Santa Teresa plays Gadsden next Friday night, the 19th, for their first game. Anyone have their first game sooner than that?

Feature: The Unlikely, Upset Worthy, Favorite to Win It All
Joshua J Grine of NMPreps.com

My first year at NMPreps.com not a single person outside of the 12 basketball players and coaches thought the 7-seed Santa Teresa Desert Warriors would win the State Championship.

Well, they did the unthinkable and won the title that year, in fact most people picked either the 1-2 seeds in Roswell in Goddard it was the 5-seed Gallup who took also played in the title game in the highest two seeds to play for the title.

Today, we give our unlikely favorites.

RIO RANCHO RAMS
Class: 6A
Record: 15-9, 3-3
Seed Potential: 8-11
Why: Many might not consider them an unlikely pick but I don't know a person (maybe one Destiny) who would take the Rams as the upset worthy team to win the title. The Rams would be the unlikely choice however as a potential team on the road in the first road. I like them though with the growing junior talent. Clay Patterson is one of the best guards partnered with Juan Hurt that could be the 1-2 punch in March. Open court on the PIT court could either play either into their favor or hurt them. Throw in the sophomore frontcourt of Joe Emahly and Keyshawn Banks to grow up fast.

Not mentioned because they are either favorites or in top tier: Onate, Cleveland, Cibola, Albuquerque, Carlsbad

LOS LUNAS TIGERS
Class: 5A
Record: 14-9, 6-1
Seed Potential: 5-9
Why: I have a theme going here for the top two classifications going with the junior graduation class. Keyden Walkers paired with an NMPreps.com Mr. Basketball candidate in Martin Trujillo. Throw in freshman point guard Zanen Zeller and Hunter Wisneski in the backcourt along with an underappreciate, high energy forward in Thean Nelson. Pair all of that with a head coach who builds great programs in Travis Julian. This could be his most talented rosters that will go into the tournament as an underdog.

Not mentioned because they are a favorite or top tier: Roswell, Centennial, Grants, Capital

SILVER COLTS
Class: 4A
Record: 15-7, 6-0
Seed Potential: 5-8
Why: A team that his been waiting on the sidelines for a few years but could be the one that you should throw a bet at them. They won't be favorites but definitely have the talent and coach that could take them to the title. The roster is underrated but talents like point guard Joshua Saenz or wing Wyatt Olgesby have been known to go off on any given night. They have several players that could be the leading scoring so the depth is what is under-appreciated with the Colts. Throw in Garrett Laney at the forward spot and Sebastian Cruz in the backcourt.

District Rankings and Who Deserves More Respect From the Committee
Joshua J Grine of NMPreps.com

It is not part of the NMAA selection committees criteria, for the most part, but is it time to consider District strength into the conversation. Likely, it is the unwritten part of the criteria that is taken into the consideration, mentioned before was Manzano not winning a district game a few years ago and getting a 12-seed. Robertson last season didn't and earned a bid in 4A.

Ranking the Districts
1. Northern Rio District (1-6A)
Ranked Teams: Cibola (No. 4), Cleveland (No. 6), Rio Rancho (No. 12)
2. Valley Metro Districts (5-6A)
Ranked Teams: Albuquerque (7), Valley (8), Rio Grande (14), Atrisco (16)
3. SE District (4-6A)
Ranked Teams: Carlsbad (10) Hobbs (13)
4. Border District (3-6A)
Ranked Teams: Onate (1)
5. Metro 5 District (2-6A)
Ranked Teams: Sandia (25)

I don't think we can argue much about the position of the districts this season but where it comes into play is the bubble or what I called the fringe. Teams on the verge of making the big dance but not quit on the green.

Look at Santa Fe High and Volcano Vista, two teams that could arguably be playing for third or second (maybe first) in say district 2-6A. More Volcano Vista as they are a whopping 6-1 against the district and they only have 9 wins so that goes to our argument.

Questions?

Now the question is what do we do with the runner-up for 2-6A? What about for the self-named Border District? Does Gadsden have an argument for an 8-seed? What about Mayfield or Las Cruces, they have wins but are they tournament worthy over 2-6A district runner up?

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SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO - The House of Representatives of the State of New Mexico honored the Espanola Valley Football Team at the State Capitol Building for having a successful 2015 Football Season. Certificates of Congratulations were handed out to the Football Team on Wednesday, February 10th, 2016 recognizing the Sundevils for being District 2-5A Champs.

