5A Road to the PIT: Bracket Watch
#1 Volcano Vista (15-1 overall; Auto) vs #16 Carlsbad (7-7 overall; At-Large)
Scoop: Volcano Vista secures the automatic bid as the District Champ from 1-5A, while Carlsbad needs to outperform Hobbs and Roswell without ties to secure the runner-up spot in 4-5A.
#2 Organ Mountain (12-1 overall; Auto) vs #15 Alamogordo (10-5 overall; At-Large)
Scoop: Organ Mountain, projected as the District Champ from 3-5A, could finish district play undefeated, with their sole loss to Volcano Vista. Alamogordo, cooling off from an early top-ten rank, aims for a playoff spot as a projected third-place finisher in 3-5A.
#3 Cleveland (12-3 overall; At-Large) vs #14 Las Cruces (6-6 overall; At-Large)
Scoop: Cleveland, the first at-large team, is projected as the district runner-up from 1-5A behind Volcano Vista. Las Cruces, coming off a surprising loss to Hobbs, is our projected 3-5A runner-up, impacting their playoff position.
#4 La Cueva (8-4 overall; Auto) vs #13 Eldorado (9-5 overall; At-Large)
Scoop: La Cueva faces the tough competition in 2-5A, but we project them as the District Champ; and winning the DC with this talent would be a shocker. Eldorado, possibly falling to a fifth-place finish in 2-5A, still holds a 13-seed despite a notable loss to Cibola in week 8.
#5 Los Lunas (9-5 overall; Auto) vs #12 Farmington (15-1 overall; At-Large)
Scoop: Los Lunas battles for the auto bid from 5-5A, facing competition from Santa Fe High. Farmington, our fourth-place finisher in 2-5A, awaits its playoff seeding.
#6 Sandia (9-5 overall; At-Large) vs #11 Rio Rancho (8-7 overall; At-Large)
Scoop: Sandia, in excellent form with wins over strong opponents -- Los Lunas and Atrisco Heritage, along with a criteria win over Albuquerque Academy, is projected as the runner-up from 2-5A. Rio Rancho is currently a mystery, and their performance may determine their seeding in the 13-16 range.
#7 Clovis (12-5 overall; Auto) vs #10 West Mesa (8-6 overall; At-Large)
Scoop: Clovis, having a solid season, is quietly projected as the District Champ and auto from 4-5A. West Mesa, with notable talent, is our third-place finisher in 2-5A and a team to watch for an uptick in performance come February.
#8 Atrisco Heritage (11-4 overall; At-Large) vs #9 Santa Fe (12-3 overall; At-Large)
Scoop: Atrisco Heritage, initially at No. 6, drops to No. 8 after a recent loss to Sandia but still earns a home game. They are our third-place finisher from 1-5A. Santa Fe High, with a slight cooldown, is projected as the runner-up in 5-5A, potentially contending with Los Lunas and could split with them.
Bubble: Capital (8-5 overall; 3rd Place from 5-5A), Hobbs (5-11 overall; 3rd Place Finish from 4-5A), Albuquerque (9-5 overall; 4th Place from 5-5A)
#1 Volcano Vista (15-1 overall; Auto) vs #16 Carlsbad (7-7 overall; At-Large)
Scoop: Volcano Vista secures the automatic bid as the District Champ from 1-5A, while Carlsbad needs to outperform Hobbs and Roswell without ties to secure the runner-up spot in 4-5A.
#2 Organ Mountain (12-1 overall; Auto) vs #15 Alamogordo (10-5 overall; At-Large)
Scoop: Organ Mountain, projected as the District Champ from 3-5A, could finish district play undefeated, with their sole loss to Volcano Vista. Alamogordo, cooling off from an early top-ten rank, aims for a playoff spot as a projected third-place finisher in 3-5A.
#3 Cleveland (12-3 overall; At-Large) vs #14 Las Cruces (6-6 overall; At-Large)
Scoop: Cleveland, the first at-large team, is projected as the district runner-up from 1-5A behind Volcano Vista. Las Cruces, coming off a surprising loss to Hobbs, is our projected 3-5A runner-up, impacting their playoff position.
#4 La Cueva (8-4 overall; Auto) vs #13 Eldorado (9-5 overall; At-Large)
Scoop: La Cueva faces the tough competition in 2-5A, but we project them as the District Champ; and winning the DC with this talent would be a shocker. Eldorado, possibly falling to a fifth-place finish in 2-5A, still holds a 13-seed despite a notable loss to Cibola in week 8.
#5 Los Lunas (9-5 overall; Auto) vs #12 Farmington (15-1 overall; At-Large)
Scoop: Los Lunas battles for the auto bid from 5-5A, facing competition from Santa Fe High. Farmington, our fourth-place finisher in 2-5A, awaits its playoff seeding.
#6 Sandia (9-5 overall; At-Large) vs #11 Rio Rancho (8-7 overall; At-Large)
Scoop: Sandia, in excellent form with wins over strong opponents -- Los Lunas and Atrisco Heritage, along with a criteria win over Albuquerque Academy, is projected as the runner-up from 2-5A. Rio Rancho is currently a mystery, and their performance may determine their seeding in the 13-16 range.
#7 Clovis (12-5 overall; Auto) vs #10 West Mesa (8-6 overall; At-Large)
Scoop: Clovis, having a solid season, is quietly projected as the District Champ and auto from 4-5A. West Mesa, with notable talent, is our third-place finisher in 2-5A and a team to watch for an uptick in performance come February.
#8 Atrisco Heritage (11-4 overall; At-Large) vs #9 Santa Fe (12-3 overall; At-Large)
Scoop: Atrisco Heritage, initially at No. 6, drops to No. 8 after a recent loss to Sandia but still earns a home game. They are our third-place finisher from 1-5A. Santa Fe High, with a slight cooldown, is projected as the runner-up in 5-5A, potentially contending with Los Lunas and could split with them.
Bubble: Capital (8-5 overall; 3rd Place from 5-5A), Hobbs (5-11 overall; 3rd Place Finish from 4-5A), Albuquerque (9-5 overall; 4th Place from 5-5A)
