Canadian Texas will travel over 600 miles one way to play in the State Title Game today.

Week 5 Friday Night Recap
By: Josh Grine of NMPreps.com

No. 2 Valley 57 No. 7 Cleveland 52
No 2 Valley led by sophomore point guard Anthony Chavez. He led the whole way to a top win over Cleveland. Chavez and Segun Oyeky led for a combined 46 points and the win.

No 4 Grants 58 Cliff 44
Michael Chambers led the Pirates with 19 points and the win over Cliff. Bradley Hatten also had 15 points in the win along with Matt Vail with 8 points to lead the Pirates. Holt Shelley had 20 points to pace the Cowboys.

No 6 Carlsbad 63 NO 22. Las Cruces 45
Branden Boatright led the Caveman with 23 points with the top 25 win over Las Cruces Bulldawgs. Markus Collins led the Bulldawgs with 8 points.

No 8 Hobbs 93 Permian (Texas) 81
No. 8 Hobbes Eagles soared their way to a 93 to 81 victory over the Permian High School Panthers.

No 12 Rio Grande 72 No. 10 Volcano Vista 68
Marshall Moore led the ravens with 22 points on the night with the win over No 10 Volcano. Jose Vigil led the Hawks with 23 points in the loss.

No 11 Rio Rancho 89 Manzano 48
Javier DeLeon led the Rams with 14 points and the win over the Manzano Monarchs. Braxton Bouyer paced the Monarchs with 13 points.

No 13. Cibola 67 No 19 West Mesa 54
Desmond Carpentar led the Cougars with 20 points in the win over West Mesa. Ray Moya led the Mustangs with 17 points.

Atricso 67, No 18 La Cueva 47
The Jaguars get the first win of the season over No 18 the bears. Estavan Martinez led the jaguars with 19 points. Alejandro Ruiz led the Bears with 10 points.

Pojoaque 41 Bloomfield 34
Chris Cordova led the Elks with 15 points in the win over the Bloomfield Bobcats.

Santa Fe High 67, St. Michael's 49
The demons were led by Santi Gonzales with 17 points. David Marquez also in double figures for the demons with 11 points. Cameron Conway paced away for the Horsemen with 15 points.

Robertson 80 No 17 Espanola Valley 66
The Cardinals with the upset win over No 17 Espanola Valley Sundevils.

No 24 Gallup 51 Piedra Vista 42
The Bengals close on a 16 to 9 run over the Piedra Vista Panthers.

Portales 40, Clovis 33
The Rams defeat the Wildcats for the first time in 21-years.

Friday Night Scoreboard
Atrisco Heritage 67, La Cueva 47
Carrizozo 72, San Jon 58
Del Norte 63, Eldorado 48
Desert Academy 70, Coronado 43
Goddard 70, Chaparral 53
Highland 73, Los Alamos 64
Maxwell 86, Tierra Encantada 57
Reserve 70, Corona 32
Rio Grande 72, Volcano Vista 68
Rio Rancho 89, Manzano 48
Robertson 80, Espanola Valley 66
Sanders Valley, Ariz. 51, Tohatchi 43
Santa Fe 67, St. Michael's 49
Tohatchi 73, Chinle Rough Rock, Ariz. 68
Valencia 57, Artesia 41
Valley 57, Cleveland 52

Ben Lujan Tournament
Laguna-Acoma 69, Socorro 55
Mora 76, Hatch Valley 50
Pojoaque 41, Bloomfield 34

Eddie Pena Holiday Classic Grants
Gallup 74, Shiprock 34
Piedra Vista 78, Thoreau 22

Mescalero Apache Tournament
Alamo-Navajo 62, Tularosa JV 45
Hondo 56, Gateway Christian 46
Quemado 51, Pine Hill 30