The Sundevils went 9-2 during the 2015 season (Best season in school history) under Head Coach Miguel Medina winning the District 2-5A Championship Game before losing to Farmington 48-20 in the first round of the State Playoffs.

Henderson: 10 Teams To Watch In February
By: Kyle Henderson of NMPreps.com | nmpreps@yahoo.com

Cibola - Record of 20-1

The Skinny: Coach Lori Mabrey has the talented roster in New Mexico, there is no denying that. Super Sophomore Star Amaya Brown continues to shine weekly, also contributing is Corbyn Cunningham and Dmitri Fong. Have won two out of three against Volcano Vista this year, also beat Eldorado in November by 17.

Remaining Schedule
Rio Rancho
@ Cleveland
Santa Fe

Carlsbad - Record of 21-2

The Skinny: These Ladies from Carlsbad have proven to be quite a solid club already winning 21 games and we are not even to mid February. Center Kim Best is having a strong year as is Standout Freshman Carsyn Boswell. Key wins over Volcano Vista, Roswell, and Las Cruces.

Remaining Schedule
@ Clovis
@ Alamogordo
Hobbs

Volcano Vista - Record of 17-4

The Skinny: If there is a coach in New Mexico that can get their group to rise up during District and Playoff time it’s Lisa Villareal. Her Lady Hawks have won 17 games and beaten Carlsbad as well as Cibola this year. Deezha Battle and Raven Herrera are a very experienced duo.

Remaining Schedule
@ Rio Rancho
Cleveland
@ Santa Fe

Gallup - Record of 21-0

The Skinny: Riding a 21 game winning streak into February and they have beaten some bigs on the year to prove their stock value. Wins over Eldorado, West Mesa, and Los Lunas speak volumes. Senior Ni’Asia McIntosh is one of the top post players in New Mexico standing 6-foot-0.

Remaining Schedule
Piedra Vista
@ Aztec
Farmington
@ Miyamura

Roswell - Record of 19-2

The Skinny: Head Coach Joe Carpenter continues to have the Coyotes playing at a high level and with only 2 losses on the year, they are a strong pick to at least make the final four you’ve got to think. Their lone losses come against Carlsbad, not bad considering Carlsbad is 21-2 on the year. Roswell is 19-0 against 5A teams and led by Junior Guard Jaedyn De la Cerda and Alexis Angeles.

Remaining Schedule
Goddard
@ Artesia
Lovington

Espanola - Record of 18-4

The Skinny: The Lady Sundevils are 18-4 on the season and are winners of their last 4 in a row including good wins against Rio Rancho and over Los Alamos in a 76-75 thriller. This team has some great experience with Senior Kaitlyn Romero and Alexis Lovato leading the way. Experience comes into play on the big stage as does Coaching, Espanola has both.

Remaining Schedule
Del Norte
Los Alamos
Capital
@ Bernalillo

Next Five To Watch

West Las Veas
The Lady Dons Coached by Jose Medina are 19-3 on the season and riding a 7 game winning streak as they continue district play tonight against Pojoaque. Senior Deanna Bustos along with Jaylen Gutierrez make for a dynamic tandem.

Portales
Winning 8 in a row following their 63-20 victory over Ruidoso, Portales is really a clear favorite to win the whole thing or at least reach the finals. They are 19-0 against New Mexico comp this year, their three losses all come against Texas teams. The Rams are powered by 6-foot-1 Post Kambrey Blakey who is committed to play at Lubbock Christian.

Texico
February 9th, 2016 Texico handed the Eunice Lady Cardinals their first loss of the season. The Wolverines rolled to a 50-37 victory over previously 20-0 Eunice, big statement made clearly. Head Coach Richard Luscombe has a talented group, Senior Brianna Reyna is key to their success. Against Eunice she scored 23 points. In total Texico has 6 seniors. Additional key wins this year come against Elida, Lovington, Tatum, and Lubbock Christian.

