North Stars 2017

Northern New Mexico’s top high school athletes of 2016-17

NorthStars Athletes of the year

Patrick Boyd

JocelyN FerNaNdez St. Michael’s

Soccer track and field

A special section of

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Soccer football Basketball Softball track and field

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Santa Fe Prep

2 NORTHSTARS The New Mexican Sunday, June 11, 2017

THE BEST OF 2016-2017 Fall Oct. 13

History comes in many forms. For Jocelyn Fernandez, it came on the receiving end of a 6-yard touchdown pass that made her the first girl in state history to catch a scoring pass in a varsity game.

She snared a flair pass from Horsemen quarterback Antonio Gabaldon a yard behind the line of scrimmage in the second quarter against Pojoaque Valley, then followed the crunching lead blocks of running back Xavier Vigil to sprint untouched into the end zone.

She raced clear to the end line, where she was met by a mob of teammates who were well aware of what they were seeing.

“That was a great ‘Dad’ moment for me, but it was just good to see her teammates get out there and celebrate with her because they all knew what was going on,” said Horsemen football coach Joey Fernandez, Jocelyn’s dad.

St. Michael’s rolled to a 55-12 blowout win, but the story was finally getting the girl to pay dirt. She almost scored twice that night; the first was on a short run that was ruled down by contact just inches from the goal line.

Nov. 5

Jacob Cook waited a long time for his

moment.

Thanks to perfect timing and a little prodding from his coach, the Santa Fe Prep junior capitalized on the biggest stage of all when he scored his first (and only) goal of the season in a 1-0 win over defending state champion Bosque School in the Class 1A-4A boys soccer finals in Bernalillo.

It ended a stellar defensive effort for the Blue Griffins, who entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed but made off with their second blue trophy in four seasons under head coach Hersch Wilson. Bad weather hampered the early portion of the tournament, but it ended under sunny skies and plenty of Gato-

ABOVE: Mora celebrates Nov. 12 after winning the Class 2A volleyball championship in Rio Rancho. The Rangerettes beat Mesilla Valley in four games.

LEFT: Santa Fe Prep’s Jacob Cook, second from right, celebrates his only goal of the season, which proved to be enough Nov. 5 to win the Class 1A/4A boy’s soccer championship in Bernalillo. The Blue Griffins beat Albuquerque Bosque, 1-0. Clyde Mueller/New MexiCaN file phoToS

rade showers for Prep.

Prep didn’t allow a goal in three games, shutting down Bosque’s potent offense and outshooting them by a 2-to-1 margin in the championship match.

It was Wilson who told Cook he needed to rise to the occasion when the situation presented itself. It came with a first-half goal that proved to be the only scoring of the entire match.

“Your teammates have this expectation of you, and then you get a chance to fulfill that expectation and even exceed it in the biggest game of the year,” Cook said. “It’s the best feeling in the world to win a championship like this and be a big part of it.”

Nov. 5

Michael Tenorio trotted past the one-mile mark with a three-step lead on the rest of the field in the Class 4A State CrossCountry Meet in Rio Rancho.

By time he got to the two-mile mark, he had a nine-second lead that had people reserving his spot atop the

winner’s podium.

The Santa Fe Indian School distance specialist cruised to a commanding 14-second win in a race in which five of the top nine runners came from Santa Fe-area schools.

It was part of a solid day for area teams such as Pecos, which had Julian Garcia and Josh DeHerrera go 1-2 in the 3A race. They carried the Panthers to a second straight team championship as all four runners crossed the tape in the top 13 overall.

Mesa Vista did the same in the 1A-2A race, led by a second-place finish from Brian Gollas. Three teammates finished 7-9 as the Trojans enjoyed a commanding victory in the team standings.

The girls meet offered the end of a streak for Los Alamos. The Lady Hilltoppers’ run of seven straight state championships ended when Albuquerque Academy edged them 52-58 in the 5A race. Zoe Hemez was second and Lidia Appell fifth for Los Alamos, but it wasn’t enough as all five Academy run-

ners crossed in the top 16 overall.

Taos was the champion in 4A and Peñasco in 1A-2A.

Nov. 12

The biggest test for the Mora volleyball team came in the Class 2A state quarterfinals when the Rangerettes had to survive a five-set marathon match against Escalante. The rest was smooth sailing as they ended a 30-year title drought by beating Mesilla Valley in the finals.

The four-game victory came right around the same time that Las Vegas Robertson was dealing with the buzz saw that was an Albuquerque Sandia Prep squad that had gone more than two years without losing to a team outside of Albuquerque.

The Lady Sundevils had lost only twice the last two years, and they sent Robertson home with a straight-games decision that left the Lady Cardinals a single win short in their first finals appearance under head coach Stacy Fulgenzi.

With her two daughters and a niece

on the roster — who combined for more than 600 kills and nearly 100 service aces — she led the Lady Cardinals to a 17-win season that included sweeps of Albuquerque Hope Christian and St. Michael’s earlier in the tournament.

It was a tournament that saw Desert Academy make a run to the semifinals in Class 3A, losing to Dexter in four games.

Dec. 3

Undefeated and largely untested since the first week of the regular season, Las Vegas Robertson’s football team finally ran into an immovable object in the Class 4A state championship game at Portales.

In truth, it wasn’t all that close. The game got away from the Cardinals as things unfolded. The Rams used the one-two punch of quarterback Junior Ramirez and running back Darion Ontiveros to shred a Robertson defense that had surrendered just 14 points a game heading into the state finals.

The 43-14 loss ended a storybook season for Northern New Mexico’s top team. Quarterback Arjay Ortiz and running backs Marc Grano and J.P. Griego led an offense that averaged 41 points and carried the Cardinals into the final weekend of the season for the third time in four years.

Under head coach Leroy Gonzalez, the birds have won at least seven games in all seven years, going 41-10 with a title in the last four.

— Will Webber

Winter Jan. 17

Videogate took center stage of what was, quite simply, a memorable prep basketball season.

It started the night of Jan. 17 when St. Michael’s hosted Las Vegas Robertson in the District 2-4A boys opener in Perez-Shelley Memorial Gymnasium.

Up in the bleachers between the team benches was West Las Vegas assistant coach Brandon Hernandez, breaking NMAA rules by recording the game without prior consent.

It opened the floodgates for a nearly monthlong drama that cost thousands of dollars in legal fees, launched a battle in court and eventually cost West Las Vegas four games due to forfeit. An injunction filed on behalf of the players by Dons coaches David Bustos and Steve Sandoval met with an 81/2 hour hearing on Feb. 10, which resulted in a ruling three days later that held up the forfeits and cost the Dons the 2-4A regular-season championship.

West Las Vegas did knock off both teams with buzzer-beating shots in the district tournament, but Robertson got the last laugh by eliminating the Dons in the Class 4A State Tournament.

Feb. 14

Valentine’s Day offered a weird, if not bittersweet, treat for the state record books.

For the second time in just a matter of days, West Las Vegas boys basketball player D.J. Bustos broke the state’s career scoring record when he (again) passed Alfred A. Romero Jr. atop the charts. Bustos hit a free throw in the first quarter of a 61-49 win at Pojoaque Valley en route to a 19-point night that left him with 2,607 points.

He finished his career less than a month later having scored 2,689 points over five years as a varsity star with the Dons.

The twist came in a court ruling Feb. 13 that upheld a forfeit from an earlier game between West Las Vegas and Las Vegas Robertson. With his point total from that game wiped off the

Pecos’ Cameron Quintana embraces coach Ira Harge Jr. after winning the Class 3A basketball championship.

Clyde Mueller/New MexiCaN file phoTo

March 11 Capital’s José Tapia, right, wrestles St. Pius’ Diego Pavia in the Class 5 A 138-pound match at the state wrestling championship Feb. 18 at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho. Tapia won his fifth state title with a pin, becoming just the seventh five-time state wrestling champion. luiS SáNChez SaTurNo/New MexiCaN file phoTo

books, it meant he entered the Valentine’s Day game in Ben Luján Gym three points shy of Romero’s standard.

This time there was no pageantry and no in-game ceremony that celebrated the past and present. Unlike the first time, this one came and went without the pomp and circumstance Bustos deserved. Again.

Feb. 18

The group of six became seven when Jose Tapia crashed the party.

The Capital senior became the latest member of the five-time wrestling state champions club when he put the finishing touches on Diego Pavia of St. Pius in the final round of the 138-pound bracket at Rio Rancho’s Santa Ana Star Center.

Tapia finished his amazing prep career having never lost an actual match. He was beaten four times in five years as a varsity wrestler, all of them by

Congratulations Class of 2017

forfeit for not making weight. He wasn’t about to start the losing process for real on the final day in a Jaguars uniform.

