughts on the regions. District realignment is back and who goes up and down.

5. 3-year old, late nights on the computer and road trips. Nothing more important in this world to me than my little man (son Parker Grine) and many of you might see him going along with me this season. When he was born I would write features until midnight or early AM and he was in my lap as I wrote. Well, glad to take him with me to games this season (the kid that is under the bleachers, throwing a ball on the court or running on the court himself) that will be him. I love talking hoops or just talking up our kids in New Mexico and hope you will see that this season.

4. NMPreps.com Top 100 Players: I know one year we had to add 50 players making it a Top 150 and this year we have some of the most talent we have had in sometime. Plenty of players putting in work and it will hopefully bring a debate to last months on who we missed, who we got right and just the Top 100 in general.

3. Amaya Brown, Cibola: Thought I mentioned this already but how can we not be excited to watch a player of this caliber. UCONN has taken a look at her and we all should. Girl is a stud and if you didn't see my interview with her, she is a great kid with a great head on her shoulders. She plays for one of my favorite metro area coaches as well.

2. Jim Muprhy at Hope Christian: I like being able to witness a legend. I like that teams go on streaks and saying that I was able to see when he won all those titles. The Huskies are doing something special and yes many of us have our feelings towards this program but you have to appreciate what they are doing. I know I do. I can't wait to get out and see another Hope game maybe win another title (13th right?)

1. 2016 State Tournament. My last one I covered I went 5 days and didn't miss one single game 7AM to midnight some nights. No sleep, over priced Lobo dogs and getting to chat with buddies on the media row. In 2012 sitting next to Buzz Williams (Virginia Tech head coach) was something I will remember. Good times down there.

The buzz at Ralph Tasker Arena the last few days during the Summer Leagues is that Hobbs High will actually be replacing Ralph Tasker Arena with a new state of the art Arena that will seat about 1,500 more fans than the 3,000+ existing one. It will be designed with seating all around.

The planning phase has just started and concrete details are few. The original plan to revamp and enlarge the current arena had to be scrapped because of design and construction limitations and issues. I for one don't really know what to think about all of this. To ease the pain of possibly losing the historic shrine it has been decided to keep it operational & basically a museum. This will result in having five gymnasiums on the Hobbs High/Freshman High Campus.

The recently remodeled & LED lighted,13 court tennis facility will be razed to make room for the new arena. The tennis facility is directly in between the Arena and the Watson Stadium. The new tennis facility will be moved to the new 240 acre sports and recreation park to be named Taylor Ranch Park. The end of this park is across the street from Watson Stadium. Phase One of the four or five construction phases of Taylor Ranch Park is budgeted at over 19 million dollars. A large apartment complex overlooking this park is already under construction.

This new park (Taylor Ranch) is often confused with the enormous health and wellness center about to break ground next to NMJC and Zia Park Hotel and Casino. Both of these sports/recreation/health/wellness facilities will be built at the same time frame. As of latest word, the 16 million dollar revamping of Watson Stadium is still in the works. No numbers for the new arena have been determined yet. However, the two new schools nearing completion came millions of dollars under budget so funding for the new arena should not be an issue.

Meet The 2015 State Volleyball Champs
By: Josh Grine of NMPreps.com



6A La Cueva Defeated Cleveland 3-1
Head Coach: Steven Archibeque
Record: 22-0, 8-0
The La Cueva Lady Bears won their first ever big school state volleyball championship defeated Cleveland 3 games to 1. Sophomore Annabelle Kubinski record 154 kills on the year and also recorded 126 blocks. Senior Abigail Stomp has 120 blocks on the year.

5A Los Lunas Defeated Centennial 3-1
Head Coach: Amy Bell
Record: 20-5, 10-1
Los Lunas upset highly favored Centennial to the win the girls Class 5A State Title. On the season the Tigers were led by Junior Prospect Jordan Holland who recorded an incredible 338 kills and 68 blocks.

4A Sandia Prep Defeated Hope Christian 3-1
Head Coach: Audra Gentry
Record: 24-1, 8-0
Sandia Prep defeated cross town rival Hope Christian in the finals 3-1 to win the 4A state title. Sophomore Duo Catherine Kelly and Camryn Nelson recorded a total of 377 kills on the season.

3A Texico Defeated Eunice 3-0
Head Coach: Kristen Scanlan
Record: 23-1, 6-0
The Lady Wolverines ended their season with a remarkable 23-1 run defeating the Eunice Cardinals 3 games to 0.

2A Melrose Defeated Ft. Sumner 3-2
Head Coach: Casey Jackson
Record: 20-4, 5-1
Melrose had to dig deep in the finals to defeat Ft. Sumner in an epic battle 3 games to 2. On the season the Lady Buffs were led by Addisen Dial who recorded 245 kils.

1A Elida Defeated Springer 3-0
Head Coach: Darrell Cenault
Record: 22-3, 11-0
The Elida Tigers won their 6th state volleyball title defeating Springer in the finals 3 games to 0.

What you got this weekend?

Also add your favorite go-hot sauce