Tularosa
The Lady Wildcats are now 23-0 on the season, incredible. Another incredible fact is that they have outscored the comp by a combined 802 points this season. Some of their monster victories include: Beating Socorro 71-13, beating Dexter 79-30, beating Tucumcari 80-34, beating Laguna 78-41, beating Cobre 72-20, beating Santa Rosa 75-30, beating Melrose 71-33, etc. Leading the charge this year is obviously a handful of top tier talent: Kaitlyn Silver, Shania Gilliland, Aviana Garcia, and their leading scorer on the season is junior Cassie Vickery. DANGEROUS

Elida
Head Coach Jaden Isler has continued the winning tradition at Elida following in his father JD's footsteps. The Tigers are 18-3 this year and trying for their 6th straight state championship. Yes, they have won 5 in row dating back to 2011. Sophomore Kasyn Creigton leads the team with 9.5 points per game and Junior Madison Haley is averaging 8.0.

All Feedback Welcomed And Wanted

Week 13: What's On Tap and Roll Call

Thursday
Bloomfield 42, Shiprock 40 (OT)
Carrizozo 66, Lake Arthur 48
Gateway Christian 53, Tatum 15
Hondo Valley 79, Vaughn 52
Kirtland Central 92, Thoreau 52
Los Lunas 44, Belen 36
Magdalena 69, Mescalero Apache 32
Navajo Prep 45, Newcomb 31
Robertson 83, Taos 39
Sandia 52, Manzano 35
Santa Rosa 85, Raton 42
Tucumcari 56, Clayton 50
West Las Vegas 60, Pojoaque Valley 46

Top-25 Action
No. 20 Robertson the surprising margin of victory over Taos.
No. 22 Los Lunas with the County Rivalry win over No. 23 Belen.
No. 24 Pojoaque Valley falls to West Las Vegas on the road, 60-46.
No. 25 Sandia maintains the top spot in 2-6A with a win over Manzano.

Thursday Take-A-Ways

• Hondo Valley moves to 22-2 without a top player in the state, team is only getting better.
• Bloomfield avoids the upset to maintain first place in 1-4A against Shiprock. Kirtland Central takes out frustration on Thoreau. They remain a game behind Bloomfield.
• Now that West Las Vegas beats No. 24 Pojoaque. Pojo beat Robertson, Robertson beat West, West beat Pojo - we are not surprised by this cluster.

Thursday Top Performers
Zanen Zeller - Los Lunas - 13 points vs Belen.
Martin Trujillo - Los Lunas - 12 points vs Belen.
Nick Trujillo - Belen - 10 points vs Los Lunas
Bryan Valdez - Belen - 10 points vs Los Lunas.

Post your top three teams in each class here

Who is the best three point shooter or shooter?

First Practice of the 2016 Season is February 1st, 2016

Just a friendly FYI

Week 12: The Week That Was
Joshua J Grine

Can anyone stop Roswell in the District 4-5A race? Will Grants cruise to the District 5-5A title? What do we make of District 1-6A with all 5 teams going dance (or they should)? What about Rio Grande, the 16 seed?

We try to answer questions and review the crazy week that was week 12.

Yes, I know it's Super Bowl Sunday but for a few minutes we break down all that has gone down, what will go down and we hand out our rewards for the week.

Class 6A

Who had the better week? Volcano Vista took things serious this week and got, not only a win, but win of the week. They beat the No. 2 Cibola Cougars (Week 12 NMPreps.com Rankings) - 45-36 - but also they earned a bid to the state tournament. Many might still be skeptical (maybe not) but if the Manzano Monarchs in 2012 made the state tournament with 0-wins in district play these Hawks are IN. They might even be the team to make an upset in the first round but we will save that for a later feature. Others to mention are Santa Fe beating Rio Rancho (69-65) and

Stock Report: Hobbs up into the Top-8. Carlsbad out of the Top-8 or possibly the 8-seed. Hobbs takes the lead in District play with the win on the road of Carlsbad in week 12. Rio Grande is on a 3-game skid and looking like a 12-16 range is set in stone. Sandia was an 8-seed last week, will still be DC from 2-6A, but the loss to Espanola - 45-44 on a last second shot - and not a bad loss but likely one that kicks them out.

Hot or Not: Albuquerque High (HOT) beat Atrisco Heritage by 28-points (58-30) and took commanding lead of District 5-5A, looking basically unbeatable. Atrisco, was, considered a favorite to play them for the district championship. La Cueva (NOT) after losing 2 in-a-row this week especially to cellar dweller.

Bubble Report: Volcano Vista, Santa Fe IN. La Cueva IN but going against the grain. Highland, the win helped but still need to do work but more in the picture from week 11. Mayfield and Las Cruces helped.