Of course, he didn’t take much time to savor the victory. After getting the requisite bear hugs and high fives from teammates and friends, he stood off to the side and watched his younger brother, Javier, win the 152-pound title for Pojoaque Valley in the 4A bracket.

Two other Capital wrestlers won state titles, as did one each from Santa Fe High and St. Michael’s. Tapia’s run helped Capital finish second in the 5A team standings, the Jaguars’ best finish ever.

March 9

The identity of “Big Shot Matt” was forged the day before. That fact is indisputable.

At this moment, however, the legend was solidified.

Capital sophomore Matt Smith followed his 28-foot, game-winning, buzzerbeating bomb against Alamogordo in the Class 5A boys basketball quarterfinals by scoring eight points down the stretch of the Jaguars’ 40-37 win over Los Lunas in the semifinals in The Pit. Sure, Capital was pounded by Roswell in the state championship game two days later, but for most of the state’s biggest sporting event, the star that shined brightest was the quiet kid wearing No. 22 for the Jaguars.

“Matt’s really not a one-word person, but for some reason right now he is,” Capital head coach Ben Gomez said. “You should see him away from the bench.”

Moving forward, perhaps Big Shot Matt will develop a verbal repertoire that will match the ice water in his veins when games are on the line. In those moments, he’s the one asking for the ball.

The half-century wait was finally over when the Pecos boys basketball team knocked off Santa Rosa in the Class 3A state championship game in The Pit, clinching the Panthers’ first title since 1966.

Really, there was no doubt.

Pecos capped the best season in school history by winning its final 29 games by an average of more than 30 points. The Panthers won their final 20 games by double digits, including four straight at the state tournament by an average of 23.5 points.

The title completed a massive overhaul to a proud program that had won just six games in head coach Ira Harge’s first season four years before. The progression led to a 16-win campaign in Year 2 and 23 wins in Year 3.

Just three seniors dotted the 2017 roster, meaning the Panthers already are one of the favorites to make another deep run next March.

On this day, however, it was all about exorcising the ghosts from 51 years of frustration and a handful of near-misses.

On this day, it was all about the green and gold, of making right what had been a lifetime of wrongs in a village whose first love is Panther hoops.

— Will Webber

Sunday, June 11, 2017 The New Mexican NORTHSTARS 3

Spring April 28

Northern New Mexico was a winter wonderland … and yet

it was spring.

A late April snowstorm threw the final week of the baseball regular season into chaos. After trying to get in a District 2-4A doubleheader with Taos on April 28 and making it through just three innings of Game 1, the Horsemen were in quite the bind.

Needing to win three out of four games in two days, the Horsemen pitching staff did its part in making it happen. After splitting a doubleheader with Taos on April 30 — almost unheard of Sunday action for preps — St. Michael’s swept Las Vegas Robertson at home the following day to win its first district title in five years.

Horsemen pitchers combined to allow just four runs over the last three games, with starters Jason Romero and Jude Mondragon throwing compete games in the process. The wins propelled St. Michael’s to the No. 3 seed for the Class 4A State Tournament — a feat the Horsemen didn’t learn about until just after midnight on May 2.

May 5-7

The legacy of the state’s “First Family of Tennis” continued, but the family feud, thankfully, died.

A year ago, tensions were high within the Fulgenzi clan for the Class 1A-4A doubles championship that pitted a pair of sisters and teammates — Las Vegas Robertson’s Brandelyn and Lauren against Jaci and Jenese — against one another. It was a cold reception before and after Brandelyn and Lauren swept Jaci and Jenese for the title.

This time, it was a more cordial — even familial — setting as the two sister teams faced off again for the state title. Once again, Brandelyn and Lauren dominated their cousins by a 6-1, 6-0 count on May 5, but the foursome warmed up together and even shared a few laughs.

“Well, we all talked about it and decided that no matter what happened, it wasn’t going to be like last year,” Brandelyn Fulgenzi said. “No one wanted it like that again.”

To top it off, the Lady Cardinals won their fourth straight team title by beating Mesilla Valley 5-2 on May 7. Robertson added a boys title, outlasting the New Mexico Military Institute 5-4 on the same day.

Meanwhile, Los Alamos gave its head girls coach, Bruce Cottrell, the perfect going-away gift, a 5A state title, as the Lady Hilltoppers beat Farmington 5-1 in the finals. It was the ninth state title the program had in 25 years under the retiring Cottrell.

May 6-7

Perseverance prevailed over pain.

Quite a few of the Northern state champions at the small-school state track and field meet in Albuquerque weren’t at their best physically, but they were still second to none when it mattered the most.

Santa Fe Prep’s Patrick Boyd competed through an injured right hamstring to win the 100 and

200 meters as well as earning the individual high-point honor for the 3A meet. He was tied for second in the high jump, took sixth in the 400 and guided the 400 relay team to a second-place finish.

He was instrumental in helping the Blue Griffins to a third-place finish in the team standings.

Meanwhile, Mora senior Natalia Marrujo won the 2A 1,600 and 3,200 on consecutive days to go with a third in the 800. New Mexico School for the Deaf’s Deven Thompson didn’t have his ankle brace for the javelin, but he still became the school’s third state champion in the past six years by winning the 1A crown in the event.

The Santa Fe Prep girls brought home plenty of hardware, as Liz Whiting won the 800 and Hayden Colfax won the 100 hurdles and took second in the triple and high jumps. That helped the Blue Griffins take home a runner-up trophy.

THE BEST OF 2016-2017

May 8-9

It was 11 years since the St. Michael’s girls golf team hoisted a blue trophy over their heads.

When thunderstorms in Farmington on May 9 forced a premature end to the Class 1A-4A State Tournament, the Lady Horsemen were doubly blessed with a team and an individual crown. An opening-round of 388 on May 8 gave St. Michael’s a seven-stroke advantage over Silver, and Carisa Padilla’s 6-over 77 was three strokes better than teammate and sophomore Miquela Martinez.

It was the first team title since the Lady Horsemen won three straight from 2004 to 2006, while Padilla became the first individual champion since Jamie Palermo in 2009. On the boys side, St. Michael’s brought home a third-place trophy.

In the 5A event in Albuquerque, the Los Alamos’ boys and girls each grabbed third.

May 12-13

Taos boys earned a four-peat and Jocelyn Fernandez got her title back and then some.

The Tigers continued their impressive run of track and field dominance by winning their fourth straight Class 4A title by a 67-50 margin over runner-up Portales. Taos also nabbed the individual high-point scoring honor with sophomore Jonah Vigil, who won the 100 and 400 meters, anchored the championship 1,600 relay team and took second in the 200 and the long jump.

Meanwhile, Fernandez wanted to finish her javelin career the way she started it — with a state title.

She did more than that when she threw 140 feet, 1 inch to set a 4A record in the event. It was the perfect redemption for coming up 13 inches short of being a four-time champion, if not for Ruidoso’s Andi Harrelson (the 2015 and 2016 champ).

It was an important contribution as St. Michael’s finished second to Albuquerque Hope Christian in the team standings by a 62-58 count.

Drama filled the 5A girls 1,600 relay, as Alamogordo and Los Alamos battled for the blue trophy separated by just 11/2 points. While Albuquerque Del Norte won the final event of the 5A meet, Alamogordo’s Justyce Martin outleaned Los Alamos’ Leah Wolfsberg to take second. It was just enough for the Lady Tigers to win the meet, 68-67.5.

— James Barron

St. Michael’s pitcher Sean Latham delivers as snow falls April 28 during a District 2-4A game against the Tigers in Taos. The game was suspended in the third inning, then the Horsemen won three of the next four games to win the district. arceNio J. TruJillo/TaoS NewS

Santa Fe Prep’s Hayden Colfax wins the 100-meter hurdles race May 6. She took second in the triple and high jumps and helped the Blue Griffins take home a runner-up trophy. Nick FoJud/For The New MexicaN

THE MOMENTS West Las Vegas’ D.J. Bustos, left, greets Alfred Moreno Jr., who held the state career scoring record for 40 years, after breaking the record with a free throw Feb. 11 against Taos in Las Vegas, N.M. After a court ruling put Bustos back in second, he broke the record again Feb. 14. luiS SáNchez SaTurNo New MexicaN File phoTo

The humble scorer

L

et’s face it, some records just mean more.

No one remembers who owns the most sacrifice bunts, but they all know the home run king. They can’t tell you who set the mark for best net punting average, but the all-time passing leader is a household name.

In basketball, the individual gold standard is scoring. More than rebounds, assists or 3-pointers attempted, it’s the player who lights up the scoreboard the most that gets the most attention.

For D.J. Bustos, he twice etched his name atop the state’s career scoring mark this season, passing Wagon Mound legend Alfred Romero Jr.’s total of 2,591 points. The record had stood for more than 40 years, more than enough time for Romero to serve proudly in our military, raise a family and retire to Santa Fe. But breaking his record twice? Thanks to a court injunction that failed to hold up, Bustos had one of his games wiped off the books after he’d hit a pair of free throws in the second half of a Feb. 11 win at home over Taos. Those points put him at 2,593.

