N O R T H E R N N E W M E X I C O ’ S T O P P R E P AT H L E T E S 2 0 1 5 -2 0 1 6
North Stars
Male athlete of the year
Female athlete of the year
Kaitlyn Romero ESPAÑOLA VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
A SPECIAL SECTION Of
Marcos Flores ESPAÑOLA VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
S U N D AY, J U N E 1 2 , 2 0 1 6
2 NORTHSTARS the new Mexican sunday, June 12, 2016
The best of 2015-16 Oct. 31, 2015 ESPAÑOLA — It was truly a first in prep football history. The Capital Jaguars and the Española Valley Sundevils battled for the District 2-5A crown on the football field. That it featured a program rising from the ashes for the second time in the past 10 years (Capital) and a program that never knew this level of success (Española) made the game historic. The game was a showcase of the district’s top two players in Augie Larrañaga and Marcos Flores, and it came down to those two players on a crucial fourth-and-5 at the Española 26-yard line with 31 seconds left in the game. When Flores picked off Larrañaga’s pass, it allowed the Sundevils to walk off Sundevil Field with a 26-24 win. The win also gave Española life in the district race, a week after losing at Los Alamos. The Sundevils capped a 9-1 regular season (the best ever for the program) with a 46-0 win over Bernalillo on Nov. 6 to secure their first district football title. Flores ran for 142 yards and had two touchdowns, as well as a kickoff return for a score to go with his gameclinching pick. Larrañaga threw for 199 yards and three TDs, while also scoring on an 80-yard kickoff return to end the first half.
Nov. 8, 2015 ALBUQUERQUE — It was a redletter day for the North. It’s just that the four teams competing for state titles wanted a touch of blue. The Taos and Los Alamos boys plus the St. Michael’s and Los Alamos girls soccer teams left the APS Soccer Complex with red state runner-up trophies
Fall
in their respective classes. In Class 1A-4A, Taos made its first trip to the finals in 31 years, but could not upset Klaus Weber’s farewell tour in his final match as the head coach of Albuquerque Bosque School. The Bobcats beat the Tigers 3-0 for the title. Meanwhile, St. Michael’s tried again to stop two-time defending champion Albuquerque Hope Christian on the girls side, but a rematch of the 2014 title match resulted in another Lady Huskies championship. An own goal in the 54th minute sunk the Lady Horsemen by a 1-0 score. In 5A, the green and gold of Los Alamos littered both boys and girls championship matches, but both teams fell short. The Albuquerque St. Pius Lady Sartans won their third straight title with a 1-0 win, while Albuquerque Academy fended off the boys teams by a 2-0 count.
Nov. 8, 2015 RIO RANCHO — There were state cross-country trophies making the trip up north all over the place. For the seventh straight year, the Los Alamos girls brought home a blue trophy, while the Academy for Technology and the Classics girls and the Mesa Vista boys did the same. But few communities were prouder of a first-place trophy than Pecos. After a 16-year drought, the Panthers finally won a state title with a decisive
Capital quarterback Augie Larrañaga escapes Española Valley’s Carlos Gonzales during the teams’ District 2-5A showdown in Española on Oct. 31. Española won 26-24. Luis sanchez saturno/new Mexican fiLe photo
19-43 win over defending champion Laguna-Acoma in the Class 3A meet. To boot, Julian Garcia won the individual title as the Panthers took four of the first five spots in the race. It more than made up for the heartbreaking 29-30 loss to the Hawks the previous November. “It’s incredible, I can’t believe that we finally did it,” Pecos senior Ryan Sandoval said in between sobs. ATC finally put an athletics championship in the school’s trophy case, which goes well with the six straight chess titles the school has. The Phoenix beat Cottonwood Classical Prep 50-72 in the 3A meet for the program’s first title, and senior Alizabeth Williams chased down Laguna Acoma’s Terri Dailey in the final 5 meters to take the individual honor. Meanwhile, the Lady Hilltoppers dominated like they usually do, with four runners taking the top six spots to defeat Albuquerque Academy 27-67 in 5A. Meanwhile, Peñasco’s Isaiah Rodarte warmed up for his spring heroics by winning the 1A/2A individual title, while Mesa Vista took the team title, 51-62, over Jemez Valley.
Nov. 14, 2015 RIO RANCHO — It was a pleasant
way to end the volleyball season for Las Vegas Robertson. Not so much for the Mora Rangerettes. Robertson, seeded 10th for the Class 4A State Tournament, played its way to a first-place finish in its pool and a firstround bye, then used the momentum to reach the semifinals, where it lost to Albuquerque Hope Christian in a 25-22, 25-18, 30-28 sweep. “I’m proud of my girls. They went on a run,” Robertson head coach Dominique Montoya said. “Nobody expected us to be here. After coming out third in our district but then winning the district championship, we were still seeded No. 10. Nobody expected us to come out first in our pool, much less reach a semifinal.” Meanwhile, Mora overcame a rough start to pool play in which it finished second behind Fort Sumner/House despite being the No. 3 seed in the tournament. After beating Jal and Mountainair to get to the semifinals, the Rangerettes ran into the top-seeded Lady Buffaloes of Melrose. It took just 90 minutes for Mora’s season to end in a 25-15, 25-23, 25-14 sweep at the hands of the eventual state champions.
Dec. 5, 2015 HATCH VALLEY — A date with destiny was determined by four fourthdown plays, and they all went the way of the Hatch Valley Bears. Hatch faced four fourth-down situations and made good on all of them. The last of which was Jared Garay’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Shane Carson for a 10-7 lead and an eventual 17-7 win over the Las Vegas Robertson Cardinals in the Class 4A state football championship. In a defensive battle on a warm December afternoon, the No. 2 Bears converted a fourth-and-2, a fourth-and-9 and earned a reprieve when thirdseeded Robertson was called for pass interference on a fourth-and-9 play at the Cardinals’ 19-yard line. Robertson had just taken a 7-3 lead on Joseph Paul Griego’s 51-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, but the Bears responded with tons of heart on the ensuing drive. Still, it was a better ending for the Cardinals than last year’s 20-16 loss to the Bears as the No. 1 seed in the 4A quarterfinals. They knocked off the top seed of the playoffs, Portales, in the semifinals before coming home with a red trophy. It is the program’s second trophy in the last three years, along with a state title in 2013.
WINTER Feb. 17, 2016
It was just the start of a wild and woolly three weeks for the Capital Jaguars and the Española Valley Sundevils. On this night, the Jaguars were one game away from clinching the District 2-5A boys basketball title, but they had to wait for a Monday playoff to secure it. That’s because the Sundevils forced a one-game playoff when Marcos Flores hit a winning layup with :06.5 left in the game for a 51-50 win in Edward A. Ortiz Memorial Gymnasium. Capital held a 48-39 lead with two minutes left, but the Sundevils finished the game on a 12-2 run. Española used a full-court press to extract a pair of steals, which coupled with Capital’s inability to hit shots and key free throws down the stretch (2-for-4). When Eric Coca missed a drive at the buzzer, it set up a one-game playoff between the two teams, which Capital won by a 61-59 count on Feb. 22. The two games portended what was to come two weeks later for the Class 5A championship.