Class Player of the Week: Oscar Perez had 18 points in the upset win over Rio Rancho this week. Perez and the Demons have been under the radar but the notice is here.

Class 5A

Who had the best week? Farmington had the best week because they completely dominated their competition this week. First the crushed their rival in Piedra Vista (67-45) and followed it up by cleaning the floor with Miyamura (77-31).

Stock Report: Centennial UP. Los Lunas stays the same - UP. Bernalillo UP with wins and moving into second place at (3-2) a half game ahead of Espanola Valley.

Class Player of the Week: Cesar Molina of Centennial hits a buzzer beater to add to his 27 points in the win over Los Lunas.

Class 4A

Hot or Not: Bloomfield looked like a top 4A team in terms of seeds. They have impressive wins over Kirtland Central (58-42) and Winate (63-47) moving to (6-0) in district play. Pojoaque Valley now moves to (2-0) and likely the favorite for the 2nd ranked team in 4A basketball beating Robertson. However, we think the royal rumble in this district is only heating up. PVHS plays West Las Vegas on February 11th.

Class Player of the Week: Dominic Roybal of Pojoaque Valley had 14 points in the win over Taos but has been a vital part of the Elks success this week.

Small School Division: 3A - 1A

Stock Report: Hondo Valley and Cliff will be the 1-2 seed in 1A basketball. Hondo Valley moved to 20-2 on the season. Tularosa in 3A is not only on a 5-game winning streak but earned a HUGE win that we haven't talked about beating Mesilla Valley, 42-26 on Friday night. Melrose at 18-3 will be the heavy favorite heading into the state tournament, they went 3-0 this week.

Division Player of the Week: Jacob Esquivel of Lordsburg and John Paul Garcia of Tucumcari both lead their teams to big wins. Esquivel put in 19 points in a win on Saturday. Garcia poured in 31 points in a win over Santa Rosa in a marquee contest.

Elite Eight:
Final Four:
State Champion:
Mr. Basketball:

Top Prospect Report: 2017 Guards
Joshua J Grine

Today, we take a look at our guards for the class of 2017 on our countdown of Top Players in the state of New Mexico. To view the rest of the Player Rankings view our Top Prospects Report homepage.


Desmond Carpenter of Cibola

6A - Guards

#1. Clay Patterson, SG, 6'0'' Rio Rancho HS

Patterson, is one of the better shooters in the state but will also take you off the dribble. But it doesn't stop there he defends well and has great vision.

#2. Desmond Carpenter, G, 6'0'' Cibola HS

The district is loaded with quality guards and Carpenter is among the best of them. Carpenter is a basketball player through and through. He, like Patterson, can beat you with his shooting but has excellent handles and passing abilities.

#3. Juan Hurt, G, 5'10'' Rio Rancho HS

Hurt is the guard or player that will go out there and win you a game. We've seen him several times and every time he is big time. He could be one of the more consistent guards from scoring and doing the little things in a big way.

#4. Hunter Thomas, SG, 5'9'' Onate HS

Thomas, didn't disappoint in either game that we seen in person, actually took home the player of the game in one game we seen. Thomas is clutch as a spot up shooter.

#5. Tristan McCarty, PG, La Cueva HS

I hit on this before, but McCarty might be one of my favorite point guards who has truly made the Bears move. He pushes the tempo and makes smart decisions with the ball.

#6. Joshua Bailey, G, Gadsden HS

Bailey has been good this season and has played well. The game we seen he showed some athleticism and solid shooting. He also moved well without the ball creating points off his court awareness.

7. Tony Zamora, PG, 5'8'' Onate HS
8. Isaac Brito, PG, 5'9'', Cibola HS
9. Jai Douglas, G, 5'9'', Albuquerque HS

5A GUARDS for 2017

1. Matt Vail, G, Grants HS: 6-foot guard who has some of the best instincts. Averaging 11 points per game.

2. Kayden Walker, G, Los Lunas HS: One of our favorite players in the list as Walker is one of the better stop and pop shooters off the dribble. He might have the most weapons off the dribble, 15 footer and passing along with a no nonsense defender.

3. LeAnthoney Harrison, G, Goddard HS: Better playing off the ball on the wing. Harrison at 13.8 points per game has played both some PG and SG. Solid shooter but quality slasher.