A gunslinger rises

Y

ou never know when a comingout party will commence.

Antonio Gabaldon’s party came on a cold, clear Nov. 18 in Moriarty.

The odds appeared to be in favor of third-seeded Moriarty. The Pintos were healthier, they were the high seed going into their Class 4A football quarterfinal against No. 6 St. Michael’s, and they already beat the Horsemen during the regular season.

Then, St. Michael’s suffered what should have been a crippling blow late in the first half when senior fullback/linebacker Xavier Vigil tore every ligament in his leg and suffered a slight fracture of his tibia. There went the team’s leading rusher and tackler for the rest of the season. The Horsemen already were without senior wideout Jocelyn Fernandez, and they later lost linebacker Patrick Dalton to a knee injury on the opening kickoff of the third quarter.

Doom and gloom for the blue-andwhite, right?

Well, it would have been if not for a transcendent performance from Gabaldon, the junior quarterback, in a 36-33 thriller of a win that brought the Horsemen to the semifinals for the first

Two days later, that court ruling dropped him back into second, leaving him three points short of Romero’s total.

He broke the mark again on Feb. 14, this time without Romero in the gym to help him celebrate, this time without the banners and on-court celebration.

Typically, none of it mattered to Bustos. A likable, respectful senior who was always courteous and composed, his reaction to breaking Romero’s record the first time was more bashful relief than joy. Sure, he smiled and hugged a few people, but his pragmatic approach was a welcome reprieve from the “look at me” mentality so many athletes have in an age where social media can make instant celebrities out of anyone.

If anyone deserved the admiration for breaking the most prestigious record in high school hoops, it was Bustos. If anyone was classy enough to do it in a way that paid tribute to the people around him and not himself, it was clearly Bustos.

To the scoring champ, congratulations and a hearty thanks for the lasting memories.

— Will Webber

time in four seasons. The numbers spoke for themselves: 26-for-35, 429 yards, three touchdowns. The completions and yardage set school records, and he made a school record-holder out of fellow junior Joey Fernandez Jr. — the coach’s son caught 12 balls for 256 yards.

It was clear early on that Gabaldon was in “the zone” when he threaded the needle on an out route to Fernandez in the first quarter — low and outside, where only his receiver had a chance to get it. Yet, Gabaldon seemed to take it to another level on the final drive with St. Michael’s trailing 33-30.

He hit Esteban Alcaraz in stride for a 43-yard pass that put the ball on the Moriarty 20-yard line. Then he zipped the 23-yard game-winning TD to Fernandez in the back of the end zone for a 36-33 lead. Even in the postgame interview, Gabaldon spoke with a hint of cockiness that embodies a confident quarterback.

“I said, ‘They gave me time. That’s a mistake. I’m a dangerous man this game,’ ” Gabaldon said.

Just imagine if that quarterback emerges this fall.

— James Barron

Horsemen quarterback Antonio Gabaldon led St. Michael’s to a 36-33 win in the Class 4A quarterfinal, throwing for 429 yards and three touchdowns. clyde Mueller The New MexicaN

Santo Niño Regional Catholic School Alumni

Congratulations!

We are so proud of your accomplishments.

505.424.1766

4 NORTHSTARS The New Mexican Sunday, June 11, 2017

Jose tapia

Capital Wrestling Undefeated. In five years as a high school wrestler, no one in the state of New Mexico ever got the upper hand on Tapia, a fierce competitor who was just as tough between the ears as he was on the mat. All four of his “losses” were defaults for not making weight. Everyone else?

Pins, decisions and everything in between. He capped it with an anticlimactic run to the 5A title at 138 pound ds for a Jaguars squad that finish hed second overall. He’ll take e his talents to G George Mason M U University i it nextt year.

arJay ortiz

Las Vegas Robertson Football Whether it was on the ground or through the air, opponents knew Robertson’s success depended largely upon the 6-foot-1, 160-pound junior. Ortiz threw for 1,140 yards and 18 touchdowns, and ran for 610 yards — third best on the team — to go with 12 TDs. He piloted a Cardinals ground attack that gained 250 yards per contest and reached the Class 4A championship. On defense, he had 52 tackles and led d the Card dinalls wiith five interceptions.

Sunday, June 11, 2017 The New Mexican NORTHSTARS 5

Marshall spingler

Faith powell

St. Michael’s Golf The Horsemen returned to the podium in the Class 1A-4A Championships on a rainsoaked Piñon Hills Golf Course in Farmington, and Spingler led the way with a fifth-place finish. The senior’s 5-over 77 in the truncated one-round event May 10 was the best finish by a St. Michael’s golfer and nine strokes off winner Thomas Tulk of Portales. Spingler finished one posittion better than he did last yearr, as did the Horsemen, who took k third after a fourth-pllace finish h in 2016.

Taos Big school track and field Powell, a sophomore, won her second high-jump title in three years with a height of 5 feet, 6 inches, then pulled off the upset in the long jump with a personal best 17-8. She added a second in the triple jump with a 36-4 and a sixth in the 400 before helping the medley relay team finish fifth. Her cumulative total of 201/4 points helped the Lady Tigers come within a point of making the podium in third place, and it set the stage for bigger thi things nextt season.

Brandelyn Fulgenzi

Las Vegas Robertson Big-school volleyball It’s hard enough being the coach’s daughter. Now trying being a Fulgenzi on top of that. While tennis might be her family’s claim to fame, Brandelyn Fulgenzi is one of the top volleyball players in the state. She led 4A with 331 kills, good for a 12.7 per match average. The outside hitter wasn’t just a front-row darling, she also collected 350 digs on the season and was second on the ces. She team with 33 ac was first-team All-State on ached the a team that rea match 4A championsh hip match.

Monse CaMarena

d.J. Bustos

St. Michael’s Soccer The senior forward went from sidekick to main target for the Lady Horsemen when fellow senior Nique Enloe went down with a knee injury in the offseason. Camarena was more than capable of handling the burden, leading the team with 45 goals and 41 assists.

It was good enough fo or Camarena to earn firsttteam All-State honors for a team that reached th he 1A-4A semifinals. Her best performance came in a 14-1 rout of Pojoaque Valley on Sep Sept. 20, when she had four goals and dished out six asssists.

West Las Vegas Big-school basketball The best there ever was. So say the numbers, at least. A 6-foot-3 shooting guard for the Dons, Bustos finished his prep career with nearly 2,700 points, more than any player in the history of New Mexico prep basketball. More steady than flashy, he was profoundly unselfish and often the target of aggressive defenses designed to make his life miserable. He led the Dons to two straight state finals appearances beffore hellpiing them to the 2-4 4A disttriictt tournament championship as a senior.

Mario arChuleta

Pecos Small-school basketball The minute he ran off The Pit floor with the school’s first state championship trophy in more than half a century, this 6-foot junior guard already was looking ahead to his senior season, in which the majority of the Panthers’ roster returns, for a chance to repeat. With Archuleta and his 17.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game coming back, those chances are good. A proven leader on the floor, Archuleta is even more potent in the huddle.

alonzo aragon

Mora Small-school baseball The Rangers’ run to the Class 1A-2A semifinal relied greatly on Aragon, a junior. He led the Rangers with 29 RBIs and batted .578 while stealing 22 bases. On the mound, Aragon had a 4.91 ERA, but saved his best for Mora’s most crucial moment. He held Magdalena to just three runs in a 51/3-inning relief stint in the 1A-2A quarterfinal quarterfinal, and the Rangerss scored 11 unanswe ered runs to win 13-12. Arragon n also went 3-for-5 at the e plate, coming a hom me run shy of a cyclle wh hile driving in three runs.

The T he ttop op p big- and small-school ll hooll athletes hl from fall, winter and fro d spring i sports

patriCK Boyd

Santa Fe Prep Small-school track and field Gimpy hamstring or not, the Blue Griffins senior was far and away the best track and field athlete in 3A. He won the 100 (in 11.16 seconds) and 200 meters (23.92), with the latter occurring after he pulled his right hamstring in the 100. Boyd tied for second in the high jump (an event he hadn’t competed in since the eighth grade) and ran the 400 relay team to second place. Add a sixth in the 400, and Boyd earn the high-point honor with 231/2 points. His performance helped Prep take third place in the 3A standings.

natalia MarruJo

Mora Small-school track and field Asthma has nothing on the Mora senior distance runner, and she made that abundantly clear at the Class 2A meet. On May 5, she outsprinted Fort Sumner’s Teghan Copeland over the final 150 meters to win the 1,600 in 5:37.81. The following day, Marrujo rallied over the final half lap to take second in the 800 in 2:32.01, edging out Copeland by .16, then capped her high school career with a winning 3,200 time of 12:54.68. She needed a few puffs of her inhaler after the 3,200, but Marrujo showed that heart can overcome just about anything.