Wingate Holiday Classic
Consolation Semifinal
Hot Springs 72, Crownpoint 28

It was reported recently that ticket sales are down quite a bit for Lobo basketball. Here's why, in my opinion. 1. Prices: Prices for tickets, anywhere you sit in the Pit, are high. But what gets people is the parking charge and the extraordinary price for concessions. Add it all up and it makes it difficult to take a family to a game. It has also become too corporate, and the ordinary fan feels it. 2. Lack of local players: I know, I know, it's a broken record. And there are fewer great basketball players in NM at the High School level thank in other sports, that's a given. But when you have two guards last year, Jones and Patterson, that are elite material, both 6ft 1 to 6ft 3, and you go and recruit a 5ft 11 point guard from Texas and bring him in over these two, that's just wrong. Neither Jones or Patterson even received a courtesy call from Neal. And both are starting and killing it at their respective colleges, and both killed it in AAU competition against the best players in the country. There are a number of other kids from NM that are doing great in college basketball throughout the country right now, but not a single one given a shot as a Lobo.....3. Lack of competition - People want to come and see the Lobos play great teams, not Texas A @ G liberal arts academy for global warming. Bring in the big boys! 4. We all know it's just a smoke screen anyway. No matter what the Lobos do in the regular season, who they beat, and what their record is, they always seem to choke in the NCAA tournament, if they even make it. This isn't just Neal's issue. It has been going on forever. The Lobos are the ultimate paper tiger - great in the regular season but they crumble when it really counts. We are all tired of this, and it is getting really old, and embarrassing. I can't tell you how many times I thought "this is finally the year", only to get my hopes dashed again and again and again.

Toas Tiger Head Basketball Coach Robert Trujillo resigned according to the Taos News. He cited personally reasons.

HS Football Player Shields 3 Girls From Bullets Before Being Killed

2 young men killed, including a 15-year-old Fulton High School football player who died shielding 3 girls from bullets.
http://wate.com/2015/12/18/knoxville-police-investigate-3-separate-overnight-shootings/

TOP-25

No. 4 Grants vs Thoreau
The Eddie Pena Classic kicks-off tonight and this one will see a lot of scoring (for Grants) with an over 5 players in double figures for the Pirates. Ryan Walsh returns as head coach of the Hawks after spending one season as the head coach of the Pirates a few years back.

No. 14 Capital vs Taos
Battle of some northern teams. This could be a tricky one if you are a betting man. Capital brings in the army, Taos the mad underdog ready for an upset. This Taos team is not as strong as years past (Final Four 2015) but it's hard to judge regional games like this one.

No. 24 Gallup vs Piedra Vista
Another regional game taking place in Grants for the Eddie Pena Classic. Fans in Grants love going to games so I expect this one to have a decent crowd and the Panthers are starting to burn up a bit after a 40-point showing by their sophomore guard early this week.


Thursday, Dec. 17
ATC vs East Mountain
Bernalillo vs Los Lunas
Capital vs Taos
Crownpoint vs Miyamura
Des Moines vs Clayton
Dexter vs Tucumcari
Estancia vs Cloudcroft
Gallup vs Piedra Vista
Hagerman vs Eunice
Hatch Valley vs Pojoaque Valley
Hot Springs vs Farmington
Laguna Acoma vs Mora
Navajo Pine vs Wingate
Pecos vs Mesa Vista
Santa Fe Waldorf vs Desert Academy
Socorro vs Bloomfield
Thoreau vs Grants
West Las Vegas vs Ruidoso

Preview: What To Watch This Week
Joshua J. Grine of NMPreps.com

Today, we preview the 10 Must Watch Games for Week Five of the basketball season.

THE BIG THREE: PLUS ONE

GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 7 Cleveland (5-1) vs No. 2 Valley (4-2)

Both teams bring a roster load of talent. This could make for one of the biggest games of the week as its a clash of two top-25 teams. Cleveland brings strength and athletisicm while the Vikings of Valley have the point guard with high basketball IQ mixed with a little bit of everything from post presence to athletic wings.

Players: (Cleveland) Marcus Gibson; (Valley) Anthony Chavez.
Factor: Valley's tri-fecta.
Pick: Valley +5

Unranked Game But Resume Builder
Piedra Vista (4-2) vs Shiprock (2-2)

Coming from the Northwest corner of New Mexico the Piedra Vista Panthers at 4-2 had a quality week four showing as they finished as runner-up's in the Marv Sanders. Shiprock enters the game at (2-2) on the season and looking for a signature win.