Feb. 20, 2016 RIO RANCHO — In 12 years as Capital’s head wrestling coach, Marcos Gallegos slowly built the program to the cusp of being one of the elite programs in Class 5A. That process was completed when the Jaguars produced a pair of individual-champion brothers and 10 wrestlers made the top-six podium for a thirdplace finish. It was the first time the program brought home a trophy. Gallegos went into the finals unaware that Capital’s 178 points were enough to grab third from Los Lunas, which had just one wrestler in the finals compared to his team’s five. “After the consolation round, coaches came up and said, ‘Congratulations, coach,’ ” Gallegos said. “Coach [Steve] Chavez of Los Lunas came up and said, ‘Congrats, coach. You’re taking home some hardware.’ And I didn’t believe it. Then I glanced up [at the scoreboard] …
and I peaked a little bit.” The Jaguars finished with 197 points, thanks to championships from the brothers Romero (Lucas and Ryan) and Tapia (Jose and Javier). Jose Tapia’s win at 126 pounds was his fourth title. In the 1A-4A bracket, St. Michael’s 195-pounder Xavier Vigil repeated as state champion with a pin of Shiprock’s Logan Charley. Robertson had a pair of state champions in Jonathan Trujillo (120) and Bradlee Jordan (126).
Members of Española Valley’s boys basketball team hold their championship trophy as they celebrate winning the Class 5A state title in The Pit last March.
Feb. 20, 2016 Sarah Lott wanted to go out with a bang. Instead, she left with a “No way!” The Los Alamos senior set a state record in the 200-yard freestyle race by swimming the course at Albuquerque Academy in 1 minute, 49.29 seconds. Earlier in the meet, she took the 100 free event in 50.20, but it was her performance in the 200 that left her with a mile-wide grin. “I looked up and was like, ‘No way that just happened,’ ” Lott said. “It’s so cool.” Lott helped the 400 and 200 relay teams take third place, and the Lady Hilltoppers finished in fourth place with 218 points — 14 shy of Albuquerque Academy for a podium finish. Still, even Lott’s teammates couldn’t help but gush about her performance. “It was great because she’s going to college and she’s going to accomplish so many things, but she showed even if you’re in high school, you can accomplish great things here,” junior Jessica Moore said.
cLyde MueLLer the new Mexican fiLe photos
March 10, 2016 ALBUQUERQUE — Cindy Roybal felt like she was playing with the house’s money. The head girls basketball coach of Española Valley saw her Lady Sundevils endure a half-season without the team’s top post player in Alexis Lovato, then survive four battles with District 2-5A foe Los Alamos to reach the Class
the Lady Sundevils reached a familar nemesis — the Gallup Lady Bengals. For the third straight year, top-seeded Gallup ended Española’s season with a 53-33 win in the 5A semifinals as it held the No. 4 Lady Sundevils to 26 points below its season average of 60 per game. It was the second straight year the Lady Bengals beat Española in the semifinals. After the game, Roybal didn’t dwell on her team’s offensive struggles. “If you had told me [at the beginning of the season], ‘Hey coach, you’re going to be in the Final Four,’ I’d have given you $200 right there,” Roybal said. “ ‘Nice,’ I’d have said, ‘Thank you.’ ” It came on the heels of a 79-52 blowout of the Lady Hilltoppers, as the Lady Sundevils hit seven of their first eight shots and went 10-for-16 in the opening quarter to take a 24-8 lead that was never threatened.
Española Valley’s Annalynn Martinez, right, battles Los Alamos’ Katya Skurikhin for the ball during their Class 5A state quarterfinal in The Pit.
March 12, 2016
5A semifinals. The return of Lovato, a 5-foot-10 junior, was the flashpoint for an offensive explosion that lasted until
ALBUQUERQUE — The Capital Jaguars won the battle against the Española Valley Sundevils. But the Sundevils won the state title.
Even though the Jaguars beat Española three out of the five times the two boys basketball programs met in the 2015-16 season, the Sundevils won when it mattered the most. Using a closing 7-1 run, Española rallied to beat the Jaguars by a 36-34 score in a sold-out Pit for the Class 5A state title. Third-seeded Capital missed one of its last four free throws, while No. 5 Española was 5 of 8 over the final minute and Azaziah Salazar hit two free throws with :10.6 left to give the Sundevils a 35-34 lead. But the game will be remembered for “The Charge.” When James Archuleta stood his ground and absorbed the contact from Capital’s Augie Larrañaga for the offensive foul with :04.7 left, the Sundevils fans erupted in a joyous roar. But many a Capital fan will still complain that Archuleta moved just before Larrañaga collided with him and that the referee who made the call was 40 feet away from the basket. All that matters is that Española took home the state title, and the rest of the state will talk about the game for years to come.
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Sunday, June 12, 2016 the New Mexican NORTHSTARS 3
Senior Alejandro Croff and McCurdy were held without a hit in a 4-0 loss to Melrose in the Class 1A-2A state championship game. It was the Bobcats’ second straight trip to the final.
the momeNt
The best of 2015-16
A title in the balance
Clyde Mueller New MexiCaN file photo
By Will Webber The New Mexican
From left, sisters Brandee and Lauren Fulgenzi shake hands with their cousins, Jaci and Jenise Fulgenzi, all from Robertson, after Brandee and Lauren won the girls’ Class 1A-4A doubles title in May. Clyde Mueller New MexiCaN file photo
April 1, 2016 ALBUQUERQUE — Since the state’s most famous building opened its doors 50 years ago, many a magical moment has taken place under The Pit’s corrugated roof. Jimmy V’s memorable quest for a hug. The “Cup” game. The upset of Steve Kerr’s No. 1 Arizona. On this day, the shining moment had nothing to do with basketball. Striding onto the floor for the opening performance of the State Spirit Competition was Keanna Capener, a St. Michael’s drill teamer who had spent the previous three months fighting for her life against Stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She hadn’t had a chance to compete with the team since her diagnosis but was cleared to return — sans a full head of hair and most of her natural strength — the week before state. Head coach Lydia Sanchez needed a volunteer to vacate her spot to make room for Capener. Classmate Monique Olivas stepped forward, giving up her place in the routine so Capener could compete. The Pony Express performed flawlessly, of course, winning their latest state title a day later.
April 18, 2016
the momeNt
ALBUQUERQUE — Ever had gallstones? Yeah, neither have we. Most people will never experience the incredible pain and helpless feeling associated with calcified stones developing in the gallbladder. Akeisha Ayanniyi knows all about it. The Santa Fe High senior had a nagging abdominal issue turn south in a hurry just three days before the annual Marilyn Sepulveda Meet, an invitation-only event that features the state’s top track athletes facing off in an all-star meet designed to showcase the best of the best. It turned out the vomiting and cramps were the result of gallstones. She was rushed to the emergency room and spent the night in the hospital. A doctor at her side suggested she undergo surgery. She said no. A thousand times, no. She ran in the Sepulveda and came back a month later for the Class 6A championships, setting a state record in the long jump. Gallstones? Pshhh. They’re no match for Ayanniyi.