Carisa padilla

St. Michael’s Golf The youthful Lady Horsemen exploded onto the scene, and Padilla was a big part of the program’s turnaround. She won the individual title with a 6-over 78, which was three strokes better than teammate Miquela Martinez. Their performances helped St. Michael’s win its first girls state title in 11 years with a one-day team score of 100-over 388. Padilla, just a freshman, took fourth in 2016.

MiChael tenorio

Santa Fe Indian School Big-school cross-country The Braves senior was the premier runner in Northern New Mexico. He won four individual meets during the regular season, including the John Grimley Memorial Invitational and the Northern New Mexico Championships, then capped the season with wins in the District 5-4A meet and the Class 4A State Championships.

A year after taking second at the state meet, Tenorio dominated the 4A meet, winning in a time of 16 minutes, 25.60 seconds.

sean lathaM

St. Michael’s Big-school baseball On a team full of strong pitchers, Latham was the one St. Michael’s head coach Augustin Ruiz trusted for big games.

While he only had a 5-5 record, he pitched four complete games and his 3.50 ERA led all starters.

The junior went wire-towire for three straight starts from March 18 to April 4, winning crucial District 2-4A games against Las Vegas Robertson and Taos. Latham also was one of the top hitters for the Horsemen, hitting .330 with a home run and a team-best 30 RBIs to lead St. Michael’s to its first district title since 2012.

rose Moon

Santa Fe Waldorf Small-school volleyball When it comes to hitting, no one in Class 1A held a candle to the Lady Wolves’ sophomore outside hitter.

Her 410 kills on the season were second in the state regardless of class, behind only Las Cruces Centennial’s Jadyn Nanez. She also was second in the state with 92 aces and added 186 digs. All of that earned her first-team All-State honors for a team that won its fifth straight district title.

Josh deherrera

Pecos Small-school cross country On a team chock-full of talented runners, DeHerrera was the steady influence who could always be counted on. The junior took second in the Class 3A meet behind teammate Julian Garcia with a time of 16 minutes, 48.20 seconds as the Panthers repeated as state champions.

DeHerrera was second in the District 2-3A meet, 10th in the John Grimley Memorial Invitational on Oct. 1 and fourth in the Ron Valdez Invitational on Sept. 16.

Kaitlin Bennett

Los Alamos Swimming A team captain and Northern New Mexico’s top freestyle swimmer, she was third at the state meet in the 50 free sprint and sixth in the 100 free finals. Bennett’s time of 24.86 seconds in the 50 was just off the anchor leg time she ran as part of the Lady Hilltoppers’ second-place finish in the 200 medley relay, which was three seconds faster than anyone on the team.

She was also the anchor leg on her team’s sixthplace finish in the 400 free relay.

riley Kinlaw

Santa Fe Prep Swimming A junior, he finished sixth in the state meet in the 100-yard breaststroke and seventh in the 200 individual medley. He was also part of the Blue Griffins’ sixth-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay, swimming the fastest leg of the race in 22.06 seconds on the second of four trips down the pool. He swam the third leg on Prep’s 200 medley relay team, which finished ninth, as his younger brother, Riley, was part of the lineup.

Connor houdeK and andres garCia

Las Vegas Robertson Tennis The Robertson tennis dynasty knew no bounds in 2017.

Houdek, a senior, and Garcia, a sophomore, did not lose a set during their run to the Class 1A-4A doubles title. The pair beat Mesilla Valley’s Jarrett Coyle and Adam Takeshita 7-5, 6-4 on May 4, then helped Robertson win its second state team title in three years by beating New Mexico Military Institute 5-4 in the finals on May 6.

natalia MarruJo

Mora Small-school cross-country On a team of three, Marrujo was the star of the Rangerettes squad. She blew away the Class 1A-2A field by winning the state meet in 20 minutes, 14.90 seconds, which was almost 24 seconds better than Peñasco’s Carly Gonzales. She finished second at the Desert Academy Invitational and was fourth in the smallschool division of the Rio Rancho Jamboree.

alexis lovato

Española Valley Big-school basketball There are go-to players, then there are players such as Lovato, a 5-foot-10 power forward who wreaks havoc with a deftt combination of smo ooth moves and brutte strength. When poin nts were needed or a loose ball was requ uired, Lovato was at th he forefront of one of the state’s mosst dynamic offenses. Playing on a surgically repaired knee e, she developed a low w-post game seco ond to none in Nortthern New Mexico and turned the Lady y Sundevils into a 5A power.

Kendra duran Las Vegas Robertson Softball Duran was a bright spot on the hill and at the plate for the Lady Cardinals, the fourtime District 2-4A champions.

As the ace of the staff, the junior had 16 wins, a 1.33 ERA and 104 strikeouts over 105 innings. She also had a .407 batting average while hitting seven home runs and driving in 30, both second on the team. Duran had nine RBIs in a doubleheader split with Portales on March 18, winning the opener by going four innings and allowing two earned runs while striking out six.

honorroll h honorrol orro or oll

Brandelyn Fulgenzi and lauren Fulgenzi

Las Vegas Robertson Tennis Another year, another Fulgenzi doubles title. The Fulgenzi sisters — Brandelyn is a junior and Lauren a freshman — beat cousins Jaci and Jenese Fulgenzi, 6-1, 6-0, in the 1A-4A finals May 6. It was the second straight all-Fulgenzi doubles finals, with Brandelyn and Lauren repeating as champion. It also was the third straight doubles title for Robertson and the third straight Fulgenzi team to win the crown (Jaci and Jenese won it in 2015). The foursome helped the Lady Cardinals win their fourth consecutive team title on May 8.

PHOTOS BY LUIS SáNCHEz SATURNO AND CLYDE MUELLER/THE NEW MExICAN; COURTESY PHOTO OF MARSHALL SPINGLER; CAPSULES BY WILL WEBBER AND JAMES BARRON DESIGN BY BRIAN BARkER/THE NEW MExICAN

patriCK Boyd

Santa Fe Prep Soccer The senior midfielder didn’t dominate the box score on a team that was loaded enough to win the program’s second 1A-4A state title in three years, but he was always in the hearts and minds of opponents. Boyd’s combination of speed and skill made him a threat to score at any moment, and he led the Blue Griffins with 21 goals. He also was an unselfish player, often playing wherever Prep needed him in the moment, and it was recognized by 1A-4A coaches when he earned Player of the Year honors.

Jonah vigil

Taos Big-school track and field And the tradition continues at Taos. For the fifth straight year, a Tiger is the big-school boys track athlete of the year. This time, it’s the sophomore Vigil, who helped Taos win its fourth straight Class 4A title. He won the 100 meters by outstretching Ruidoso’s LaVaughn Smooth, 11.373-11.375, then added a gold in the 400.

He anchored the 1,600 relay to a title, then took second in the 200 and long jump for a 26-point total.

That gave him the 4A highpoint honor, which went to a Tiger for the second straight year.

Cassaundra Muller

Pecos Small-school basketball Back off, diabetes, Cassie’s coming through.

Diagnosed with the juvenile form of the disease when she was just 4 years old, all this Pecos guard/forward has done since is shine on the basketball court. She led the 20-win Lady Panthers in scoring and 3-point shooting, and was among the team leaders in rebounding and steals.

A tenacious defender, she has emerged as one of the state’s up-andcoming talents for a program that is clearly on the rise.

Cora Cannedy

Taos Big-school cross-country The Taos Lady Tigers returned to the top of the podium in Class 4A, and Cannedy helped them win their third state title in four years by taking second place at the 4A meet. She ran the course in 19 minutes, 16.25 seconds to lead all Taos runners, but Cannedy and Elizabeth Reyes were the No. 1 and 1A runners for the program. Cannedy won the Joe I. Vigil Open in Alamosa, Colo., and the Taos Invitational, and took second to Reyes in the District 2-4A meet on Oct. 28.

6 NORTHSTARS the new Mexican sunday, June 11, 2017

Patrick Boyd

Santa Fe Prep

Uncomfortably talented Santa Fe Prep star pushed himself to new heights in athletics and beyond

Santa Fe Prep’s Patrick Boyd, center, crosses the finish line in second place during his team’s 4x100-meter relay race at the state track meet. Luis sánchez saturno/new Mexican fiLe photo

By James Barron The New Mexican

P

atrick Boyd’s comfort zone is in being uncomfortable.

When the Santa Fe Prep graduate spent the spring of 2016 in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., as a part of a student exchange program, Boyd took away an important lesson from his time there.

“They talked a lot about making yourself uncomfortable,” Boyd said.

“Put yourself in new situations, try new things. All that jazz.”

Not that it was an epiphany for Boyd.