Players: PV: Keegan Acosta (G, SR), Jarrett Graham (G, SO); SHS: Elijah Harry (G, SR)
Factor: PV Size. Shiprock outside.
Pick: Piedra Vista +4

Wednesday Battle For The North
Espanola Valley (7-2) vs St. Michael's (2-1)

The uptempo Sundevils will take on the Ron Geyer patient offense of the Horsemen. Espanola Valley comes in on a high night after winning the Sandia Prep tournament. St. Mike's at 2-1 (waiting other final from the weekend) enter the game falling to one northern team last week in Santa Fe High.

Players: (Espanola Valley) - AZ Salazar, F/So; (St. Mike's) Luke Archuleta, G/Jr.
Factor: Guards solid on both ends. Espanola has the better frontcourt player.
Pick: Espanola +1.

Seed Game in 3A
Dexter (4-4) vs Tucumcari (2-3)

The Demons are the surprise team this early in the season and could look to upset a Rattlers team that is still looking to live up to top ranking it received during the preseason. Dexter still inexperienced and could play a factor late into this contest.

Players: (Dexter) Greg Gabaldon; (Tucumcari) JP Garcia
Factor: Experience
Pick: Tucumcari +6

RAPID FIRE

• No. 24 Gallup vs. Piedra Vista: Piedra Vista has a tough week. Gallup looks to keep building a solid resume.
• No. 6 Carlsbad vs No. 22 Las Cruces: The Cavemen took a hit last week to one LCPS school, could another be thinking upset? Las Cruces the huge question mark team in the top-25, could it survive another week?
• No.12 Rio Grande vs No. 10 Volcano Vista: Talk about head-to-head this game will play a factor come seeding time. Rio's bigs have a test with Volcano's big.
• No. 17 Espanola Valley vs Robertson: The Sundevils have a tough week, last week these two met and it went four overtimes.
• Alamogordo vs Deming: The bubble game again. Deming could be in play for a W in this one.
• No. 13 Cibola vs No. 19 West Mesa: Are the Mustangs of West Mesa exposed? They are on a 3-game skid and the Cougars could be the dark horse favorite.
• No. 4 Grants vs No. 24 Gallup: Is this rivalry week for the Pirates? They take on Bernalillo now a Top-25 ranked Gallup team. This game has instant classic written all over it.

TOURNAMENTS



GRINE PICKS (Record: 10-5)
Valley over Cleveland
PV over Shiprock
Espa over St. Mikes
Tucumcari over Dexter
Gallup over PV
Carlsbad over LC
Deming over 'Gordo.
Robertson over Espana.
Coogs over West Mesa
Grants over Gallup

Tuesday, December 15th Schedule
Carlsbad vs. Goddard
Centennial vs. Deming
Chaparral vs. Hatch
Clayton vs. Texline
Cuba vs. Mesa Vista
EP Cathedral vs. Gadsden
EP Eldorado vs. Onate
Grants vs. Bernalillo
Hobbs vs. Permian
Hot Springs vs. East Mountain
Las Cruces vs. EP Montwood
Los Lunas vs. Socorro
Magdalena vs. Carrizozo
Melrose vs. Texico
Monte Del Sol vs. Santa Fe Waldorf
Rehoboth vs. Ramah
Ruidoso vs. Tularosa
Santa Fe vs. Espanola
Santa Teresa vs. Silver
Shiprock vs. Piedra Vista
Tohatchi vs. Estancia
Tucumcari vs. Portales
Valencia vs. Moriarty

Top 10 Players After Four Weeks?

What's On Your Prep Football Christmas Wish List?