May 5, 2016
SPRING
ALBUQUERQUE — Awkwaaaaard. What looked like a celebration of the ties that bind was really a civil war in the making. The Las Vegas Robertson girls tennis team entered the individual portion of the Class 1A-4A state tournament with the top two teams in the doubles draw. The defending champs were sisters Jaci and Jenise Fulgenzi, the No. 2 seed. The tandem seeded immediately in front of them consisted of their cousins, Brandee and Lauren Fulgenzi. It seemed like the ideal fairy tale scenario: Two pairs of teammates from the same family tree going head to head in a spirited fight in the state finals. Eh, no. Tension brewed between the cousins all season, culminating in an uncomfortable plan to have Brandee pass up a chance to defend her 1A-4A state singles title to play doubles with Lauren, an eighth-grader competing in her first varsity state-level event. Even the dozens of fans who watched appeared to take sides. Some favored Brandee and Lauren while others clearly rooted for Jaci and Jenise. The match ended quickly enough as Brandee and Lauren won in straight sets in less than an hour. The cousins then had to shake hands at center court and later pose together during the awards ceremony. If there is a happy ending, it’s this: Robertson rolled to the team title two days later.
May 6, 2016 ALBUQUERQUE — He began his postmilitary life driving a bread truck around the freeways of Los Angeles. He ended his latest chapter under the awning of the Sierra Vista Tennis Complex, wrapping up a 30-year career as the tennis coach at Española Valley. Wendall Barnett, a spry 90-year-old who has lived for the last decade fighting bladder cancer, officially
retired as the patriarch of the Sundevils’ program. “Am I going to miss it?” he was asked. “Hell yes I’m going to miss it. I’ll miss the kids most of all. They’re the reason all this was possible.” While he didn’t carry with him a legacy of success along the lines of, say, famed New Mexico prep basketball coach Ralph Tasker or football coach Jim Bradley, Barnett — minus a single state title at the individual or team level — had the satisfaction of knowing he’d sustained a country club program in a place no one expected it to survive. Adios, Wendall. You may be gone, but your work will never be forgotten.
Are you serious, Barron? You had first pick of the most memorable moment from the year gone by and you bypassed the low-hanging fruit in favor of a song from 32 years ago? Tsk, tsk. Fine. This one’s mine. It happened at exactly 3:21 p.m. on Saturday, March 12. I know that because I recorded it on my New Mexican-issued smartphone and posted it on Twitter as soon as it happened: Class 5A boys basketball state championship game in The Pit, Española Valley vs. Capital, 14-grand and change looking on. Jaguars lead 34-33 with 10.6 seconds left, the Sundevils’ Azaziah Salazar at the line. He hits both, giving Española a one-point lead. The scoreboard shows Capital with a timeout remaining but they choose to play on. Like breaking down the Zapruder film, I dissected this 6.5 seconds of action frame-by-frame at least a couple dozen times. Salazar’s makes give the Sundevils a chance to set up the press. The inbounds pass from Augie Larrañaga goes to Jerome Arroyos, not Eric Coca (double teamed) or Jeremy Anaya (blocked from Larrañaga’s view). Arroyos dribbles once, reverses course behind his back and overhand passes through Marcos Flores’ hands to Larrañaga, who has sprinted unguarded along the sideline to midcourt. At this point there are only four players beyond the center stripe, only one of whom is in position to stop Larrañaga. It’s 6-foot-4 Española sophomore James Archuleta. Larrañaga easily beats Salazar off the dribble, takes two huge strides as he crosses the 3-point line and elevates off his left foot under a full head of steam just inside the free-throw line. Archuleta lowers his hands to his waist and plants both feet inches outside the restricted zone. Larranaga’s left knee spears Archuleta in the left shoulder as he releases a right-handed floater with Salazar a half-step behind to his right. The whistle blows as the ball bounces off the backboard and rattles off the front of the rim. It caroms off the back of the rim and then to the front one more time before falling through the net. The clock stops with 4.1 seconds left. Unsure of the call, Capital’s bench leaps into the air thinking they’ve just gone in front with the and-one. Nope. Charging. Basket waived off. Española wins its second state title in five years. Larrañaga is on his back along the baseline against the stanchion. Archuleta rises, clutching his opposite shoulder. Capital coach Ben Gomez stands up, showing almost no emotion. His only move is to point toward Coca in the far corner, who is prone on all fours and slapping the court with both hands. Charge or block? Basket or not? History dictates one thing. Depending on where you live, emotions say another.
May 13, 2016 ALBUQUERQUE — Years from now they’ll all remember what it was like to run onto the manicured green grass at Isotopes Park and play in the biggest game of their lives. At the time, however, it seemed fitting that it was on Friday the 13th that two of Northern New Mexico’s top baseball teams went down in their respective state tournaments. In the small-school Class 1A-2A final, McCurdy was held without a hit in a 4-0 loss to Melrose in the state championship game. It was the Bobcats’ second straight trip to the final, but this one came with the hope and expectation that things would be different. It was more of the same in the 3A championship as Pecos, the No. 6 seed who had never advanced this deep in the playoffs, was dropped 6-2 by Texico. The Panthers kept it close but were never really in it. “Just getting here, that’s what the people of Pecos will remember,” said Panthers catcher Tomas Duran, wiping away tears as he left the dugout with the state runner-up trophy. “Most teams never get a chance to be here at all, so to be the first team from Pecos to get to this place is something everyone can be proud of.” Will Webber and James Barron
ABOVE: Eric Coca, left, and Augie Larrañaga after the heartbreaking loss in The Pit. RIGHT: Arturo Archuleta pitches for Pecos. Clyde Mueller the New MexiCaN
Pecos walks and rolls
By James Barron The New Mexican
You know you’re a child of the ’80s when teenagers of the 21st century create a memory for you. I wanna walk! (Insert cheesy guitar riff mimic) I want a walk! Walk! Walk! Thank you, Pecos Panthers. The play on words of Twisted Sister’s “I Wanna Rock!!!” (Ah, 1984 was a very good year for this 8-year-old) was a driving force to the Panthers’ run to the Class 3A
state championship game. And it was uttered many times throughout the season as the Panthers’ batters mixed timely hits with patience — and walks! — as well as aggressiveness on the basepaths that paved the way. That combination helped Pecos average 8.8 runs per game and overcome an 0-5 start to the season that was the result of most of the team coming off a state semifinal appearance in basketball. In the 3A semifinals against Tularosa, Pecos used three straight walks in the third inning to set up
senior catcher Tomas Duran for a two-run single that tied the game at 2. An inning later, another walk helped the Panthers score twice more to finish off the scoring and a 4-2 win. Luis Sanchez had a walk that led to a run in the Panthers’ 5-3 win over No. 3 Lordsburg in the 3A quarterfinals. While Pecos couldn’t beat Texico in the 3A championship game, it was the second time the program brought home a red trophy. It also completed a banner year for Pecos boys teams. The cross-country and track programs won state titles, while the
basketball team reached the 3A semifinals for the first time in 11 years. Several athletes had their hands in all of that success: Mario Archuleta, Cameron Quintana and Carlos Cordova were a part of all four teams. Oh, and they brought a smile to an aging reporter’s face — as well as a catchy tune that he still can’t get out of his head.
