The Rio Rancho Ram cross country team was on their way to three consecutive state titles and had almost every conceivable advantage to do so. It was done deal. The two time defenders had a cozy home course arrangement from the NMAA. Home course is a monster deal in cross country. They had all the advantages of being at home where many of the schools had to travel great distances. The coronation was set. It was a done deal. A coach by the name of Bob Jackson made some amazing decisions in an effort to uncrown the Rams. The powers that be supported his plan despite some very difficult situations. Hobbs gave up it's one home meet of the year to travel instead to the Rio Rancho Jamboree meet at the same time. Hobbs needed more experience at altitude and hills since Hobbs has neither as the ABQ Journal pointed out. The Eagles needed to run that course to learn how to conquer it and set aside some of the ton of the advantages that Rio Rancho had. Hobbs did not win that meet and their superstar junior Andrew Bosquez did not win the individual title. What they did win at the Jamboree was a great deal of know how and therefore a great deal of fortitude and inspiration followed.
Hobbs was a very young team where six of the seven runners were freshmen, sophomores or juniors. Hobbs won the NM State Championship despite all of the odds and all of obstacles before them. Hobbs' Andrew Bosquez won the individual state championship also and it was not even close this time. Coach Jackson plan was expensive, time consuming, over 330 miles away and left Hobbs High defenseless in it's own meet the same day. Bosquez said in the News-Sun about that decision and plan... "It helped me learn the turns and learn when to push off, when to stay with the group and when to make a move. It helped a lot. I thank my coach for that." So, It all turned out that the Rams crowning was not a done deal. As for Rio Rancho's Cleveland high school in football...almost everybody truly believes that your coronation is also a done deal. My advice is to the Storm is be prepared for an unpredicted storm out of nowhere. Maybe internal, maybe external, maybe both. It is not a done deal.
Hobbs was a very young team where six of the seven runners were freshmen, sophomores or juniors. Hobbs won the NM State Championship despite all of the odds and all of obstacles before them. Hobbs' Andrew Bosquez won the individual state championship also and it was not even close this time. Coach Jackson plan was expensive, time consuming, over 330 miles away and left Hobbs High defenseless in it's own meet the same day. Bosquez said in the News-Sun about that decision and plan... "It helped me learn the turns and learn when to push off, when to stay with the group and when to make a move. It helped a lot. I thank my coach for that." So, It all turned out that the Rams crowning was not a done deal. As for Rio Rancho's Cleveland high school in football...almost everybody truly believes that your coronation is also a done deal. My advice is to the Storm is be prepared for an unpredicted storm out of nowhere. Maybe internal, maybe external, maybe both. It is not a done deal.