Example:
A larger/newer press box for St. Michael's High School

Week 5 District Standings

Class 6A

District 1-6A
Cibola 5-1
Cleveland 5-1
Volcano Vista 4-1
Rio Rancho 6-2
Santa Fe 3-5

District 2-6A
Manzano 2-3
Sandia 2-3
La Cueva 2-4
Eldorado 2-5
Highland 0-4

District 3-6A
Onate 7-2
Gadsden 7-3
Deming 6-4
Las Cruces 4-4
Mayfield 2-6

District 4-6A
Carlsbad 6-1
Hobbs 4-3
Alamogordo 3-3
Clovis 1-5

District 5-6A
Albuquerque 4-0
Rio Grande 5-1
Valley 4-2
West Mesa 2-3
Atrisco 0-4

Class 5A

District 1-5A
Farmington 5-2
Piedra Vista 5-2
Gallup 5-3
Miyamura 3-3
Aztec 0-7

District 2-5A
Capital 7-1
Espanola 8-2
Bernalillo 3-3
Los Alamos 3-4
Del Norte 1-6

District 3-5A
Belen 4-2
Centennial 4-3
Los Lunas 3-4
Valencia 1-6
Santa Teresa 1-9
Chaparral 1-10

District 4-5A
Roswell 6-0
Artesia 3-1
Goddard 4-6
Lovington 0-5

District 5-5A
Grants 3-0
St. Pius X 4-1
Moriarty 4-3
Academy 1-6

Class 4A

District 1-4A
Bloomfield 5-1
Zuni 4-1
Thoreau 4-2
Shiprock 2-3
Wingate 2-4
Kirtland 1-5

District 2-4A
West LV 4-0
Pojoaque 5-1
Taos 5-1
Robertson 3-1

District 3-4A
Silver 4-1
Hatch 6-3
Cobre 3-5
Socorro 3-5
Hot Springs 0-5

District 4-4A
Portales 3-1
NMMI 2-5
Ruidoso 1-6
East Mountain 0-8

District 5-4A
Hope 4-1
St. Mike's 2-2
Bosque 4-4
Santa Fe Indian 5-6
Sandia Prep 2-4

Class 3A

District 1-3A
Navajo Prep 7-2
Tohatchi 3-3
Newcomb 3-5
Rehoboth 2-4
Crownpoint 0-5

District 2-3A
Dulce 3-0
Pecos 4-2
Desert Academy 5-3
Academy Tech 2-4
Monte Del Sol 2-4
Santa Fe Prep 3-8

District 3-3A
Lordsburg 7-0
Capitan 5-2
Tularosa 4-2
Mesilla 2-2

District 4-3A
Texico 7-1
Loving 3-2
Dexter 4-4
Eunice 1-6

District 5-3A
Clayton 2-1
Santa Rosa 2-1
Raton 3-5
Tucumcari 2-4

District 6-3A
Lagua 4-9
Cuba 3-3
NACA 3-7
Estancia 0-0

Class 2A

District 1-2A
Tse Yi Gai 2-1
Navajo Pine 3-4
RAmaha 1-7
Pine Hill 0-3
Northwest 0-5

District 2-2A
Tierra Encantada 4-2
Menual 7-4
To Hajiilee 2-2
Mountainair 4-4
Jemez Valley 2-5
Foothill 0-0

District 3-2A
Magdalena 5-0
Alamo Navajo 2-2
Cloudcroft 3-3
Mescalero 1-4

District 4-2A
Gateway 3-1
Jal 3-3
Hagerman 2-3
Tatum 1-6

District 5-2A
Escalante 6-1
Penasco 4-1
McCurdy 4-0
Mesa Vista 4-1
Questa 4-3
Mora 1-2

District 6-2a
Melrose 6-1
Logan 5-1
Dora 6-2
Ft. Sumner 3-5

Class 1A

District 1-1A
Santa Fe Waldorf 6-2
NMSD 3-3
Evangel Christian 2-4
Coronado 0-5
Walatowa Charter 0-5

District 2-1A
Cliff 5-1
Quemado 5-1
Reserve 4-2
Animas 2-5

District 3-1A
Hondo 6-1
Vaughn 5-1
Carrizoz 2-4
Lake Arthur 1-3
Corona 1-4

District 4-1A
Grady 6-1
Mosqueo 5-3
San Jon 4-4
Floud 1-5

District 5-1A
Springer 5-1
Maxwell 5-2
Cimarron 2-3
Des Moines 1-3
Roy 1-4
Wagon Mound 0-4

2015 NMPreps.com All-Sophomore Team
By: Kyle Henderson of NMpreps.com


Pictured is Las Cruces Sophomore Receiver Brandon Baeza

About: This team is compiled of top caliber high school football players that contributed big time during their sophomore season. We will eventually rank this class 1-20 after the 2015 season. If you have a sophomore that deserves to make the list, please post in this thread with stats and we'll def take a look at added him. You can you e-mail me to nmpreps@yahoo.com.