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4 northstArs The New Mexican Sunday, June 12, 2016
AKeishA AyAnniyi santa Fe high Big schools track and field Ayanniyi endured gallstones and the stomach flu during the season, but it made her final prep meet worthwhile. On her last long jump, Ayanniyi set the Class 6A record in the meet with a distance of 19-91/4. It was the first time she jumped more than 19 feet all season, and made up for earning the “unofficial” state mark in 2015. She went on to take second in the 100 (12.30 seconds) and third in the 200 (25.27) at the state meet at Great Friends of UNM Track Complex, which will be her home next year when Ayanniyi will compete for The University of New Mexico track and field team.
CAsiMiro Fresquez Mora small school basketball The senior provided the electricity on offense, averaging more than 20 points per game for a team that reached the Class 2A championship game. Fresquez also was the District 5-2A player of the year and a firstteam Class 2A All-State member. He scored a season-high 32 points in the Rangers’ 68-62 loss to Melrose on Jan. 30, a battle of the top two teams in Class 2A. In the rematch with the Buffaloes in the championship game, Fresquez was Mora’s lone double-digit scorer with 20 points.
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dAniel isiAh BABB taos Big schools track and field Babb was an essential part of the Tigers’ three-peat as Class 4A boys champions. Babb won the high jump, triple jump and 300-meter hurdles while earning the high-point honor with 30 points. He took the triple jump and the 300 hurdles on May 14 despite nursing an injured hamstring suffered during his secondplace finish in the long jump the previous day. His final triple jump of 46 feet, 23/4 inches set a school record and beat Bloomfield’s Brendan Ramsey by three inches.
isAiAh rodArte Peñasco small school track and field The Panthers senior might well have created a new term for future distance runners to chase: the triple-triple. Rodarte didn’t just win the 800 (1:58.33), 1,600 (4:30.59) and 3,200 (9:49.52) — he set Class 2A records in each race. Rodarte started the trek on May 6 when he set the 1,600 mark with a time of 4 minutes, 30.59 seconds, breaking the old mark by more than three seconds. The next day, Rodarte easily outpaced the pack in the 800, and just clipped the old mark by .20 when he crossed the finish line in 1:58.33. Later that day, he set the 3,200 mark with a 9:49.52, which was almost nine seconds better than the previous mark.
MArCos Flores española Valley Big school football He started his high school career barely capable of gripping a football long enough to throw it downfield. He ended it with an historic run that resulted in the first home playoff game in the long and often hysterically bad Sundevils program. A true run-threat quarterback, he led the team in virtually every offensive category. On defense, he developed a reputation as a ferocious hitter, often rising from the depths of the secondary to deliver pad-popping blows that made him one of the best defensive backs in 5A.
doMiniC MontAño escalante small school football You’ve heard of franchise quarterbacks? This guy was just that in Tierra Amarilla, leading the Lobos (and their brand new red turf field this past season) to consecutive state titles. He finished this season with 2,255 yards rushing, ranking eighth all-time. He added 38 touchdowns while passing for another 15. If that’s not enough, he capped his prep career as No. 5 all time in rushing yards. The highlight was a 419-yard effort in October against Fort Sumner, the third-highest singlegame total in state history.
rose Moon santa Fe Waldorf small school volleyball You might want to get used to seeing this outside hitter’s profile in this space each of the next three years. Just a freshman for the Lady Wolves, the 5-foot-8 Moon helped her team reach the Class 1A quarterfinals after a 19-win season in which she seemed to be playing in multiple spots at once. Her 351 kills and .288 hitting percentage with 24 2 blocks were impressiv ve enough (her kills were e second in 1A), but her work on the back line was just as solid. She had 8 84 aces and 222 digs.
KAitlyn roMero española Valley Big school volleyball There may have been outside hitters who possessed more size or range, but there were very few who utilized as much of their own talent as this 5-foot-9 Lady Sundevils senior. She had a .350 hitting percentage with 393 kills for a team that reached the quarterfinals of the Class q 5A state tournament. She added 29 blocks to go with 87 digs. She saved her best for last, averaging 25.3 kills — more than six higher than her season total — over the final two weeks of the regular l sea ason.
THE TOP BIG- AND SMALL-SCHOOL ATHLETES FROM FALL, WINTER AND SPRING SPORTS
d.J. Bustos West las Vegas Big schools basketball Bustos’ success was no secret: He repeated as the NorthStars’ boys basketball player of the year. Despite opposing teams focusing their game plans on him, Bustos averaged 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists to lead the Dons to a return to the Class 4A championship game. The 6-foot-3 junior had a career night in a 69-66 win over crosstown rival Las Vegas Robertson on Feb. 17, scoring 50 points in the process. In a rematch in the Class 4A semifinals in The Pit, Bustos had 23 points, including a crucial layup with 3:26 left in the game to give the Dons a 46-45 lead.
BriAnnA PACheCo Mora small school basketball The Rangerettes’ senior has been a reliable option in the post for the past four years. Pacheco didn’t disappoint, as she had just one game in which she failed to record doubledigit points. Overall, she averaged 15.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, as the Rangerettes won their fifth straight district title. She was an All-District 5-2A first-team selection, as well as the district’s player of the year. In her career at Mora, the Rangerettes lost just one district game.
KAitlyn roMero española Valley Big school basketball The senior wing began the season as Española’s starting post, but she thrived regardless of her position. She averaged 16.9 points per game, and upped that total to 18.4 during the District 2-5A season. She was well-rounded enough to grab 4.5 rebounds and dish 3.1 assists per game. Those totals were enough for her to earn Class 5A All-State second team honors, and she helped the Lady Sundevils to the 5A semifinals for the second straight year.
Connor MAnG los Alamos Big school baseball A chip off the ol’ block. This Hilltoppers senior followed in his older brother’s footsteps, leading Los Alamos to a district title and into the state tournament as the North’s lone participant in the second week of the playoffs. An All-State performer in the infield, Mang was also one of the top pitchers in 5A. His final game was a gem, going seven strong innings in a state playoff game against Las Cruces Centennial. He gave up only three hits with 10 strikeouts, wrapping up a stellar prep career that landed him a scholarship to play at UNM with older brother Jared.
Kelly BArroWs Academy for technology and the Classics small school track and field The Phoenix senior began an historic Class 3A state meet for her team by winning the long jump, becoming the first of two state champions the team had during the May 6-7 event. Barrows was the fourth seed entering the event, but set a personal record with a jump of 16 feet, 11 inches on her first try during the finals to beat Santa Rosa’s Mikayla Garnand. Barrows helped the 400 relay team qualify for the finals, but the Phoenix missed out on a podium finish in seventh. In all, the Phoenix scored 25 points to finish in eighth place — the track and field program’s best finish at state.
BrAndee And lAuren FulGenzi las Vegas robertson tennis The younger sisters of Warren and the daughter of Lady Cardinals head coach Warren Fulgenzi Sr., the pair teamed up just days before the start of the Class 1A-4A state tournament and completed a two-day run to the title in which they didn’t drop a single set. A sophomore, Brandee passed up a chance to defend her previous year’s singles title in order to help Lauren, an eighth-grader, have a memorable postseason debut. PHOTOS BY LUIS SáNCHEz SATURNO AND CLYDE MUELLER/THE NEW MExICAN COURTESY PHOTOS OF CONNER MANG, TALIA DREICER
Capsules by Will Webber and James Barron
WArren FulGenzi las Vegas robertson tennis Unbeaten and barely challenged. That just about sums up this Cardinals senior’s final season. He didn’t lose a set all year in doubles or singles play, capping his second straight state title in 1A-4A singles with a straight-sets win over fellow unbeaten Will McDermott of St. Michael’s. The latest in a long line of Fulgenzis, Warren simply had no equal his final two years in high school. Gifted with an all-around game that featured accurate hitting and an unparalleled return game, he was clearly the best in his class.