While the soccer pitch, the basketball court and the track might be comfortable surroundings for Boyd, he always searches for a new experience to broaden his horizons. As an eighth-grader, Boyd spent a summer working at a cattle ranch in Wyoming. When he was a freshman, Prep head boys soccer coach Hersch Wilson sent him a video by text message of female gymnasts doing backflip burpees, noting, “This is what fitness looks like.”

Minutes later, Wilson received a video reply in which Boyd did 10 of those in a row.

“Molly, his mom, and Patrick went into the kitchen, and Patrick did 10 of them — bam, bam, bam,” Wilson said with a chuckle.

Boyd opted for the exchange program as a junior, giving up a track and field season that promised to be a breakout year for him. Instead of competing against the best sprinters in New Mexico, Boyd raced from one class to the next to keep up with a rigid, intense curriculum.

“I’m just trying to keep an open mind,” Boyd said in a New Mexican story in September. “You’re only in high school for so long. That is the only kind of time you have to do that stuff.”

That philosophy led Boyd to spend three weeks on a safari in South Africa in March, just when the track season began. Tove Shere, the Blue Griffins’ head coach, didn’t blink twice when Boyd told her of the trip.

“When he said he had this opportunity to do it, I said, ‘Take me!’ ” Shere said. “How could you not go to Africa?”

Amid all the new and fascinating experiences Boyd tasted, he was most comfortable in the athletic realm. In the fall, Boyd led Santa Fe Prep with 21 goals and helped the Blue Griffins secure their second Class 1A-4A state title in three years, earning 4A Player of the Year honors in the process.

He took the winter off from basketball to perform in a school play, and made up for lost time in track and field. He won the 100 and 200 meters, to go with a secondplace finish in the high jump and anchoring the 400 relay team to a runner-up finish, as Boyd earned the high-point honor at the 3A state meet in May. His performances were enough to make his senior year remarkable by any standard, and made him one of The New Mexican’s NorthStars Athletes of the Year. His personal journeys were merely the cherry on top of it all.

Yet, for all that Boyd has accomplished in his young life, the legacy he leaves as a person might be his greatest feat. All of his athletic ability takes a back seat to an endearing personality that has left an inedible mark on those who know him.

“I think of this incredible, caring, kind, sensitive young man,” Shere said, “and he is just one of those people that make you feel hopeful for the future of this planet.”

Tate Birk, who has been Boyd’s friend since preschool, was a track and field teammate and will again be his classmate at the University of Denver in the fall, said Boyd’s most endearing quality is his warmth.

“He tries to be friends with everybody,” Birk said. “He doesn’t want anybody on his bad side, and he doesn’t want to leave anybody excluded and in their own little world. He’s just trying to help out.”

As if to make that point abundantly clear, Boyd set out on a tall task for his senior year. Jim Leonard, the head of school and an assistant soccer coach at Prep, said Boyd decided he would talk to all of the “upper school” students at Prep, which is more than 200 in all.

Part of his wont stemmed from when Boyd was a sophomore at the school, as he grew very close to many members of the Class of 2015. Several of them played with Boyd on the state championship squad in 2014. Boyd was deeply affected by their graduation that spring, so much so a few people remembered him crying during the ceremony.

“When they graduated, he didn’t know what life would be like socially at Prep,” Leonard said. “But he decided to open himself up to the opportunities, and he became a super-social guy.”

That affability went hand in hand with his fearlessness in almost any situation. For Halloween, Leonard remembered Boyd and fellow senior Thomas Naylor dressed up as the lead characters from the movie Blades of Glory and performed in the gym on roller skates.

While in Zambia during his safari, Boyd and a couple of friends decided to bungee jump at Victoria Falls, a plunge

of more than 360 feet, Boyd said.

“We just went and did it,” he said. “It was terrifying. The guys doing it are local dudes, and they don’t speak much English. So, they’re wrapping my feet with towels, and I was like, ‘Does this work?’ They were like, ‘Yep,’ and I said, ‘OK, let’s go.’ ” Shere remembers admonishing Boyd for doing backflips off the grandstands as an eighth-grader. It wasn’t that she was scared for Boyd.

“I just didn’t want him to get hurt before Christmas vacation,” Shere said.

“The kids get really excited during that time, and I can’t tell you how many times they get hurt just before then.”

Boyd’s penchant for acrobatics goes back to when he was younger, as he participated in parkour, a sport in which participants traverse environmental obstacles via running, climbing or leaping.

“I started when I was in the sixth grade,” Boyd said. “Whenever I was doing homework and I couldn’t go any further, I’d take a break, get on the trampoline and bounce around for a couple of hours and come back to it. I guess physical activity has always been an outlet for me.”

For a person who seemingly can do just about anything he puts his mind to, Boyd does have a weakness: academics.

Boyd admits he struggled with schoolwork at times and had tutors to help him. If anything, the work he put in on the books gave him perspective on what it’s like to toil at something.

“Academically speaking, you have those people who are the smartest slackers,” Boyd said. “They are geniuses, but they’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, I didn’t do the homework.’ ” Wilson said it helped Boyd’s leadership skills on the field because he understands that not everybody is as endowed with the skills he has. What impressed Wilson even more, though,

Boyd, right, led Santa Fe Prep with 21 goals and helped the Blue Griffins secure their second Class 1A-4A state title in three years. cLyde MueLLer/the new Mexican

was how his best player led.

“It’s always positive,” Wilson said. “It was always, ‘We can work harder, let’s focus.’ That was the stuff that came out of his mouth, and it helps that he is one of the hardest-working kids.”

That was particularly important in soccer, because Boyd didn’t have the natural shooting touch and ball-handling skills his teammates had on the pitch. He often spent extra time after practice working in those areas.

I think of this “ incredible, caring,

kind, sensitive young man, and he is just one of those people that make you feel hopeful for the future of this planet.”

Tove Shere Santa Fe Prep track coach

Boyd saw his scoring improve from four goals as a sophomore to 12 in 2015 to 21 last fall. He became such a threat that opponents either put one defender on him at all times or double- and tripleteamed him.

When Boyd recorded a hat trick in the regular-season finale against Albuquerque Sandia Prep, a 5-2 win, the Sundevils adjusted their defense in the team’s rematch in 1A-4A quarterfinal by manmarking Boyd everywhere he went.

And the defender did go everywhere.

“I wanted to talk to Patrick in the second half,” Wilson said. “So, I’m standing on the sideline and the kid came right over with him. I’m talking with Patrick and the kid is right there. Most kids in the heat of the moment wouldn’t have handled that very well, but Patrick just busted out laughing.”

That level of maturity helped him handle the fact that he didn’t score a single goal in the state tournament, as the Blue Griffins won three straight 1-0 matches, with the contest against Sandia Prep going to a shootout. However, Wilson said Boyd wasn’t a traditional forward, sometimes moving from the midfield to the back line and back up top when the situation called for it.

Birk said moments like that underscore Wilson’s unselfishness as a teammate.

“It’s really nice to see someone who is as athletic as Patrick is and see them not be super cocky and do what’s best for the team,” Birk said. “He just plays the whole game for everybody and not himself.”

That’s not to say Boyd doesn’t have a competitive streak. Birk recalls a moment during the track season when Shere challenged Boyd during a 400-meter race.

When Shere told him this was the race to beat his personal record, Birk could sense Boyd tense up as he held the starter’s blocks for his friend.

“He gets up and he’s super nervous and his breathing is shallow,” Birk said.

“I said, ‘Dude, calm down,’ and he said,

‘Don’t worry. I got this.’ And he did.”

Shere said the two shared their goals for the upcoming track season — setting some state and school records as well as competing for the high-point honor at state — but she adjusted the training schedule when Boyd took his Africa trip.

It almost seemed like her plans weren’t necessary when Boyd returned in late March. He practiced for three days before going to the Estancia Invitational on March 31. He qualified for the state meet in the 100 and 200 on time, while anchoring the 800 relay to a statequalifying time.

Boyd took part in qualifying all four relays for state, and needed one meet to reach the high-jump qualifying standard of 5 foot, 10 inches. He had not competed in the high jump since the eighth grade before taking it up prior to Capital’s Jaguar Invitational.

Shere said they explored all of his field options because it was necessary for Boyd to get the high-point award.

He preferred the pole vault, which he competed in at state as a sophomore, but she felt he might get hurt doing that.

Boyd nixed the long jump because he didn’t like how his right leg felt when he jumped, but Shere said there was another reason.

“He really doesn’t like sand in his shoes and his shorts,” Shere said.

The high jump was a compromise, but it proved to be a wise move: Boyd tied Pecos’ Carlos Cordova for second in the event at the 3A meet. Equally wise was Shere’s assessment of Boyd’s right hamstring after he hurt it in the final 15 meters of his winning 100 sprint.