Class 6A

Alejandro Vallejos - Manzano -Strong Safety - Class of 2018 - 72 tackles on the season, 1 interception

Angelo Trujillo - Cleveland - Quarterback - Class of 2018 - Next in line quarterback at Cleveland

Andrew Erickson - Manzano - Receiver - Class of 2018 - 212-yards receiving, 92-yards rushing, 5 touchdowns

Brandon Baeza - Receiver - Las Cruces - Class of 2018 - 80 receptions for 1,380-yards and 12 touchdowns

Cameron Herrera - Manzano - Linebacker - Class of 2018 - 68 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 interception

Isaac Torres - Cleveland - Running Back - Class of 2018 - Scored 6 rushing touchdowns this

Derek Loidolt - Linebacker - La Cueva - Class of 2018 - Over 70 tackles this year for La Cueva

Jaykan Willis - Linebacker - Carlsbad - Class of 2018 - 40 tackles on the season

Jordan Byrd - Athlete - Manzano - Class of 2018 - Ran for 527-yards, caught of 270-yards, scored 12 touchdowns

Jordan Dickey - Defensive End - Volcano Vista - Class of 2018 - Has 9 sacks on the season

Keegan McKeown - Offensive Line - Eldorado - Started every game for Eldorado on the offensive line, 300 pound bencher

Monroe Young - Onate - Defensive Back - Class of 2018 - 51 tackles this year

Nate Arrington - Carlsbad - Strong Safety - Class of 2018 - 60 tackles this year and 1 interception

Payton Ball - Running Back - Las Cruces - Class of 2018 - 817-yards rushing with 18 touchdowns

Richard Gallegos - Running Back - Eldorado - Class of 2018 - Scored two touchdowns in the playoffs

Rheal Kutchta - Safety - Clovis - Class of 2018 - Started Two district games and Mayfield playoff game. Had 15 tackles (7 solo and 8 assists against Mayfield)

Seth Lopez - Running Back - Clovis - Class of 2018 - 1,000 yards of offense and scored 10 touchdowns, also 1st team running back

Torry Locklin - Defensive Back - Mayfield - Class of 2018 - 420-yards passing, 315-yards rushing, 4 interceptions on the season

Class 5A

Cameron Stevenson - Quarterback - Goddard - Class of 2018 - 17 passing touchdowns, 14 rushing touchdowns, 6 interceptions on defense

Cody Smith - Quarterback - Aztec - Class of 2018 - Has thrown for 2,841-yards this year and 25 touchdowns

Dominick Dozal - Running Back - Santa Teresa - Class of 2018 - 1st Team All-District Running Back

Michael Chino - Defensive Line - Del Norte - Class of 2018 - 40 tackles, 10 for loss, 5 sacks

Thomas Wisneski - Quarterback - Belen - 12 TD pass 4 Rush TD over 1000 yds all-purpose in 7 games. Not the best Soph in the state but worthy of a mention

Troy Skinner - Los Lunas - Offensive Linemen - Key offensive linemen for the Tigers

Class 4A

Antonio Gabaldon - Quarterback - St. Mike's - Class of 2018 - Started 2 games at QB and 5 games at Corner - 13 -27 for 301

Arjay Ortiz - Quarterback - Robertson - Class of 2018 - Has thrown for 985-yards, has also rushed for 540-yards, and 21 total touchdowns

Jake Tetrault - Offensive Line - St. Mike's - Class of 2018 - Started 6 games at OT and 4 games at OG

Joey Fernandez - Linebacker - St. Mike's - Class of 2018 - Started all games a MLB - 3rd on team in tackles with 50 6 tackles for loss

Miguel Arrellano - Defensive Line - St. Michael's - 6th on team in tackles with 42

Ryan Mcgaha - Safety - St. Pius X - Class of 2018 - ad a tremendous year playing safety for the. He was the only sophomore that started on the team.