4. Tenessee Owens, G, Centennial HS: Owens a new player to NM but one that is putting up consistent numbers in points and assists. Smart player that understands the game.

5. Hunter Wisneski, G, Los Lunas HS: Another 2017 class member that is one of the top players in the state. Wisneski is a solid point guard but super quick in transition.

6. Garret Smothermon, G, Roswell HS: One name that you don't hear often but one that will blow up after you see him in the state tournament.

7. Ethan Duff, PG, Artesia HS: Work horse basketball player that is one of the quickest prospects on the list.

4A Top Guards

1. James Garcia, Pojoaque Valley.
2. Marcus Medina, Hope Christian.
3. Randall Poor Thunder, Ruidoso HS
4. Dominic Roybal, Pojoaque Valley
5. TJ Madrid, Taos HS
6. Jr Ramirez, Portales HS
7. Luke Archuleta, St. Mike's HS
8. Cole Yearout, Hope Christian.
9. Andru Sanchez, Cobre HS
10. Ryan Johnson, Hot Spring HS

What Do Other States Do That New Mexico Should Follow?

Regarding HS Sports?

Top 10 Catchers In New Mexico

Heading into this season

Who are they?

Top Newcomers To Watch For In 2016

Who are they? All classes welcomed!

Best Advice Your Grandfather Gave You?

Week 13: Tuesday Night Hoops
Grine

Tuesday brings more hoops around New Mexico and we take a look at the scene from around the state.

Top-25
1. Onate: The Knights lay down the hammer on Las Cruces, 54-24.
2. Hope Christian: The Huskies continue to be the top dog over Santa Fe Indian, 95-63.
3. Grants: The Pirates ride the ship past Pius, 70-43.
4. Cibola: Open
5. Roswell: Open
6. Cleveland: This Storm ended early with a 67-27 thunderstorm on Santa Fe.
7. Albuquerque: Open
8. Valley: Open
9. Centennial: Hawks take flight early on Chaparral, 87-60.
10. Carlsbad: All Cavemen in this contest in the rebound game, over Clovis 46-25.
11. Capital: The Jaguars dominate in the revenge game against Bernalillo, 53-34.
12. Rio Rancho: Fall to unranked Volcano Vista, 46-45.
13. Hobbs: Dominates Alamogordo, 84-67
14. Rio Grande: Open
15. Gadsden: Maintain second in district with a 60-49 win over Mayfield.
16. Atrisco Heritage: Open
17. St. Pius X: Fall to Grants 70-43.
18. Farmington: vs Aztec.
19. Espanola Valley: Beat Del Norte in a district match up, 54-49.
20. Robertson: Open
21. Gallup: Finish off Piedra Vista in a tough battle, 64-54.
22. Los Lunas: Low scoring affair victory over Santa Teresa, 40-27.
23. Belen: Beat up on Valencia, 59-38.
24. Pojoaque Valley: Open
25. Sandia: Open.

Top Performers
Alejandro Ruiz - La Cueva - Scored 17 against Manzano
Brannon Karger - Texico - Scored 23 against Eunice
Cade Barnard - Melrose - Scored 23 against Dora
Chris Johnson - Carlsbad - Scored 13 and 10 boards against Clovis
Dalton Thatcher - Texico - Scored 14 against Eunice
David Riley - Famrington - Scored 14 against Aztec
Jacob Esquivel - Lordsburg - Scored 35 points in the win over Tularosa.
Jacob McNeely - Volcano Vista - 15 points, 5 assists and 3 steals in win over Rio Rancho.
Jarrett Graham - Piedra Vista - Scored 19 against Gallup
Johnny McCants - Onate - Scored 21 and 13 boards against Las Cruces
Johnny Plowman - Lordsburg - Scored 20 points in the win over Tularosa.
Jordan Leake - Hope - Scored 27 against SFIS
Josh Harrison - Onate - Scored 10 against Las Cruces
Marcus Gibson - Cleveland - Scored 13 against Santa Fe
Marcus Williams - Cleveland - Scored 13 against Santa Fe
Nick Granger - Farmington - Scored 16 points against Aztec
Pierra Swain - Hobbs - Scored 31 points in the win over Alamogordo.
Pierre Swain - Hobbs - Scored 31 against Alamogordo
Ralph Cueto - Carlsbad - Scored 10 points against Clovis
Saucedo - Lordsburg - Scored 10 points in the win over Tularosa.
Sol Rascon - Farmington - Scored 13 against Aztec