Shere examined the injury and believed it was not as serious as it appeared, but she took a cautious approach when Boyd prepared for his least favorite race — the 400. She wrapped the hamstring so tight, it inhibited Boyd from hitting top speed and he finished sixth. However, there was a method to her madness.

“I didn’t want him to give up anything for the 200,” Shere said. “I took all the bandages off and I said, ‘You’re ready to run.’ I think he had some initial worries [at the start of the 200], but he trusted me and I trusted him.”

Boyd won the 200 with a 23.92 time, which secured the individual award and helped Prep reach the team podium in third place.

It was his farewell race, but it wasn’t the final goodbye.

That came during Prep’s baccalaureate, with Boyd sitting in his chair, playing his guitar and singing. Not that it was a surprise to the Prep community — it was common knowledge Boyd could play and sing. But it was a bittersweet moment for Leonard, as he saw an extraordinary person enjoying his last moments of his childhood with his class.

Leonard believes it was a way of passing on Boyd’s adventurous spirit to the next generation at Prep.

“He is not afraid of learning, of going into new areas,” Leonard said. “The younger students watch that, and that becomes a part of what you do at Prep.

He was not the first person to do that, but he pushed it to another level.”

For Boyd, it was just another example of pushing boundaries, creating new experiences.

That’s his comfort zone, after all.

sunday, june 11, 2017 the New Mexican NORTHSTARS 7

St. Michael’s

A star for all seasons

Jocelyn Fernandez

St. Michael’s Jocelyn Fernandez set a state record with a javelin throw of 140 feet, 1 inch at the Class 4A State Meet.

Nick Fojud/For the New MexicaN

From football to softball, soccer, basketball and track, Horsemen standout was all-around excellent

By Will Webber

The New Mexican

K

eep the Barbies in the box and the dresses on the rack.

Where this one’s concerned, the tricks of the trade weren’t pink and glittery; they were rough and tumble. Dora the Explorer was no match against endless hours of running around.

From the moment she was born, Jocelyn Fernandez was, plain and simple, here to play sports. By age 4, she was spending more time in the gym than most teenagers. By age 6, she was spinning out of tackles in the local YAFL. By the time she reached second grade at Salazar Elementary, she was on the girls basketball team’s A-squad with players two and three years older.

By age 9, she was touring the Southwest as an elite softball player, and by time she reached 10, she was a cult hero in football, the girl among boys who was, quite simply, the best player in the city of Santa Fe. “As a dad, I would love to just watch her play, and I can remember being amazed at how she could break tackles and make moves like no one else,” said Jocelyn’s father, Joey Fernandez.

“She had this way of running the ball like no one else. I mean, it really was fun to watch.”

By middle school, the laws of anatomical development began to catch up as the boys kept growing and Jocelyn didn’t.

Speed and strength became insurmountable factors, or so they thought.

She replaced football with volleyball and soccer, staying true to her first love of basketball and dabbling in spring sports like softball and track. Everything she tried, she excelled in. Sports came naturally to her, as they should.

Her father was a star athlete in high school at St. Michael’s and a member of The University of New Mexico football program, later becoming the track and football coach at St. Mike’s. He is the winningest football coach in school history and the architect of one of the most consistent programs the state has seen for the better part of the past two decades.

Her mother, Shannon, was a softball player in college. She started wearing the number 13 as a kid and kept it on every uniform she wore until she quit playing. Jocelyn has kept that tradition alive, wearing No. 13 whenever she could.

Her older siblings all played sports. Her younger brother and sister do, too. Her paternal grandfather was a St. Mike’s legend, and her maternal grandpa is a coaching icon in softball here in town.

In short, Jocelyn Fernandez is as preprogrammed to be a prototypical jock as anyone.

Her playpen was a grass field, her alone time a weight room, and her therapy sessions were spending time in a gymnasium.

Basketballs were her Barbies and footballs were her plush toys.

“Playing sports is the only thing that made sense to me,” she said. “I never wanted to do anything else.”

She parlayed her entire experience into one memorable, historic season that makes her an easy choice to be one of The New Mexican’s NorthStars Athletes of the Year.

As a senior at St. Michael’s, she played five varsity sports, making headlines for becoming the first girl to catch a touchdown pass in state football history, helping the Lady Horsemen soccer team to the state semifinals, leading the basketball team in scoring, playing right field for the softball team and setting a

state record throwing the javelin in track.

Along the way, she was named homecoming queen, invited to a pair of prestigious all-star track meets and became the most visible female athlete in Northern New Mexico. To top it off, she broke three bones, suffered countless bumps and bruises, and struggled to find enough time to maintain her studies and get enough sleep.

As always, she pulled it off.

When it comes to sports, she usually does.

In March, she drew perhaps the highest compliment of all when the coach of a rival team compared her basketball acumen to that of LeBron James.

“She has that same style, for sure,” said Las Vegas Robertson head coach Leroy Barela before his Lady Cardinals eliminated St. Michael’s in the Class 4A State Tournament. “She uses her speed and strength to go right at you. She’s not afraid of contact, and she plays like she has no fear. I’m telling you, it makes it really hard to prepare for.”

Standing just a hair or two over 5-foot-4, Fernandez weighs about 140 pounds — hardly LeBron-esque, but the comparisons are true in the sense that she takes a football player’s approach to pretty much everything she does. Whereas some athletes use finesse and trickery to get the job done, Fernandez jumps into the bulldozer’s seat and grinds away.

“She’s always been that way,” her dad said. “It’s like when she was playing football. We both knew she was going to get hit, and I told her that when she did, she had to get herself up off the ground and back to the huddle because it’s going to happen again and again. It’s OK to get hurt, but you have to keep going.”

Getting hurt was a way of life for Jocelyn Fernandez during her senior year. She was flattened during two-a-days by 240-pound teammate Xavier Vigil and run over a couple of times by her younger brother, Joey.

“When X was coming at me, I sort of held my ground and ran into him,” she said. “I didn’t even know what hit me. He just left me laying there on the grass.

None of those guys took it easy on me, and I loved that about football. They never treated me like a girl.”

That includes eventual state champion Portales. The teams met twice last fall, and during the first encounter, Jocelyn proved her toughness once and for all.

Early in the game, she was tackled hard and broke her right hand when she fell to the ground.

“She never said anything,” Joey Fernandez said. “She wound up catching four passes after she got hurt. … She came up to me after the game and showed me her hand and it was all purple. She can take a lot, but breaking her hand and not saying anything?”

Last fall, she was splitting time as the goalkeeper for the girls soccer team and playing football for her dad. All the while she was dealing with a fractured thumb suffered, of all places, during a pickup basketball game that summer.

She shrugged it off with such happenstance that she literally laughed when asked about it in August, as if to say, “Oh this? No big deal.”

“My dad has always told me about being tough,” she said. “He always tells me not to be soft. It’s a huge advantage having a dad like that. He never let me take it easy.”

One of six children born to Joey Fernandez, she has more than sports in common with her siblings. All of them have first and middle names beginning with the

Fernandez found a home with the football team. will webber/New MexicaN File photo

Fernandez possesses the ball Nov. 4 in the Class 1A-4A semifinal match against Hope Christian in Bernalillo. clyde Mueller/New MexicaN File photo

Basketball is Fernandez’s first love. She’ll continue her playing career at Weatherford College near Fort Worth, Texas.

Fernandez plays softball for the Lady Horsemen in 2016.

luis sáNchez saturNo/New MexicaN File photo

clyde Mueller/New MexicaN File photo

same two letters: Joel Michael, Jordan Miranda, Joliaunna Michelle, Jocelyn Miriah, Joey Miklo and Joelyn Miciah.

As uncomplicated as the name game may have been, the time Jocelyn spent in the locker room was just the opposite. With her shuffling around different sports, it made adjusting to the team mentality tough. She admits she wasn’t all that close with her teammates in soccer, basketball and softball.

It also cost her the attention of college recruiters. In a day and age where specialization is the key to landing scholarships, athletes who gravitate from one sport to another while avoiding year-round activity in one thing often fall short in getting the attention they deserve.

A gifted basketball player with a scorer’s mentality, Fernandez didn’t attract college interest at times when other players were.

“I totally believe it cost her,” Joey Fernandez said. “I think she’s the type of athlete you want on your team. She’s fast and strong, but I also think she’s overlooked because she didn’t specialize in just one thing.”

Enter former St. Michael’s boys basketball coach Ron Mayberry. After Joey Fernandez mentioned his daughter’s lack of recruiting attention, Mayberry used his connections in Texas to prompt some interest.

“I got about 15 calls from colleges in the next week or two,” Fernandez said.

The family settled on a junior college not far from Fort Worth, Texas, Weatherford College.

Jocelyn will play basketball and perhaps try out for softball.

“I just want to leave New Mexico and see what’s out there,” she said. “Leaving home doesn’t scare me. I want the competition, but no one here was going to give me that chance.”

