What do you have? Where should we start with some teams. Our yearly feature will start to roll. Please send us or post schedules.

Post your Week Eight reactions and takeaways here.

Post scores and updates here for Week Eight.

Scored his first two points as a Lobo against Wyoming tonight. Awesome- Crowd went crazy for the local product....so much fun!

Post stat lines here for games during Week 8.

What did you learn about teams this week?

I thought I would share this with the board. I know many of you are coaches and face this often. I would suspect the smaller the community the larger this issue is.

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3A title St Mikes, Sandia or the Field
5A title will be won by 1-5A team or the Field
4A title Los Lunas or the Field

NMPreps.com's look at the potential match-ups for the 2019 New Mexico High School Basketball State Tournament.

Coaches,

Our season is fast approaching. I know we are all aware of the treatment of game officials and how it is causing a shortage. This season I am personally challenging you to perform a Random Act of Kindness and Empowerment for our umpires at the first game of your season. Bad calls should never be an excuse for bad reactions. Be leaders for your young men and parents. This season #RAKEChallenge for Umpires! Let all of social media know that we care about our umpires and appreciate what they do. Let’s create a surplus of game officials and set the tone for conduct at games. Let me know if you need ideas and I would love to hear your #RAKEChallenge story.

Robert Riggins
Pojoaque Valley Baseball
575-693-0810

4A Girls Basketball: Early PIT Stop

NMPreps.com's look at the potential match-ups for the 2019 New Mexico High School Basketball State Tournament.

DISTRICT PREDICTIONS

District 1-4A
Kirtland Central - District Co-Champion
Gallup - District Co-Champion
Miyamura - D3P
Bloomfield - D4P
Aztec - D5P
Shiprock - D6P

District 2-4A
Pojoaque Valley - District Champion
Espanola Valley - DRUP
Los Alamos - D3P
Moriarty - D4P
Taos - D5P

District 3-4A
Silver - District Champion
Santa Teresa - DRUP
Ruidoso - D3P
Chaparral - D4P

District 4-4A
Portales - District Co-Champion
Goddard - District Co-Champion
Artesia - D3P
Lovington - D4P

District 5-4A
Los Lunas - District Champion
St. Pius X - DRUP
Belen - T-D3P
Grants - T-D3P
Valencia - D5P


STATE TOURNAMENT PREDICTIONS

HOST A FIRST ROUND GAME
1. Los Lunas
2. Kirtland Central
3. Pojoaque Valley
4. St. Pius X
5. Gallup
6. Miyamura
7. Highland
8. Silver

At the moment, I feel good about this Top Eight right here. Gallup will likely move ahead of St. Pius and we'll have to see how Pojoaque's season turns out but I'd cap off Pojoaque at the 3-seed. Gallup possibly jumping as high as the 2 or 3-seed. I'm not sure Highland can move any higher at the moment. If Cleveland wins and they sweep their district, then maybe they can get to that 4-seed but they'll need help from those top teams losing in their district to give them the opportunity.

NEXT FOUR
9. Bloomfield
10. Goddard
11. Hope Christian
12. Portales

Now, I know what you're thinking as was my initial reaction too, "What the hell is Bloomfield doing in that 9-seed ahead of ____?!". Keep in mind, this is not an absolute prediction. Given the Maxpreps rankings at the moment for Bloomfield (#9) and their Coaches Poll ranking (12th-ish) as well as their 8-4 record, this isn't that ridiculous. Bloomfield will likely drop back more in the coming weeks once district starts up allowing teams like Goddard, Hope, Portales, and EV to move up.

BUBBLE
13. Espanola Valley
14. Artesia
15. Belen
16. Valley

Espanola could easily be ahead of Portales and in that Top 12 range. Artesia could as well if they can tie or get ahead of Portales (there's a three-way tie between these three teams).

FIRST FOUR OUT
17. Los Alamos
18. Grants
19. Bernalillo
20. Aztec

There's a three-way tie for that 17-spot between LA, Grants, and Berna'.

Who was your head coach?

What year did you play?

What high school?

It feels like we just had a fastbreak, but really I just mislabeled my last Daily Dime before I had my coffee. With the Thursday Outlet Pass over, comes the Friday Fastbreak, and although it's lengthy, you won't want to miss any of the action. Don't forget to feel free to share any insight you have on teams, players, coaches, or games coming up tonight or the weekend!