Trends: What Did You Learn Tuesday?
1. Volcano Vista finish punching their ticket in the state tournament.
2. St. Pius X has the resume but might be the unlikely pick, Grants dominated.
3. Hobbs starting to take March form with a thumping of Alamogordo or the streaking Eagles?
4. Lordsburg flexes over Tulie. Will they lose another game? I don't think so.
5. Onate getting better? They have just dominated the district. We knew they were good but they are just killing it.
6. Sandia Prep helps their case for a Top-8 seed, could be a scary 5-8 seed.
7. Espanola Valley sneaks out a win over Del Norte more middle tier now.
8. Silver starting to shine with a beat down on Hatch.
9. Gallup won but part of that middle tier with Espanola and St. Pius.
10. Centennial and Los Lunas in the convo with Roswell, Grants and Capital or in the middle tier? Centennial gets the respect as a defending champ but more gray area.

Scores
Belen 59, Valencia 38
Capital 53, Bernalillo 34
Carlsbad 46, Clovis 25
Centennial 87, Chaparral 60
Cleveland 67, Santa Fe 27
Espanola Valley 54, Del Norte 49
Gallup 63, Piedra Vista 54
Grants 70, St. Pius X 43
Hobbs 84, Alamogordo 67
Hondo Valley 66, Carizozo 30
Hope Christian 95, Santa Fe Indian 63
La Cueva 68, Manzano 51
Lordsburg 74, Tularosa 50
Los Lunas 40, Santa Teresa 27
Mesilla Valley 63, Capitan 48
Mountainair 57, Tierra Encantada 53
Navajo Pine 80, Ramah 67
Onate 54, Las Cruces 24
Pecos 78, ATC 34
Portales 79, Ruidoso 59
Sandia Prep 51, St. Mikes 49
Silver 75, Hatch Valley 52
Vaughn 81, Corona 52
Volcano Vista 46, Rio Rancho 45

Who would you put on the State Tournament seed committee? What should be on the criteria.

Are You In Favor Of The State Tournament Being Held In Albuquerque Each Year?

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Week 13: Mid-Week Predictions
Joshua J Grine of NMPreps.com

Welcome to another week! Two left in the regular season and we try to give our best prediction on the weeks games.

If you have been following along, I was loud and tooted' my horn after an 8-0 mid-week prediction. I then followed that up by a 3-5 weekend predictions. So be very cautious if you are going on my predictions.

Eight Must Watch Games Mid-Week

Dulce (12-5) at Desert Academy (13-9), Tues., 6:30p: The last game came down to a 1-point victory by the Desert Academy Wildcats in somewhat of an upset win. Both teams are evenly matched with both averaging around 63 points. Also, Desert Academy is 5-1 at home but Dulce plays well on the road at 6-1 on the road. Flip a coin or revenge game, I think the first might of been a fluke with Dulce getting this one.

Prediction: Dulce 65, Desert Academy 59

Tularosa (14-8) at Lordsburg (20-1), Tues, 6:30p: A game that has peaked our interest with the Tularosa Wildcats playing extremely well as of late and one of the most improved teams from a season ago. They are coming off a win over Mesilla Valley last week and looking to make another in Lordsburg. Tularosa will look to slow the pace down some as Lordsburg has been known to go off, Tulie can too but the better offensive talent is Lordsburg so a shootout is not in their favor.

Prediction: Lordsburg 61, Tularosa 50

Hobbs (13-7) at Alamogordo (7-16), Tues., 7p: You would like to pick an upset here, well I would, but I have zero confidence in the Tigers of Alamogordo. The reason why I was going to pick an upset; Hobbs is coming off their signature win of the season, last week over Carlsbad. Why I am not is the Tigers are not playing to potential of their talent and are 3-8 at home.

Prediction: Hobbs 69, Alamogordo 47

Gallup (17-5) at Piedra Vista (12-10), Tues., 7p: A tricky game for both programs as Gallup is looking vulnerable this season and Piedra Vista is this villain under disguise. Gallup lost to Farmington at home and for the first time is not the leader for the DC. Piedra Vista is our disguise because they are well coached and have some young talent to make the upset on any given night. Not many teams have the young talent that you could pick to step up in a big game.