CArisA PAdillA st. Michael’s Golf The Lady Horsemen have struggled for the past couple of years, but Padilla provided a glimpse of the future. The eighth-grader shot a season-best 84 in the final round of the Class 1A-4A State Golf Championships at Roswell’s Nancy y Lopez Golf Course to take fourth place with a 35-over 177 total on May 10. e Padilla also won the e District 5 1A-4A title with an 88 at Los Altos Golf Course in Albuquerque on May 2.
tAliA dreiCer los Alamos Big school track and field Just another cog in the giant green-andgold machine that is the Lady Hilltoppers’ dominant distance program. A senior, she was the first of four Los Alamos runners in the top six to cross the finish line at the 5A state meet in November, doing so in a time of 18 minutes, 37.20 seconds. The other three were within 45 seconds of her, leading to the team’s seventh straight state championship and 19th overall.
MiChAel tenorio santa Fe indian school Big school cross country He emerged as one of the top runners in Class 4A his junior season, turning challenging courses into his personal playground by virtue of his consistency from start to finish. As strong at the end as he was at the start for most races, the 5-foot-6 Tenorio parlayed that into a second-place finish at the state meet in Rio Rancho. It was his only runner-up finish of the spring. He won five races, excelling at both the undulating short courses and flatter terrain of others.
Jose tAPiA Capital Wrestling The junior continued to torment opponents on the wrestling mat. He went 33-0 and capped the season with pins in all four of his matches in the Class 5A State Wrestling Championships to win his fourth state individual title. Tapia won the 126-pound title with a pin of Las Cruces Centennial’s Ben Boren 1:38 into the first period and was among four state champions for the Jaguars. That improved his overall record at Capital to 138-2, and he helped the Jaguars bring home a thirdplace trophy for the first podium finish for the program.
MArshAll sPinGler st. Michael’s Golf The St. Michael’s junior was steady as a rock this season. He and fellow junior Allen Sanchez were consistently the top two golfers the Horsemen had, but Spingler was best when it mattered the most. Spingler was tied for fifth after the first round of the Class 1A-4A State Golf Championships at Roswell’s Nancy Lopez Golf Course with a 3-over 75 on May 9, then shot a 78 to settle in at sixth place — one shot ahead of Sanchez — on the following day. It helped St. Michael’s finish in fourth place, just three strokes out of second.
AleJAndro CroFF McCurdy small school baseball A budding powerhouse program is emerging at McCurdy, where this Bobcats senior utterly dominated in his final two seasons. He led the team to consecutive appearances in the 1A-2A state championship game and was on the mound with one of his best outings against Melrose in the finals. He pitched five innings of one-hit relief after serving as the team’s ace and primary catcher all season. At the plate he led the team in almost every category.
JuliAn GArCiA (not pictured) Pecos small school cross country The pack mentality that was the Panthers’ entire roster paid dividends for Garcia, the state champion in 3A. He and teammates Joshua DeHerrera and Ryan Sandoval ran shoulder to shoulder for the first mile at the state meet in November before Garcia separated from the group and strolled to a commanding 24-second win. He unseated DeHerrera as the overall champ, but together the pair helped the Panthers win their first blue trophy since 1999.
Hon H Ho on nor norRoll rrRo oll
sAMAnthA A MontAño las Vegas robertson r softball She led the Lady Cardinals to the top overall seed in the 4A playoffs, batting .510 with seven home runs, 52 RBI and an OPS of 1.230. As if that weren’t enough, she made 15 appearances as a pitcher, primarily as the team’s closer. She had five starts but saved seven games, a team high. She was 4-2 with a 0.95 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 44 innings. She surrendered just 12 hits in that span, making her one of the most feared hitters and toughest pitchers in the state.
Alex JA AeGers los Alamos Ala swimming The Hilltoppers junior had a busy finals schedule. It started by swimming the opening leg of the 200-yard medley relay in which Los Alamos took eighth with a time of 1 minute, 43.25 seconds. Then, Jaegers finished seventh in the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 22.38 seconds, and followed that with a sixth in the 100 freestyle in 49.27. After a 13th in the 500 freestyle, Jaegers swam the anchor leg of the 400 free relay team that finished eighth.
nique enloe st. Michael’s soccer Just call her The Natural. Gifted with quickness and power, this Lady Horsemen junior was downright dominant all season. She finished with 51 goals and 120 points, both high-water marks in Class 1A-4A. She did it all without having many opportunities to play from start to finish, often playing out of position or sitting on the bench in blowouts. She still managed a remarkable six-game stretch where she scored at least three goals per game and ended her season having recorded a hat trick 11 times.
AlizABeth WilliAMs Academy for technology and the Classics small school cross country Even before this ATC senior crossed the finish line, it was apparent her team was going to win the state title in 3A. The Phoenix were well on their way to placing three runners in the top 10 and all seven in the top 25. What wasn’t so clear was if Williams could rally late for the individual title after falling 11 seconds off the pace of LagunaAcoma’s Terri Dailey two-thirds of the way into the race. She did, passing Dailey and winning by a second.
sArAh lott los Alamos swimming A year off from the high school circuit did little to slow down one of the more decorated swimmers in the North. After getting the Lady Hilltoppers to a strong start with a third-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay, Lott set the state record in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1 minute, 49.29 seconds. She won the 100 freestyle in 50.20 before taking part in a third-place 400 free relay in 3:35.42.
Aiden CsArhAt taos soccer It’s said you don’t always have to look to actually see a good soccer player. Sometimes all you have to do is listen. The sound the player makes when striking the ball does all the work the eyes can’t. In the case of this Tigers senior midfielder, his powerful boot produced a 50-goal, 127-point season that propelled Taos to the Class 1A-4A state championship match in November. Combining speed with strength, he enjoyed one of the best individual seasons any Northern New Mexico boys soccer player has ever produced.
