NMPreps.com 5A Rankings
Overview
The defending Lady Coyotes of Roswell come in at #1 in our preseason Top-10. Despite head coach Joe Carpenter moving to Hobbs, the Lady Coyotes look to return 12 varsity players back including UNM commit Jaedyn De La Cerda. Roswell didn’t lose to any 5A teams last year and finished the season on an 18-game winning streak. They were also one of the highest scoring teams in the state at 52.5 points per game and on average held opponents to 30.6 points per game.
At the #2 spot, Espanola Valley looks to finally make a deep playoff run with head coach Cindy Roybal at the helm. The Lady Sundevils did graduate three seniors, including Kaitlyn Romero, but expect to return nine varsity players, six of which are seniors. Two of those seniors include guard Leah DeAguero and post Alexis Lovato. Lovato, a matchup nightmare in the paint, looks to make a full season’s run after missing most of last season due to injury.
Under new head coach Joe Estrada, Valencia looks to make a deep run after coming up short in the state quarterfinals last year. Their roster looks to be heavy at the top with 6 seniors expected to return, including guard Destinee Vigil. Last year, Valencia was one of the top three teams in 5A defensively, holding opponents to 33.2 points per game (5A average: 46.1 points allowed per game).
Following Valencia is the perennial contender, Gallup. Most teams dread graduating standout seniors, but Gallup head coach Kamau Turner has somehow avoided slumps in the win column as none of his Gallup teams have posted less than 20 wins in his 7-year tenure. Now without Ni’asia Mcintosh, the Lady Bengals will have to turn to four-year varsity players, Kalisha Kinsel and Rhiannon Singer.
Wrapping up the top 5 is Aztec who finished over .500 last season for the first time since 2009. The Lady Bengals will return the top scoring McCaskill sisters along with sophomore center Reigan Weaver.
Los Lunas graduated two standouts in Jordan Holland and Cera Chavez and will have to look for new leading scorers to fill the void left by the two. Bloomfield debuts in the Top-10 and returns all their key starters from last season. Los Alamos took a hit in graduating four seniors from last season, but they’re bringing back six seniors to hopefully make another run. Del Norte looks to bring back three key starters and a youthful supporting cast. And the other new addition to 5A, Kirtland Central wraps up our Top-10. They’ll look to compete in what is possibly the strongest district in the 5A.
NMPreps.com Pre-Season 5A Rankings
1. Roswell
2. Espanola Valley
3. Valencia
4. Gallup
5. Aztec
6. Los Lunas
7. Bloomfield
8. Los Alamos
9. Del Norte
10. Kirtland Central
Overview
The defending Lady Coyotes of Roswell come in at #1 in our preseason Top-10. Despite head coach Joe Carpenter moving to Hobbs, the Lady Coyotes look to return 12 varsity players back including UNM commit Jaedyn De La Cerda. Roswell didn’t lose to any 5A teams last year and finished the season on an 18-game winning streak. They were also one of the highest scoring teams in the state at 52.5 points per game and on average held opponents to 30.6 points per game.
At the #2 spot, Espanola Valley looks to finally make a deep playoff run with head coach Cindy Roybal at the helm. The Lady Sundevils did graduate three seniors, including Kaitlyn Romero, but expect to return nine varsity players, six of which are seniors. Two of those seniors include guard Leah DeAguero and post Alexis Lovato. Lovato, a matchup nightmare in the paint, looks to make a full season’s run after missing most of last season due to injury.
Under new head coach Joe Estrada, Valencia looks to make a deep run after coming up short in the state quarterfinals last year. Their roster looks to be heavy at the top with 6 seniors expected to return, including guard Destinee Vigil. Last year, Valencia was one of the top three teams in 5A defensively, holding opponents to 33.2 points per game (5A average: 46.1 points allowed per game).
Following Valencia is the perennial contender, Gallup. Most teams dread graduating standout seniors, but Gallup head coach Kamau Turner has somehow avoided slumps in the win column as none of his Gallup teams have posted less than 20 wins in his 7-year tenure. Now without Ni’asia Mcintosh, the Lady Bengals will have to turn to four-year varsity players, Kalisha Kinsel and Rhiannon Singer.
Wrapping up the top 5 is Aztec who finished over .500 last season for the first time since 2009. The Lady Bengals will return the top scoring McCaskill sisters along with sophomore center Reigan Weaver.
Los Lunas graduated two standouts in Jordan Holland and Cera Chavez and will have to look for new leading scorers to fill the void left by the two. Bloomfield debuts in the Top-10 and returns all their key starters from last season. Los Alamos took a hit in graduating four seniors from last season, but they’re bringing back six seniors to hopefully make another run. Del Norte looks to bring back three key starters and a youthful supporting cast. And the other new addition to 5A, Kirtland Central wraps up our Top-10. They’ll look to compete in what is possibly the strongest district in the 5A.
NMPreps.com Pre-Season 5A Rankings
1. Roswell
2. Espanola Valley
3. Valencia
4. Gallup
5. Aztec
6. Los Lunas
7. Bloomfield
8. Los Alamos
9. Del Norte
10. Kirtland Central
