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Gallup Sun VOL 10 | ISSUE 506
www.gallupsun.com
December 6, 2024
Competing with the best of the best MIYAMURA SENIOR TO PLAY IN THE RED VS. GREEN ALL-STAR GAME
Nikcolii "NIkki" Torres poses with his older brother Seth on the football field after a game. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lenelle Torres By Molly Ann Howell Managing Editor
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i kc ol i i “ Ni k k i” Torres admits he didn’t always take football seriously — but he believes it was his hard work and dedication for the sport this past year that led to him earning a spot in the New Mexico High School Coaches Association Red vs. Green All-Star Game, which will take place on Dec. 7. He will play in the large school division in the Red Team, representing Miyamura High School. THE LEAD UP TO SUCCESS Unlike other kids his age, Nikcolii didn’t start his football career with
f lag football, instead jumping straight into tackle football when he was seven years old. He continued with the sport until middle school, where he decided to solely focus on baseball. Then, in high school, he tried out for the sport as a freshman, and made it on the JV team. He got onto Miyamura’s varsity team as a sophomore, playing as a part of the special teams squad. During his junior year, he played both offense and defense for the varsity team, but he missed out on the first two games of the season. Nikcolii said it was the summer before his senior year when he decided to change his approach to
Gallup basketball star signs with Texas college By Steven Hughes Sun Correspondent
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allup High School celebrated the senior captain of the Lady Bengals basketball team Rylie Whitehair by decorating the school's gymnansium on Nov. 23 for her letter of intent ceremony. Whitehair will attend the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in the fall to play basketball. “[Whitehair] is a natural-born leader,” Todd McBroom, Whitehair’s coach, said. “People can feed off her when things aren’t going our way. It’s nice to have a kid like [Whitehair] who can step up and weather the storm and not just help herself overcome, but the whole team overcome tough situations.” Whitehair did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment on her high school basketball career. HYPING UP THE TEAM High school basketball offers students the chance to embrace the heat of competitiveness and an opportunity to create a bit of legacy. For McBroom, one notable moment of Whitehair’s was when the Lady Bengals won the 2023 Nusenda Credit Union Girls Basketball State Championship. Gallup fought against Kirtland Central High School for the championship title with seven out of 14 of Gallup’s team as seniors, with Whitehair as a sophomore.
football. “All my life I never really took football seriously, but after my junior year I really wanted to prove myself,” he said. He started participating in the team’s summer workouts and practiced some drills with his brothers and friends. In the first game of the 2024 football season, in which the Patriots played the Grants Pirates on Aug. 23, Nikcolii scored the team’s first touchdown. He hadn’t scored a touchdown in his high school career up until that point. In his senior year he played on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball as a wide receiver and a cornerback. “My favorite part about football is the bond that me and my teammates have because every day whether the practice was good or not — maybe we
were getting yelled at — it was all just about having fun,” Nikcolii said. “Even through the serious parts, we all figure out a way to have fun.” Nikcolii said one of the most important things he learned through the sport of football is how to lose. “You fail more times than you succeed in football,” he said. “Sometimes you just have to learn from it and know that it’s O.K. You’ll play better the next time.” Ni kcol i i sa id t h at outlook helped him a lot during his high school football career. GETTING RECOGNIZED FOR HIS HARD WORK Patriot head coach David Foley nominated six of his senior players for the All-Star game, with Nikcolii being the only one chosen. The committee, which is made up of
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coaches from across the state, looks at a multitude of players for each position, with some positions having more representation than others. They ultimately pick the best players from around the state for each position. Foley entered Nikcolii as a cornerback, but he said he hopes to see the young man get some time on the offensive side as well. Ni kcol i i s a id he’s excited for the opportunity to play with other students from the bigger schools in the state. “I wouldn't say I’m nervous, but I know I’m going to have to show off what I have so I can play a lot,” he said. Foley said that he sees Nikcolii as a well-rounded player. “He’s got good speed and agility, but I think what really sets him apart for this season was his intensity and his aggression,” Foley said. “He was a very physical player for us. He has good football instincts.” Foley said Nikcolii didn’t let his aggressive
playing style only come out for games, but also showed it off du r i ng practices. GMCS REPRESENTS AT ALL-STAR GAMES Nikki isn’t the only student representing GallupMcKinley County Schools i n t h e New Me x ic o High School Coaches Association Red vs. Green All-Star Game. Dayshaun Chee and Elam Smith will play on the Red team in the small school team game. Chee played for the Navajo Pine Warriors, and Smith played for the Thoreau Hawks. Another GMCS student will play on the opposite side of the field — Thoreau Hawk Ethyn Nosteen will play for the Green team. Both games will take place at Bulldog Bowl Arena in Artesia, N.M. The small school game will start at 12 pm, and the large school game will start at 3 pm. Tickets cost $12, and can only be purchased online at https: //gofan. c o /e v e n t / 19 6 6 8 8 3 ? schoolId=NM100401.
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Gallup Lady Bengals basketball team’s senior captain Riley Whitehair poses for a photo with her grandfather during her signing ceremony on Nov. 23. Whitehair will be attending the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and playing basketball for the college in the fall. Photo Credit: Jenny Pond A March 2023 Facebook video by Del Ray Photography documented a deeper look at Gallup’s victory that night, showing Whitehair, 34, running up and down the court and hyping her team up by yelling, “Let’s go!” while the scoreboard’s clock ticked down. The final score of the championship game was 57-47. McBroom said Whitehair showed the team a taste of her leadership style that night. Then came the 2023-2024 season, bringing changes to the team’s roster that had newer players at the time. McBroom saw Whitehair push the team to a rank of second in their District 1 league and he credits her with the growth this 2024-2025 season as they prepare for Gallup’s next rounds of championship title-earning games in 2025.
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