“These are Texas schools, and even at these junior colleges they probably have better athletes than schools around here,” Joey Fernandez said. “In some ways I’m glad she got overlooked. The competition will be better, and she’ll be in a place where no one can judge her.”

Fernandez could have pursued the javelin in college. Her final competition was at the recent Class 4A state meet, where she

broke the state record in one of the last throws of her career with a heave of more than 140 feet.

She immediately celebrated by hugging her dad.

“I knew I’d done something good as soon as I threw it,” she said. “In a lot of ways, I think that was the perfect way to walk away from the javelin, by getting off the best throw in state history.”

As hard as it was for her to fit in with some teams, the exception came in football. The camaraderie and brotherhood was a perfect fit for her, particularly since she grew up playing with and against so many of her St. Michael’s teammates. She developed close bonds with Horsemen standouts like Vigil and Curtis Rogers, and former Horseman-turned-Capital running back Chross Jaramillo.

“There was something about football I always felt comfortable with,” she said. “Being around the guys, being in the locker room and on the field, just spending time with them — it was all perfect.”

She played football up to her eighth-grade year, then gave it

up at the behest of her father.

“There comes a time when boys keep growing, getting faster and stronger, and girls just sort of stop,” Joey Fernandez said.

“I’m a dad, too, so I had some of those worries about her getting hurt. The game starts getting faster and more physical in high school.”

It became an annual thing for some of the players on the team to lobby their coach to let her play again. While she played soccer, she watched from afar as three football seasons came and went. With Vigil and Rogers leading the debate, the ol’ man finally caved and let the former YAFL star take one last shot at it.

It was all part of a bigger scheme to close out a high school career as a five-sport letterman. The plan was set in motion in the summer between her junior and senior years, a time when football became a viable option and playing two sports in both the fall and spring got the go-ahead from the coaches of the four sports.

Of course, Joey Fernandez was the coach for two of them.

“It wasn’t always easy going back and forth,” Jocelyn Fernandez said. “Missing practices or pregame stuff because I was doing something with the other team, that was hard sometimes.”

The bouncing back and forth took a toll, first with a lack of sleep and then with everything else. It wasn’t until mid-March that she finally had a breather.

She took a week off after the state basketball tournament before launching into the spring sports.

“Let’s see,” she said. “I slept.

I did some homework. I went to bed early and then got some more sleep.”

As usual, it didn’t last. When you’re a person like Jocelyn Fernandez, the fuse is always lit, the desire to go full throttle is always there.

“It’s kind of weird now that high school is over,” she said.

“I’ve got all summer before college, so all I’m going to do is hit the weights and condition.”

After a short pause, she came to the realization that her life is about to change in ways she’s only now starting to grasp.

“This,” she said, “is going to take some getting used to.”

8 NORTHSTARS The New Mexican Sunday, June 11, 2017

L AN L FO U N DATIO N & LOS AL AM OS NATI O NAL L ABO R ATO RY PRO U D LY PR E S ENT TH E

2017 LOS ALAMOS EMPLOYEES’ SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS Los Alamos Employees’ Scholarship Fund (LAESF) cultivates local talent and helps turn promising potential into meaningful careers.

Scholarships are awarded to students in the seven counties surrounding Los Alamos National Laboratory. These scholars excel in academic achievement, with dedication to leadership, community service, and extracurricular

activities. Financial need, diversity, and regional representation are integral components of the selection process. Many LAESF scholars have the opportunity to jump-start their career through an internship at the Lab, some return as full-time employees. Each of these bright students is on a personal mission to pursue higher learning, guided by their big dreams.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 111 STUDENTS WHO RECEIVED $660,250 IN SCHOLARSHIPS! Additional Regional College/Returning Student & Tribal Business Scholarships are yet to be awarded this year.

GOLD SCHOLARS

($20,000)

CHARLYNA GONZALES Peñasco High School

KHALED KHWEIS Taos High School

WILBUR WANG Los Alamos High School

MISSION: Biomedical engineering & physics at Colby College I hope to contribute to the medical field by conducting research, helping progress technology, and administering healthcare. I plan to use the knowledge, skills, and experience I acquire at college to benefit people in my community and those in need.

MISSION: Environmental engineering & political science at Columbia University My goal is to influence environmental policy. Whether as a researcher, policy-maker, or environmental lawyer, I want to be able to introduce scientific progress as policy and increase public awareness regarding environmental issues.

MISSION: Molecular biology at Princeton University In the future, after earning a doctorate, I hope to contribute to healthcare research through the study of regenerative medicine and artificial organ systems to benefit families around the world.

SILVER SCHOLARS

2016 TRIBAL BUSINESS SCHOLARS ($1,000)

($15,000)

JOSEPH LEE ESTRADA McCurdy Charter School

JENNIFER NECKER Los Alamos High School

MISSION: Social work at New Mexico Highlands University I want to make an impact in New Mexico by being the voice for children in abusive households. I want to make sure that every child lives in a safe and steady environment. This award will allow me to learn and pay my fullest attention to my coursework and not paying for college. I want to thank everyone who donated to this scholarship and who is involved in running it.

MISSION: Marine chemistry at Eckerd College I plan to continue on to graduate school eventually earn a PhD. My goal is to be a member of a team conducting research that leads to a better understanding of the marine environment and the possibility of sustainable aquaculture and alternative energy sources for the future.

GRACE GRAHAM Academy for Technology & the Classics

JAMES VALERIO Taos High School

MISSION: Computer science & astrophysics A program called GutsyGirls, a series of workshops engineered to interest young women in STEM, opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities. I want to offer that extraordinary experience to girls across the world. This LANL scholarship has given me the ability to spread my wings and dream bigger than I could have ever imagined.

MISSION: Molecular biology & political science at University of New Mexico I want to make an impact on New Mexico by working to fill the healthcare shortage in the state. This scholarship will help me meet these goals without financial burden hanging over me. Thank you to the donors at LANL who contribute to these scholarships. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

REYES LUCERO St. Michael’s High School

MADISON WINSTON Santa Fe Preparatory School

MISSION: Engineering at Bucknell University or physics at University of Puget Sound I would like to make an impact by creating a more sustainable future. This scholarship will help alleviate financial limitations in reaching this goal. My sincerest gratitude to all of the LANL benefactors, your generosity has impacted me tremendously.

MISSION: Writing at Brown University Without this scholarship, college would be out of reach for me.

I am eager to pursue an interdisciplinary approach to writing, drawing on my personal experiences, values, and insights. I would like to thank the donors for showing me the value and impact of philanthropy. I promise to demonstrate my appreciation by excelling academically and making the most of this opportunity.

COPPER SCHOLAR

($10,000)

SUSAN HERRERA SCHOLAR

($10,000)

BRIAN ORTIZ Santa Fe High School

ADAM KIMBLE Pecos High School

MISSION: Chemical engineering at New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology I want to make an impact by advancing research in the pharmaceutical industry. I am grateful to the donors at LANL who provided this scholarship. Your generous donation will help me achieve my goal of getting a degree and lessens the financial burden of college. Thanks for your wonderful support.

MISSION: Radiologic sciences at University of New Mexico I want to make an impact in New Mexico by researching and introducing new technology in the field of radiology. This award will help me financially, keep me away from high-interest student loans, and help me succeed with confidence and excitement. Thank you very much to the donors at LANL who helped me and hundreds of other people with these awards.

SENATOR PETE DOMENICI SCHOLARS

($10,000)

SAGE CROSBY Santa Fe Preparatory School

KAYLA NICHOLS Moreno Valley High School

MISSION: Environmental science, mathematics & Native American studies at Stanford University I want to give back to my pueblo and to the world by helping to make the environment more sustainable and by increasing awareness about how to help it. This scholarship will allow me to pursue higher education with less worry about financial need.

MISSION: Liberal arts at St. John’s College I would like to pursue a career in technical writing that will allow me to flourish in my two favorite subjects: writing and science. The biggest impact I want to make is to educate people about STEAM and the environment, whether it be through a novel, a blog, or an article in a newspaper. This scholarship has impacted my financial situation, my family, and my student career.

FAITH KOH Los Alamos High School

DOMINIC ROYBAL Pojoaque Valley High School

MISSION: International relations & journalism at Stanford University International relations is a field where I intend to study political science, linguistics, economics, global justice, or humanitarian aid. Although journalism is an attacked field on the political stage, the need for accurate news and better communication is ever present. I hope to instigate global change as a UN ambassador, foreign journalist, or human rights lawyer.

MISSION: Mechanical engineering & business management at New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology After college I want to return home, work as an engineer and project manager at LANL, and help strengthen our community with innovative ideas. I want to raise a family in my church with the same morals and values with which I was raised. This scholarship will reduce my need for student loans and relieve some of the financial stress of college.

