than Mayfield, Las Cruces and Onate next year, yet Centennial will play 5A again next year. I know that NMAA uses a two-year system, but in this case, it isn't quite fair. Expect Centennial to win multiple state championships next year in a variety of boys and girls sports. Centennial has a combination of factors that are simply too much for the regular 5A schools to overcome: great facilities, students who come from solid middle class families that all have some money to support their sports programs, great coaches, and a lot more students than the other 5A schools.
I know Centennial's baseball team is not a juggernaut this year (they are still very good), but they are playing lots of underclassmen. Also, 5 or 6 of the top 8th graders in Las Cruces have come together and all decided to play baseball at Centennial. Scott Bannister, the guy who took his Las Cruces Little League team almost to Williamsport a few years ago, is heading up a strong crop of 8th graders to go to Centennial under the LC "open enrollment" process for the district. Expect Centennial baseball to be very strong for several years to come.
I know Centennial's baseball team is not a juggernaut this year (they are still very good), but they are playing lots of underclassmen. Also, 5 or 6 of the top 8th graders in Las Cruces have come together and all decided to play baseball at Centennial. Scott Bannister, the guy who took his Las Cruces Little League team almost to Williamsport a few years ago, is heading up a strong crop of 8th graders to go to Centennial under the LC "open enrollment" process for the district. Expect Centennial baseball to be very strong for several years to come.