Saul Trujillo - Hatch Valley - Special Teams/Defensive Back - Class of 2018 - Had interception against Cobre in the playoffs

Class 3A

Dakota Halliburton - Navajo Prep - Threw for 2846 yds and 27 TD's on the season

Jacob Smith - Linebacker - Capitan - Class of 2018 - Has 71 total tackles

Kari York - Defensive Back - Eunice - Class of 2018 - 43 tackles on defense

Moises Anaya - Running Back - Estancia - Class of 2018 - Has rushed for 920-yards and 16 touchdowns this year

Price Bowen - Linebacker - Capitan - Class of 2018 - Has 136 total tackles

Tari York - Defensive Back - Eunice - Class of 2018 - 36 tackles on defense

2A/8-Man/6-Man

Cade Barnard - Melrose - Linebacker/Quarterback - Class of 2018 - 6-foot-3, 200 pound sophomore that has over 20 total touchdowns this year

Jorrell Mirbal - Magdalena - Quarterback - Class of 2018 - Over 1,500 all purpose yards and 20 touchdowns, also great hoops player

Jude Segura - Ft. Sumner - Athlete - Class of 2019 - Has thrown for 1,464-yards and 18 touchdowns this season

Freshmen

Angelo Atencio - Linebacker - Bloomfield - Class of 2019 - Has a total of 72 tackles on the season which leads the team

Darren Chavez - Linebacker - Santa Rosa - Class of 2019 - 101 tackles this season

Ivan Molina - Athlete - Las Cruces - Class of 2019 - 280-yards and 4 touchdowns receiving, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery, 1 kick return for a touchdown, 1 blocked extra point

Tayo Regenold (freshmen) started 8 games at DT - 30 tackles

8th Grade

Brett Money - Kicker - Alamogordo - Class of 2020 - 6 for 6 kicking extra points this year on varsity

Log In Issues - We Are Working On A Fix - 8:30AM UPDATE

Log In Issues - We Are Working On A Fix - 8:30AM UPDATE

Log In Issues - We Are Working On A Fix - 8:30AM UPDATE

Good Morning We Are Aware Of Log In Issues - Email me at nmpreps@yahoo.com

Poll: Which Sport Is Easiest To Get Recruited?

1 Makes the Final Four, 1 Misses the Elite Eight. Take your Pick.
(Predicted that Albuquerque High, Cleveland and Onate have made it) Valley, Rio Rancho or Hobbs:
(Predicted Grants, Roswell and Capital have made it) Gallup, Los Lunas or Espanola Valley:
Predicted that Hope, Portales and West make it again) Silver, Pojoaque Valley or Bloomfield:

No 3 Cleveland and No 7 Grants just scheduled a game on Decemeber 21st at Cleveland.

Which Underclassmen Have Impressed This Year?

Who are the top players in these classifications?

Sandia Offensive Linemen Isaiah Lowery has picked up two offers this week. The 6-foot-5, 265 pound linemen landed an offer from Eastern earlier this week and last night landed an offer from New Mexico Highlands.

Meet The Undefeated Through Week 5

Class 6A
Albuquerque 4-0

Class 5A
Roswell 6-0
Grants 3-0

Class 4A
West LV 4-0

Class 3A
Lordsburg 7-0
Laguna 4-0
Dulce 3-0

Class 2A
Magdalena 5-0
McCurdy 4-0

Class 1A
None

Class 6A
Carlsbad 7-0
Cibola 5-0

Class 5A
Gallup 9-0

Class 4A
None

Class 3A
Eunice 8-0
Tularosa 7-0
Loving 6-0

Class 2A
McCurdy 4-0

Class 1A
Elida 6-0

Week 5 District Standings

Class 6A

District 1-6A
Cibola 5-0
Volcano Vista 6-1
Rio Rancho 5-2
Cleveland 4-3
Santa Fe 4-4

District 2-6A
Eldorado 5-2
La Cueva 4-2
Sandia 2-2
Highland 1-3
Manzano 0-5

District 3-6A
Las Cruces 5-3
Gadsden 6-4
Demign 7-6
Mayfield 4-4
Onate 4-5

District 4-6A
Carlsbad 7-0
Alamogordo 5-2
Hobbs 4-4
Clovis 3-5

District 5-6A
West Mesa 3-2
Atrisco 3-2
Valley 3-4
Albuquerque 1-5
Rio Grande 0-6