6 NORTHSTARS The New Mexican Sunday, June 12, 2016
Kaitlyn Romero
Female athlete of the year
Ultimate Valley girl
By James Barron The New Mexican
N
obody ever really says they play for Española. One of the greatest opportunities some athletes in this Northern New Mexico town have is to wear the red and gold of Española Valley High School, but it’s the “Valley” part that speaks to the heart of this community. Because the school is more than just the city. And that makes playing the community’s No. 1 sport — basketball — more significant. It represents a number of smaller villages that surround the central hub of Española. “I think what makes Española different from those other communities is that there are all those little communities,” says Ray Romero, who calls Velarde home and is an assistant coach for Española’s boys basketball program. “There are the Dixons, the Truchas, the Chimayós, Abiquiús … I could name 12 of them. … It’s for all the little communities combined that make so much pride [to be a Sundevil].” Each community has its own heartbeat to basketball, and it normally centers on their elementary schools. The seeds of passion are sewn in those gyms and the recreational centers almost year-round, as they play from early in the morning until late at night. And if those facilities are closed, many driveways and backyards have a basketball hoop to help satiate the hunger of these developing players. Some kids, though, benefit from their dad owning the keys to the gym, which gives them almost unlimited access to a rim and a ball. Romero’s daughter, Kaitlyn Romero, was one of them, thanks to her dad coaching elementary school and AAU teams as she grew up in Velarde. That also was the case for her brothers, Ray and Jeremy Romero. From those early seeds sprout the fruit of the community’s labor. When those dozens of children are pared down to the 12 to 15 players who make up the varsity roster every year, a sprinkle of flavor from every community makes a delicious dish. The thing is, these players who played for Dixon or Velarde or Alcalde or El Rito growing up blend community pride for the sake of the Valley. While few ever say they play for Española, they all take pride in saying they played for Española Valley. “I don’t think anybody thought about that too much,” Kaitlyn said. “When you get to middle school, high school, it’s pretty much Española Valley.” Fewer still can say they played for the Sundevils — or in this case, the Lady Sundevils — as well as Kaitlyn Romero. And that’s not just in basketball. The recent Española Valley graduate was an all-state volleyball and basketball player, leading both sports to unparalleled heights. Kaitlyn’s excellence in those two sports led her to being named The New Mexican’s NorthStars female athlete of the year. Kaitlyn led the state in kills with 440 even though she missed three matches this season. Her ability to hit the ball from anywhere on the court gave the Lady Sundevils a go-to hitter that few teams possessed, and it helped them reach the Class 5A quarterfinals despite entering the tournament as the 12th and final seed in the bracket. Damon Salazar, the Lady Sundevils’ head volleyball coach, said he knew from the outset that Kaitlyn’s role was going to be similar to his top hitter from 2014, Elana Salazar. “There were a lot of times we would say, ‘We’re going to run her out of the middle,’ ” coach Salazar said. “We just took the game plan with Elana and said, ‘You’re going to be Elana and you are going to play that game.’ We were able to move her around every single rotation, and it was tough for teams to find out where she was coming from. She was really like two hitters, because they couldn’t count on her being on the outside all the time.” Versatility was a common theme for the senior. On the basketball court, Kaitlyn began the season as the team’s starting post, moved to wing when junior Alexis Lovato returned from a knee injury, but showed the versatility to play anywhere that Española head coach Cindy Roybal needed her. “We didn’t have a choice but to put her in the four spot, and we did create a lot more movement for her than we normally did in the post,” Roybal said. “But it didn’t matter where I threw her. I could throw her at the two or the one. She played all the positions and she played them well. Wherever we needed her, she did it, and not once did she tell me, ‘I can’t do it.’ She was willing to do
whatever it took.” Kaitlyn averaged 16.9 points per game on the season, but upped her average to 18.4 in District 2-5A contests. She chipped in with 4.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest, and that performance earned her the district’s player of the year honor and a spot on the 5A All-State second team. Kaitlyn helped Española reach the Class 5A semifinals for the second straight year, a first for the program. A meniscus injury suffered during the state tournament prevented Kaitlyn from playing for the tennis team, which she did her freshman and sophomore years, or else she could have added that to her résumé. All the while, Kaitlyn did it with a combination of selflessness and aggressiveness that reached its apex during her senior year. She has always been a selfless player, but she realized she sometimes had to demand the ball, especially in key situations. That was never more evident than in the first two games against long-standing district rival Los Alamos. Kaitlyn was the one with the ball to kill the final few seconds in a 76-75 thriller in Griffith Gymnasium in January. When the teams reconvened in Edward Medina Gymnasium the next month, Kaitlyn again had the ball in a tied ballgame. Her drive to the basket sealed a 56-54 win and gave Española the inside track to the 2-5A title. “I matured a lot this past year,” Kaitlyn said. “With Lexi being out the first half of the year, I knew I needed to take over and be more of a leader and have that killer instinct. I do enjoy having the ball in my hands at the end of the game, for some reason. I do like having control of what’s going to happen. Whether it’s good or bad, I like being the person to blame or the one to make it happen.” Kaitlyn also was everything a coach wanted out of a team leader, which both Roybal and Salazar felt was integral in each team’s success this season. “You know most of [the players] have it in them, but not all of them pull it out of themselves,” Salazar said. “It’s not cool or comfortable because it’s not too comfortable to lead. It’s the kid who can accept that or embrace that, who is comfortable with that, who becomes that leader for you. “Sometimes, you say things that they don’t want to hear, and that’s hard because kids nowadays don’t want to call attention to themselves like that, good or bad. But when they take that risk and put themselves out there, it can make your team run more smoothly.” Basketball might be Kaitlyn’s calling card, but she displayed a willingness to try any sport through her childhood. She was on the softball or baseball field,
Española’s Kaitlyn Romero splits the double team of Los Alamos’ Katya Skurikhin, left, and Sophia Roybal in the Lady Sundevils’ 73-63 win in February. LuiS SáNchez SaTurNo New MexicaN fiLe phoToS
the tennis court and even the crosscountry course for a spell as a sophomore. Kaitlyn said her parents never discouraged her from participating in whatever sport she wanted. “Anything she wanted to do, we told her to go do it,” Kaitlyn’s dad said. “I didn’t just say, ‘Go play basketball and nothing else.’ That was the furthest thing from my mind.” Kaitlyn’s career in her second sport — volleyball — didn’t begin until she was in the fourth grade. But basketball was always at the forefront. In fact, the Romeros are a basketball family. Ray, the eldest brother, played for the Sundevils from 2006 to 2009, while Jeremy was on the Sundevils’ 2011 championship team and played at Northern New Mexico College for a couple of years. Meanwhile, their dad was constantly Los Alamos’ Samantha Melton tries to block a spike from Española’s Kaitlyn Romero. Romero averaged just under 19 kills per match as she led a young, inexperienced team to the state playoffs.