Prediction: Gallup 65, Piedra Vista 57

Grants (18-3) at St. Pius X (14-7), Tues, 7p: I have to pick an upset team and even though it pains me to do it here against my Alma mater - I am. Why? St. Pius this season has played very well against the top teams in 5A and are one of the few, very few, teams that are coached by one of the best coaches the state has to offer that no matter who is on the roster could be on upset alert. Tempo is all over this game and who can control it. Pius if they run their system and limit Grants possessions will do fine, but also capitalizing on every possession and make Grants beat you in the half court game.

Prediction: St. Pius X 52, Grants 51

St. Michael's (8-11) at Sandia Prep (10-12), Tues, 7p: A battle for position in this district with both the Horsemen and Sundevils jocking for a Top-8 seed (rare I know) in 4A basketball. Prep owned the first meeting with a big second half on their way to a 53-34 victory. This one, should/will be closer but the Horsemen will need to play one of their best games. Neither team puts up a lot of points and the Horsemen will have to play to that strength more instead of allowing the Sundevils to beat you in transition.

Prediction: Sandia Prep 50, St. Mikes 39

Atrisco Heritage Academy (13-8) at Valley (15-6), Wed, 7p: This district is your normal Wednesday night feature and this one has state tournament implications. Valley hasn't been as dominate as we predicted them to be at several points in the season. Atrisco has somewhat overachieved on the season to this point. Valley took a 3-point victory in the first game and might struggle with a quantity of Jaguar guards, in the quality/quantity scale.

Prediction: Valley 69, Atrisco 57

Pojoaque Valley (18-4) at West Las Vegas (16-5), Thurs, 7p: This district will be one of the toughest to win this season and this game could throw it into an early three-way tie. Pojoaque Valley is becoming known as one of the better known defensive teams but still a battle of two strengths as they could shoot very well. West Las Vegas puts up points but when facing top teams (or ranked teams) they have been known to struggle some. It two losses to Grants and Robertson they were well under their average.

Prediction: Pojoaque Valley 62, West Las Vegas 61

Grine Record
Last Week: 11-4
Overall Record: 25-6

Were The 1985 Bears The All Time Greatest?

Anyone watch the recent 30 for 30?

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NMPreps.com's Week 12 Awards
Joshua J Grine of NMPreps.com

Today, we announce our awards for the week of February 1st - February 5th. Plenty of big time games and performances for the week.

Week 12 Awards

Player of the Week - Anthony Chavez, So., Valley HS

Anthony Chavez led the the Valley Vikings in week 12 with a 25 points, 5 assist and 7 rebounds against Rio Grande in a district win. This is the first NMPreps.com player of the week award for the sophomore point guard.

Coach of the Week - Greg Brown, Volcano Vista HS

The head coach for the Volcano Vista Hawks takes home the Coach of the Week honors for the first time this season. The Hawks who have been up and down ended week 12 on the up with a major upset win over Cibola.

Team of the Week - Pojoaque Valley Elks

Not many teams could have had a bigger week than the Elks as they were led by head coach Joey Trujillo in a win over Robertson High School. The Elks now in position for a 2-seed in the state tournament with two weeks left in the season. This is the second time the Elks have won the award.

Week 12 All-NMPreps.com Team

Anthony Chavez - Valley HS - Player of the week. 25 points, 5 assists and 7 rebounds in win over Rio Grande.

Daniel Amador - Roswell HS - Two solid games this week with 22 points, 4 blocks and 4 assists vs Lovington; 27 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists vs Artesia.

Clay Patterson - Rio Rancho HS - 26 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals; 20 points, 4 assists and 3 steals vs Santa Fe.

Cesar Molina - Centennial HS - 27 points and game winning shot against Los Lunas.

Martin Trujillo - Los Lunas HS - Scored 19 points vs Centennial; 25 points and 11 rebounds vs Valencia.

Johnny McCants - Onate HS - Scored 18 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocks vs Gadsden.

John Paul Garcia - Tucumcari HS - Scored 31 points in a win over Santa Rosa.

Jacob McNeely - Volcano Vista HS - Scored 14 points in an upset win over Cibola.

Oscar Perez - Santa Fe HS - Scored 18 points in a win over Rio Rancho.

Jacob Esquivel - Lordsburg HS - Scored 19 points in a win during week 12.