(3A) #5 West Las Vegas vs. (4A) #19 Bloomfield - Hope Christian Invitational
Bloomfield (8-5) was a sideline inbounds away from advancing on the champions side of the bracket. But for now, they'll have to settle for a not-so-bad 3A West Las Vegas (11-4) who just had a six-game winning streak ended by Los Lunas.

#7 St. Pius X vs. #2 Los Lunas - Hope Christian Invitational
A district preview as St. Pius X (10-3) will hope to slow down an explosive Los Lunas (13-3) team that has now won nine in a row, looking for its tenth win in a row. St. Pius has a fairly solid defense, but I'm afraid they lack the necessary firepower, especially from the perimeter to keep pace with Los Lunas.

#3 Melrose vs. #5 Animas - Reserve Mountaineer Invitational
What a wonderful tournament this one turned out to be! Most saw the pairings early and the promising semifinals that could happen. Here we have a Melrose (9-4) team playing some confident basketball taking on a stout Animas (11-3) team looking to extend their 7-game win streak to eight. Winner gets a championship game with the winner of Cliff and Quemado.

(2A) #6 Mescalero Apache at (1A) #7 Elida
The rematch to conclude the two-game series this season will be important for both teams looking to regain some mid-season traction. Mescalero Apache (10-3) has two straight wins off the efforts of team leading Fallon Velasquez and the supporting underclassmen like Samantha Kazhe and Tunte Baca. Elida (6-3) looks to bounce back after a surprisingly close win at Floyd was only by two points. The seven player roster features the tough Alyssa Bargas, Madison Ferguson, and Sadei Chenault.

(5A) #20 Capital at (4A) #12 Espanola Valley
Capital (6-8) is coming off a two-game win streak after dropping four straight to start the new year. Espanola Valley (8-6) is also on a two-game win streak but it'll only be their fourth game of January. Capital's Kyannah Cole and Ethena Silva look to start the Lady Jaguars against a wildcard of a Espanola team featuring the talents of Kaylinn Martinez, Destiny Valdez, and Kaylee Chavez.

#6 Sandia at #10 Farmington
Sandia (8-4) hit the road north to Farmington (14-3) in hopes to recover from their upsetting performance against Ingram-less La Cueva this past Tuesday night. It's a big road game for the Lady Matadors as they'll have Piedra Vista for Saturday's slate. If Sandia wants a big win on the road, they can't let their youth show up again. A focused team effort is needed especially against a team like Farmington that thrives off defensive pressure in the full court. Farmington on the other hand has survived their last two games, and are looking for some consistency in their game play. A talented opponent like Sandia is exactly the test needed to see if they're ready for district play.

#13 Alamogordo at #12 Onate
Both teams sit at 2-1 in district play and the winner gets to jump ahead of the loser and Las Cruces. Despite its length of 12 games, the depth of it's district goes all the way to the sixth team. So every game matters in terms of even earning a bid to the state tournament. It'll be a great matchup with Estrella Avalos, Sydney Hobbs, and Angel Jones versus the likes of Faith Silva, Breyanna Bickham, and Justyse Martin.

#7 Mayfield at #14 Centennial
Centennial (8-9) just recovered with a much-needed win over Las Cruces after a terrible six game slide. Their fourth game into district play is against district leading Mayfield (11-5). The Lady Hawks would be a close favorite if it weren't for their 3-4 record including their 0-2 start at home in district play. Regardless, they do have the matchup advantage with the likes of the Dianne Hefner, a consistent player in the paint, and the Laborin sisters, Jocelyn and Larissa. The all important piece is still Jessica Rios with her playmaking ability, but you can bet Coach Maya has a game plan to disrupt Centennial's best options. Players like recent commit, Alize Ruiz, Laila Flores, Alyssa Madrid, and Genesis Tellez provide a wealth of constant defensive pressure and reliability on the offensive end. It'll be one to watch as Centennial hope to reclaim home court.


Please feel free to share any insight on teams, players, or games coming up tonight or during the week!

Navajo Prep boys basketball head coach Rick Hoerner let it be known in a Farmington Daily-Times piece that he will be stepping down at the end of the season to relocate to Portland, Oregon.

So brush off that resume, folks, for one of the most attractive jobs heading into next season.