MARIO MARTINEZ Española Valley High School

WARREN ROYBAL Mora High School

MISSION: Video production & political science at New Mexico State University I have the goal of starting a production company and nonprofit organization. I want to advocate for others through videos and documentaries and provide a place of free expression. This scholarship willl allow me to focus on my education without worrying about the financial burden of college. Thank you to all the LANL donors.

MISSION: Biology at University of New Mexico I hope to become a medical doctor and help people in many different ways. Thank you so much for this scholarship that will help me pay for school. Hopefully I can avoid loans and enjoy a life of helping others who truly need it. Thank you.

MICHAELA VIGIL-LUJAN Robertson High School

Since 1999, more than 1,200 students have received $6,100,000 in scholarships!

MISSION: Medicine at University of New Mexico I would like to pursue a career as a cardio-thoracic surgeon.

To achieve this goal, I will work hard and dedicate myself to excel in my studies and graduate with honors. Through various activities and courses I have taken not only in high school but also at the college level, I have been prepared to think on my feet and work well under pressure.

JOHN & MARTI BROWNE LEADERSHIP SCHOLARS

($10,000)

MARISOL ARCHULETA Mesa Vista High School

LILIANA MARTINEZ Española Valley High School

MISSION: Nursing at University of New Mexico - Los Alamos or Santa Fe Community College I want to make an impact on my community of Ojo Caliente by showing them that even coming from a small community, you can achieve anything. After graduating I hope to return and work at a local clinic to give back to those who helped me achieve my goals. This scholarship will help me achieve my goal of becoming a nurse practitioner.

MISSION: Criminology, criminal justice, psychology & Spanish at University of New Mexico I want to make an impact in New Mexico by solving crimes and profiling killers to put them away behind bars to keep our state and nation safe. This scholarship will help increase my chances of achieving this goal financially and give me the confidence and courage to succeed.

MICHAEL GONZALES New Mexico Institute

KYRA SPRAGUE Española Valley High School

MISSION: Mathematics at New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology I want to make an impact in New Mexico, especially Española, to help students grasp a better understanding of math. This scholarship will greatly help by reducing the need for other forms of financial aid that could restrict me from reaching my goal and give me a confidence boost to drive me farther in my studies.

MISSION: Business at University of New Mexico My goal is to make high-level jobs in the business world more attainable for women worldwide and help to promote female confidence in management positions. This scholarship reassures the steps I have taken as a leader. It will also decrease the monetary gap between me and my educational goals. Thank you for your generosity.

of Mining & Technology

BEATRICE ARCHULETA Northern New Mexico College JEROME GARCIA Santa Fe Community College AYNJIL BACA Northern New Mexico College 2017 winners will be announced in August.

JANICE BACA Northern New Mexico College

BRONZE SCHOLARS (UP TO $5,000) CODY AIKIN New Mexico State University AUBREY ALDAZ Pojoaque Valley High School LORRAINE ALIRE Northern New Mexico College EDGAR ALONSO University of New Mexico ALEXA BACA Española Valley High School BRANDON BAO Los Alamos High School LOUISA BELIAN Los Alamos High School ELIZABETH BROWNE Northern New Mexico College IAN CANFIELD Santa Fe Preparatory School ALICIA CARDENAS Northern New Mexico College PERLA CARRASCO Capital High School THOMAS CROTZER Brigham Young University DANIEL DAHL Brigham Young University ABIGAIL DAHLMAN St. Michael’s High School GUS DOZHIER Jemez Valley High School AKANE DUNN Los Alamos High School ISABEL FERNANDEZ The MASTERS Program LILY FOWLER Santa Fe Waldorf School JACLYN GALLEGOS Taos High School YSABEL GARCIA Pecos High School AYDIN GATES Santa Fe Waldorf School SIMON GOMEZ Dulce Junior-Senior High School RAYVEN GONZALES West Las Vegas High School ISAIAH GURULE Escalante High School SOLOMON GUTTMANN Taos High School KENIDEE HATLER Los Alamos High School LENA HEINO Taos High School PAMELA HOBBS-LAVENTALL Academy for Technology & the Classics EMILY HOPKINS University of New Mexico CALEB HORAN Escalante High School EZRI HORNE New Mexico School for the Arts CONNOR HOUDEK Robertson High School JULIA JOHNSON-JARAMILLO Taos High School NIDHI KANABAR Academy for Technology & the Classics IRENE KWON Los Alamos High School JUSTIN LEMKE Los Alamos High School AMELIA LINETT Desert Academy AUSTIN LUTTRELL St. Michael’s High School MONICA MADRID ORNELAS Capital High School AMANDA MARBOURG St. Michael’s High School JOSHUA MARTINEZ Northern New Mexico College

NAMED/MEMORIAL SCHOLARS ($1,000 –$4,000) ZEHRENA ANTEZ Cuba High School

Rae Lee Siporin Scholar

MARISOL ARCHULETA Mesa Vista High School Tim Martin Memorial Scholar

LEAH DEAGUERO Española Valley High School

Raymond M. Chavez Memorial Scholar

TAYLOR ELLIS Santa Fe Preparatory School

CCLI Earth & Environmental Science Scholar

DARIEN HALDER Mesa Vista High School

Tim Martin Memorial Scholar

LAWRENCE HOLTERMAN Mesa Vista High School Tim Martin Memorial Scholar

CALEB HORAN Escalante High School

Bret Knapp Memorial Scholar

JOSHUA MARTINEZ Northern New Mexico College

LO S A L A M O S E M P LOY E E S ’ S C H O L A R S H I P F U N D I S A C O O P E R AT I V E I N I T I AT I V E O F :

ROBERTO MARTINEZ Taos High School MARIAH MAURO Los Alamos High School CLARA MAXAM New Mexico State University MAIA MENEFEE Los Alamos High School EMILY MERCER Los Alamos High School SEBASTIAN MONTESINOS Santa Fe High School RAYANN MORA Escalante High School ANEESH PAWAR Los Alamos High School BIANCA PEREZ-NUÑEZ Santa Fe High School ANNA MARIA QUINTANA McCurdy Charter School MIGUEL RAEL Questa High School ELENA ROMERO Harvey Mudd College KAITLYN ROMERO Fort Lewis College ARIANA SALAZAR Santa Fe High School MARTIN SALAZAR University of Phoenix JESSICA SANDOVAL Monte Del Sol Charter School JUSTINE SANDOVAL University of New Mexico-Taos COURTNEY SCHMIDT Volcano Vista High School JINELLE SCULLY University of New Mexico/ Santa Fe Community College ETHAN SENA V. Sue Cleveland High School ANDY SHEN Los Alamos High School MICHELLE SHERMAN The MASTERS Program JARED SMITH St. Michael’s High School NATALIE SOLIS Taos High School SIERRA SWEENEY Santa Fe High School ANTHONY TEBA Pojoaque Valley High School RICARDO TERAN Pecos High School MARK TORRES Los Alamos High School SAHANA UMMADI Los Alamos High School ADRIANA VARGAS Capital High School SAVANNAH VIGIL-LUJAN Robertson High School BENJAMIN VOTER Desert Academy JENNIFER WANG Los Alamos High School ANNA WERMER NM Institute of Mining & Technology OLIVIA WHITE Academy for Technology & the Classics STERLING WHITE Academy for Technology & the Classics ZOE WHITTLE Santa Fe Waldorf School MICHELLE YANG Los Alamos High School ROBERT ZHU Los Alamos High School AMELIA ZOERNIG Robertson High School

Northern NM American Society for Mechanical Engineering Scholar

ROBERTO MARTINEZ Taos High School

Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers Scholar

SEBASTIAN MONTESINOS Santa Fe High School Allan Johnston Memorial Scholar

AUSTIN PEREZ Pojoaque Valley High School William & Gertrude Fradkin Memorial Scholar

JESSICA SANDOVAL Monte Del Sol Charter School Rae Lee Siporin Scholar

ETHAN SENA V. Sue Cleveland High School

Northern NM American Society for Mechanical Engineering Scholar

SUNDEEP TANIGUCHI Mesa Vista High School Tim Martin Memorial Scholar

JASPER VIERECK Mesa Vista High School

Tim Martin Memorial Scholar

We are all connected through our work, families, and communities. The future of New Mexico depends upon a well-trained workforce with relevant education and skills.

It is our opportunity and commitment to support higher learning and help transform local students into our future leaders, teachers, researchers, and creative thinkers.

Yes, community members outside the Laboratory can donate to scholarships!

Thank you to Laboratory employees for donating $4.4 million and to LANS for annually matching up to $250,000 of those donations since 2006 for an additional $3.2 million contribution to scholarships.

LANL Foundation administers the scholarship fund and ensures that all individual donor contributions go directly to student awards.

Make your tax-deductible contribution to LAESF today at lanlfoundation.org/give.

Visit lanlfoundation.org/scholarships for information about winners, award criteria, applications, deadlines, and donating to funds that align with your values.