Class 5A

District 1-5A
Gallup 9-0
Piedra Vista 7-1
Aztec 5-2
Miyamura 4-3
Farmington 3-4

District 2-5A
Los Alamos 8-1
Espanola 6-2
Del Norte 3-4
Capital 2-8
Bernalillo 0-9

District 3-5A
Centennial 7-2
Los Lunas 3-2
Valencia 4-2
Belen 2-5
Santa Teresa 2-10
Chaparral 0-8

District 4-5A
Roswell 6-1
Lovington 4-2
Goddard 5-4
Artesia 3-3

District 5-5A
Moriarty 7-2
Academy 5-3
Grants 4-5
St. Pius 1-6

Ask Grine: We Open Up The Mailbox

Today, on NMPreps.com we open up our inbox and answer some of the many questions sent in weekly to the NMPreps.com Staff.

1. Why does Grants get jumped as the number one team in 5A? (Text)

Well, this was a tricky questions and ranking going into my week five ballot. This is the answer that I have for this question. Rankings are a weekly progression, more of a "what have you done for me lately' each week. Grants didn't not play a game while Roswell, the new number one, was completely dominate last week. The Coyotes, minus a half to Belen, destroyed their competition last week. It was easier to justify them moving up into the third slot at this time. Grants however, still jumped a team in Hobbs to be ranked right behind Roswell at No. 4 overall. Honestly, either one could have been third, maybe second, but we settled on Roswell (3) and Grants (4) based on the 'what have you done for me lately'.

2. Grine!!! Why is Onate ranked above Cleveland????? (E-mail)

Very true that Cleveland beat Onate a couple weeks back. Point to the Storm. However, rankings (I mentioned above) are a weekly progression and so forth...... Cleveland's week during week four was an upset loss to a Durango (Colorado) team that went (1-2) on the weekend falling to No. 22 Las Cruces and (at the time) unranked Farmington. So staying true to 'what have you done for me lately' Cleveland's week didn't show to well while Onate loss was 'better'. Onate was (4) and loss to a Valley team that jumped to (2). Onate also had a win over then ranked number one Carlsbad in convincing fashion during week four. Will Cleveland have additional players to make their roster stronger? Yes. But projected roster changes will not affect last weeks resume.

3. Shouldn't Rio Grande be ranked behind Centennial?

Kind of the same tone on this ranking, the Ravens drop their only game of the season and being that they were ranked considerably higher than Centennial, the Ravens still fall just not that far down. Rankings are a progression. Maybe if the Ravens dropped a few games, maybe to an unranked opponent they would have dropped further down.

4. Really, Los out of your 25?

Well, do I predict this team being behind teams currently in front of them? No. However, they have still started below .500 and went 1-2 last week. However, I wouldn't expect this team out of the 25 long. They have played an extremely tough schedule and will get back on track.

5. Who is your Cinderella team Grine?

Tough question this early but a question I love to answer because that's what we do best. Talk hoops. The team I could see as say a Grants from last season (6 seed to the Final four) is the Belen Eagles in 5A. They will take some hits along the way but could be a team that upsets someone in March. However, can I say Final Four, maybe not, because I have my eye on four others (all favorite) but if I gave out a Cinderella slipper I would check the Eagles size.

6. You don't talk much about 2A. Who is your favorite or team that will play for the title?

I don't want to say play for the title...yet. But I have my eye on the Mora Rangers. A 2-point loss to West Las Vegas and a team that could go somewhat underrated into March but play on the final day and I wouldn't be surprised.

7. In 4A who ya got Grine?

Okay I know my ballot favorites Hope, Portales and Silver. However, two other teams that I like and might by low is Pojoaque Valley and Robertson. I seen Pojoaque Valley in week four and I like this squad. Robertson I seen three times last season and I liked them now, plus this is a veteran club that has been building for three years now. They just played Espanola Valley in 4 OT's and it's no fluke this team is good. Both Pojo and Robertson have players that are favorites for 4A player of the year.