coaching. “There were times when she was playing on a team, then Jeremy was playing on a team and Ray was playing on a team, and I was coaching all three of them,” Ray Romero, the father, said. “It was fun.” The fun part was the key to the Velarde Elementary School gym, which the Romeros had up until last year. “I think it was because we lost the key,” Ray, the brother, mused. “We got the key to the high school, so we didn’t need it like before.” Until that happened, all three found ways to get all the time they needed to work on their game or just play one another. “Any time we wanted, it was just a half-mile away,” the younger Ray said. “We’d go put up some shots and get some drills in. It was like home to us.” While Ray and Jeremy created the path to basketball excellence, they acknowledge Kaitlyn has walked that path perhaps the best out of the group. “She’s just very precise with anything she does,” Jeremy said. “She’s always right on the point. Nine times out of ten, she will throw a bullet pass to the person in stride. I still have trouble with that. Her focus is incredible.” It was the kind of focus Kaitlyn needed when her dad took over as head coach for the 2013-14 season, and helped a young Lady Sundevils team reach the 4A quarterfinals when Kaitlyn was a sophomore. The family learned quickly about the downside to coaching siblings. The Romeros won’t talk about how that season went, but Kaitlyn’s dad was very cognizant of not showing Kaitlyn too much favor. Kaitlyn did her best to keep the distractions to a minimum. “I just started focusing on the game and started blocking out the other side, all the criticism and stuff that was going on,” Kaitlyn said. Then, there was the ever-present sentiment in the community that the team, while mostly sophomores and freshmen, should compete for a state title. Romero resigned in June 2014, saying that a promotion at Los Alamos National Laboratory put a crunch on the time available to coach and work. “It was a really positive experience, up until the end of the season,” coach Romero said. “I know we were mostly freshmen and sophomores, so I knew these girls would be back. But the expectations were to win now, not win next year or the next year. I knew these girls needed a little more seasoning.” The seasoning came when Roybal took over, as Española lost to Gallup in the state semis both years. However, Kaitlyn struggled with a wrist injury for most of the 2014-15 season that she suffered during the volleyball season. She never looked sharp until the end of the season. Even with the injury, Roybal said Kaitlyn never complained about it, and worked as hard as anybody in the gym. In fact, it was hard to get her out of the gym. “She’s a gym rat,” Roybal said. “They’d probably have to throw away the key, lock the doors and bolt them
shut. And make sure to turn the lights off, or she’ll probably still be there.” It appeared that Kaitlyn would be a one-sport senior when the 2015-16 school year began, as she opted to sit out the volleyball season. That lasted until just before the regular season began. Encouraged by her teammates to come out for the season, Kaitlyn heeded their calls and played after sitting out the first match because she didn’t have enough practice days under her belt. When she returned, though, it was with a vengeance. Kaitlyn used the skills she learned from playing all over the front row during her first four seasons on the varsity to her advantage. She started out as a middle blocker when she was in eighth grade. She played that position until her sophomore year, when she moved to the right side opposite top hitter Elana Salazar. “She always found a way to do her best to help the team,” Salazar said. “She’s played every position for us except for [defensive specialist]. She was just a kid who did whatever I asked.” Kaitlyn and Elana made a potent team that helped the Lady Sundevils win consecutive district titles and reach the 5A quarterfinals in 2014. This year, Salazar moved the senior all over the court to protect his best hitter from defenses that keyed on her from the outside. Kaitlyn averaged just under 19 kills per match as she led a young, inexperienced team to the state playoffs. Not to be overlooked is the academic side. Kaitlyn was the Class of 2016 salutatorian, and she earned scholarships from the New Mexico Activities Association (the “Compete With Class” honor) and the New Mexico Athletic Directors Association (for being the female scholar athlete of the year). Roybal said that kind of success bodes well for Kaitlyn. “She is just like her coach,” Roybal said with a laugh. “I told her, ‘You know I was the salutatorian [at Pecos High School], so I expect nothing less from you.’ She said, ‘You got it, coach.’ ” Romero signed a letter of intent to play at New Mexico Highlands University, although she will encounter a women’s basketball program in turmoil. The university fired head coach Briana Finch in March and has gone through two interim coaches. That’s nothing for Kaitlyn, who played for four coaches over her varsity career. Despite the constant turnover, the Lady Sundevils reached the state tournament every year. And Kaitlyn persevered to reach heights that might not have seemed possible just a couple of years ago. Then again, she admits she didn’t think about what she might be able to do individually — The New Mexican honor included. She’s always thought more about what she could do for her teammates than what she wanted for herself. “I never really thought about [earning the athlete of the year award],” Kaitlyn said. “When I was told, I thought it was a huge honor, to represent the North and be a role model to others. It was a really good feeling.” Just as it was representing Española Valley, which is all a girl from Velarde could ask for anyway.
Sunday, June 12, 2016 The New Mexican NORTHSTARS 7
Male athlete of the year
Marcos Flores
In Española, a legend is born By Will Webber
The New Mexican
I
ESPAÑOLA n life there are a few signs that suggest you’ve made it big, that maybe you’re onto something truly meaningful. For Marcos Flores, that time came when he stood behind the counter at a local pizza joint this spring, slinging $5 pies and asking customers if they wanted to add breadsticks and a 2-liter soda for a couple of bucks more. Wearing his khaki pants and black visor, he was merely doing what every teenage kid does to earn a paycheck when school lets out. For him, life was good. It was simple. And then it happened, the reminder that this ordinary teenager wasn’t so ordinary, that his recent accomplishments in Española Valley’s red and gold put him on a higher plane than so many around him. Such is life in an area that reveres its sports heroes as bastions of community pride. Winning in the Valley means immortality in ways bigger-city folk can never relate to. Winning there comes with a quick fade into the mist. Winning here reserves a permanent spot in the memory banks. Pack up the moving van, relocate a time zone or two away and then head back to Española 20 years from now, and people will still talk about the events that unfolded during the 2015-16 school year, a year that will go down as one of the most amazing runs in Española Valley history. Football — football! — became a thing, and the basketball team and its legion of die-hard fans won another blue trophy. In the middle of it all was Flores, a kid with a goofy grin, an uncoiffed mop of hair and a never-quit attitude who seemed to come out of nowhere his senior year to become the grand marshal of all things Sundevils. On this one particular day, it seemed the dust had finally settled. The championship trophies had been stored behind glass, the uniforms returned to safekeeping in the equipment room. Life had seemed to transition into something almost normal. “Then these two little kids walked into the place I work and bought a pizza,” Flores says. “One of them asked me to autograph the box. This little boy actually asked me to sign my name on a cardboard pizza box. Me. An autograph from me.” It’s a novelty act we’ve seen before in Española. The 2011 state championship boys basketball team’s star player, Rodney “Rocket” Coles, became a local folk hero while leading the Sundevils to the school’s first title. When Flores & Co. duplicated the feat back in March with a win over Capital before 14,000 fans in The Pit, it reserved their spot alongside the Rocket. For Flores, it is a big reason he has been selected as The New Mexican’s NorthStars male athlete of the year. He was the starting quarterback and free safety for the district championship football team and a jack-of-alltrades player in basketball. He topped off his year as an accomplished javelin thrower in track and field, taking third at the state meet. More than the stats and postseason accolades was this simple fact: When the pressure was at its most intense, when the lights were their brightest, Marcos Flores was at his best. He rose to the occasion when it mattered most, beating Capital in a must-win football game to secure the team’s first district title and its second-ever playoff spot after setting the singleseason record of nine wins. He did it again in the Class 5A basketball championship game, holding Capital’s best player to just two shot attempts while finishing as the game’s high scorer and scoring a key bucket in the final 20 seconds to help erase a four-point deficit in the final minute. “Let me tell you something about Marcos: He’s one of a kind,” says former Sundevils boys basketball coach Richard Martinez. “There are building blocks you build a house with.