Prep is expected to return Thomas Montanez, Treston Yazzie, and Lance Morris.

[Daily-Times Article HERE]

Post here

OU QB tradition continues to be pretty stellar as of late!

5A - Real or Not Real
Volcano Vista (16-1)
Capital (11-3)
Atrisco Heritage (11-3)
Roswell (13-4)
Hobbs (13-5)
Clovis (12-5)

Which in this group could you see as a legitimate Final Four team?

4A: Record Game
Silver (13-3)
Bernalillo (10-4)
Ruidoso (10-5)
Gallup (9-5)
Highland (7-4)
Espanola (9-7)
Portales (10-6)

Who is the true contenders and pretenders? Which win a playoff game?

3A: Um, unknown
Hot Springs (12-2)
Navajo Prep (11-4)
Tularosa (8-3)
St. Michael's (9-7)
SFIS (7-7)
Sandia Prep (7-7)

Who will play in the title game?

What has been the best game this season?

Anyone have a schedule for the lobo team camp?

What do you have this week?

5A Basketball
Cleveland (16-1) vs Highland (7-4)
Farmington (10-7) vs Aztec (4-10)
La Cueva (6-7) at Rio Rancho (13-3)
Manzano (7-5) at Cibola (1-12)
Sandia (6-7) at Atrisco Heritage (11-3)
Volcano Vista (11-2) at Albuquerque (3-8)

What Can We Learn: Sandia has the opportunity to climb into any conversation or having a close-ish game could help with some votes. Atrisco Heritage again in the convo for another title run - head coach Adrian Ortega is (has) built something special. The only other worth the watch is La Cueva and Rio Rancho looking to find their seat at the bracket table.

Not Bad: Cleveland should roll with ease against the Hornets (Highland) but the 4A-Hornets could earn more respect if they can keep it somewhat close.

4A Basketball
Albuquerque Academy (4-7) at Sandia Prep (7-7)
Belen (7-8) at Bernalillo (10-4)
Bloomfield (3-9) at Taos (9-5)
Cobre (5-6) at Hope Christian (6-7)
Del Norte (6-6) at Los Alamos (3-13)
Grants (8-8) at Kirtland Central (2-11)
Lovington (6-10) at Texico (13-3)
Moriarty (2-12) at East Mountain (7-7)
Shiprock (3-10) at Hot Springs (12-2)
Valley (5-7) at Los Lunas (13-3)
West Las Vegas (6-6) at St. Pius X (7-5)

Double Bubble: Albuquerque Academy is back on the IN conversation but can't have a slip up against 3A-Sandia Prep. Valley takes on the top team in the classification in Los Lunas but they do need a solid showing.

We are wrapping up our weekend run with regular season tournaments before we hit the district season next week. Tularosa, Reserve, and Hope Christian round out the tournament season. There's also a handful of games tonight that should serve to be important for March.

No. 11 Rio Rancho at No. 16 Eldorado
Well Eldorado (6-6) is coming off that big win at Cleveland (12-5) and they'll have to refocus and set their sights on defeating a Rio Rancho team that didn't fair so well on the road. Eldorado needs this win more than Rio Rancho with the limited number of non-district games running out.

(4A) No. 16 Los Alamos at Manzano
The Lady Hilltoppers (6-10) have proven to be formidable despite their record. They have a solid group of players anchored by 6'0" forward/center Natalie Gallegos. How they'll defend Manzano might be crucial given how their best shooter in Mya Williams doesn't need much time to launch from beyond the arc. Good out-of-class test for both teams at The Palace.

(3A) No. 4 Tucumcari at (2A) No. 2 Clayton
Old district opponents will collide in Clayton (10-5) where the Lady Yellowjackets hope to recover from a two game losing streak against top 3A ranked Tucumcari (11-4).

No. 12 Dora at No. 2 Logan
Dora (8-5) is hoping to recover and start a new win streak. They've only split their games so far, 2-2, since starting the new year, and that includes EPAC. Now, they'll have a big opportunity to get a win against revitalized Logan (13-2).

No. 19 Bloomfield vs. No. 7 St. Pius X
Over at Hope, Bloomfield (8-4) tips off against a tought 4A test in St. Pius (9-3). Halle Payne, Bloomfield's leading scorer will likely have trouble against a defensive minded St. Pius team led by Maya Trujillo and Amelia Gallegos.