Espanola’s Marcos Flores throws during the Class 5A javelin event at the State Track and Field Championships at Great Friends of UNM Track Complex in May. fiLe phoTo by Luke e. MoNTavoN for The New MexicaN
Flores, center, drives past Capital’s Jerome Arroyos and Bryan Garcia fiLe phoTo by Luke e. MoNTavoN for The New MexicaN
Flores is tackled by Farmington players during the state playoffs in Española. Although the Sundevils lost, the team set the singleseason record of nine wins. LuiS SáNchez SaTurNo/New MexicaN fiLe phoTo
There are pillars you use to support that house. That’s Marcos. You can build something great with him. I’ll tell you this: I’ve never been one to look at how much talent a player has. I look at how much heart a player has. Marcos has more heart than anyone I’ve seen in a long, long time. He’s a thoroughbred.” The seeds of Flores’ success were sewn in the most nontraditional way imaginable. While some kids grow up in the crucible of competitive youth sports,
spending years honing their skills through private camps and community rec leagues, Marcos was nothing more than the kid next door looking for something to do. Instead of uniforms and practices, he spent years horsing around with his brothers and cousins. Sports weren’t even on the family’s radar. “We have never been a big sports family,” says Corrine Flores, Marcos’ mother. “We didn’t really watch it and the
kids didn’t play sports when they were younger. I guess it is surprising to see what Marcos has done because he didn’t have that background.” Corrine and her husband Alfredo have four boys, Marcos being the second oldest in a group that also includes a girl from Corrine’s sister. What youth sports leagues didn’t provide, the extended family certainly did. “Oh, man, my brothers and cousins always used to beat on me,” Marcos jokes. “At least having that many boys around gave us something to do.” It wasn’t until he was well into elementary school that Marcos began playing organized basketball. More curious than committed, he admits it took years for the passion that seems to consume most people in this town to seep in. “But he always did have that personality where he wanted to be first,” Corrine says. “He’s pretty high energy. Even though he didn’t get into sports when he was little, he always just ran around and had a good time playing.” Marcos was just good enough to earn a roster spot in grade school basketball. In junior high,
he was so worried about getting cut that he nearly quit. In seventh grade he took up football, but it wasn’t until the spring of 2011 that Española’s passion for hoops legends finally started to manifest itself. The family was driving back from Colorado Springs, Colo., the day the Sundevils were playing Roswell Goddard in the state finals. Flores sat in the car listening to it on the radio, hearing the emotion in the KDCE announcers as Coles led the team to the school’s first and long-overdue title. “I told my mom that I was going to win one of those before I got out of school,” Marcos recalls. “I started to see how important basketball is to the people around here. I wanted to be a part of that.” He carried that same approach to football despite the overwhelming difference in community interest between the sports. Whereas basketball rivals family and religion in the Valley, football has long been a launching pad for embarrassing moments and historic losing streaks. Corrine remembers how the regulars at football games consisted of maybe half a dozen families and a handful of friends. Week in and week out they watched blowout after blowout. It wasn’t easy on Marcos, either. His development was slow as his physical tools took time to grow. “They put me at quarterback in seventh grade, but I couldn’t really throw the ball,” Marcos says. “I could only run it. It took a long time for me to get big enough to throw a football. Like freshman year, I think. Maybe sophomore year.” It was in those formative years that he and his parents made a deal. As long as he maintained honor roll status while playing sports, he wouldn’t have to work year-round to help support the family. As is the case with so many people in the Valley, the Floreses have held firm to the idea that earning a paycheck for an honest day’s work is a source of pride. Alfredo instilled that ethos into his boys at a young age, often taking them with him to do odd jobs around town. Whether it was picking up trash or pulling weeds, they learned from their father that there is no substitute for developing a relentless work ethic. “I always liked doing those things with my dad,” Marcos says. “He would have us doing side jobs like cleaning yards to get a little cash, then he’d let us use the money to maybe buy a Coke and a candy. Then over here, my mom would always be working two jobs to take care of four boys who never stopped eating. I saw how hard they worked for us, and it meant a lot. I saw what they did.” Martinez says it’s those humble, loving and hardworking roots that made Flores the athlete he is. “Coaches often make the mistake of seeing only talent and not what’s inside,” Martinez says. “Me, I’ll take a kid with heart over someone with talent. I saw that in Marcos right away.” So did other coaches. Former Española football coach Miguel Medina noticed it from the time he met Flores in middle school. Marcos would often get up in the early morning to work out with the Española varsity at 6 a.m., then practice with the sub-varsity in the afternoon and spend the rest of his time lifting weights and conditioning for football. It was exhausting and stressful, but Medina knew he was onto something when he got Flores and a handful of others to join a program that had been a laughingstock for more than a generation. “You can see it in a player’s eyes right from the start,” Medina said last fall. “You bring in a kid and show him what we’re doing. He might have all the talent and the physical tools, but if he doesn’t have that look on his face, then you’re in trouble. Marcos has always had that look I want in a player.” But it wasn’t always fun. As his love for hoops blossomed, it was football that he stubbornly held onto. “We had so many games where we’d get smacked 50-0, and
every time coach would tell us to believe, that what we were building was going to be amazing,” Flores says. “It was hard sitting in the locker room after losing bad, bad, bad every week, losing after all those practices in 100-degree heat and lifting weights all the time. But we believed. There weren’t a lot of us, some guys dropped off and new guys came in — but coach was always there.” It wasn’t until his freshman year that the dynamic relationship between Flores and Martinez really took off. An impassioned coach who has now been fired four times in 13 years with the school, Martinez has nurtured a reputation that is as polarizing as anything anyone has ever seen in Española. From his first exposure to it, Flores knew he’d found what he was looking for. When Martinez invited him to join the varsity full time after he kicked a player off the team, the pair began a yearslong relationship that is hard to describe. “First time I walked into the gym, he was on me about what I was wearing, about not having my jersey tucked in, about everything,” Flores says. “A lot of guys didn’t like it, but I knew what he was doing. He was showing us discipline. Me and Rich, we got into a lot of bickering and behind closed doors in the locker room there was some arguing, but when we were out there during games, we worked together.” Over the years, Martinez taught Flores to drop his grinding football mentality on the court and adopt a style that combined finesse and brute force. The fouls that often mounted and limited playing time when he was younger faded as Marcos learned the game and embraced the school’s love for basketball. It reached a proverbial crescendo the night before the 5A title game in March. Holed up in the team hotel, just a day away from facing a Capital team that had given them fits in four previous meetings that season, Martinez approached his senior captain and assigned him the task of shadowing Jaguars star guard Eric Coca. Earlier in the tournament, Coca had posted back-to-back 22-point games. All season he’d had his way with almost every opponent, Española included. “When you look at the tools you have, sometimes the best one is what you save for last,” Martinez said. “I knew if we were going to play Capital again, Marcos had to be the guy. Whether he was guarding Coca or [Augie] Larrañaga or [Jeremy] Anaya, he was the one player I knew could do it.” And Flores did. With The Pit roiling with fans anticipating the moment, Marcos was at his alltime best — just as he was time and again during football season when he lived up to his nickname “Kamikaze” by flying head first into opponents with fearless abandon. “I think one of the things that always bothered me was how people put Española down,” Flores says. “That’s why bringing a championship home is such an important thing. People are proud of that, and a championship flag is something you can never take down. Winning is for all of Española.” Moving forward, Flores plans to study forestry or in a medical field in college. Wherever he winds up with his profession, this much is certain: He wants to return to his hometown one day to continue the coaching legacy that meant so much to him these past few years. “I want to give something back to everything these people gave to me,” he says. “I learned that you can be something that starts out small and no one believes in, then transition into something bigger and more successful. I guess that’s what I want to give back. Yeah, I can see myself coaching at my high school one of these days.” Hearing those words, Martinez says it’s easy to see why Española is like no other place. “To take pride in the people around you when everyone else doubts what you believe in, that’s special,” he says. “To have a young man dedicate himself to his school and never give up, that’s why places like Española will always love their sports.”
8 NORTHSTARS The New Mexican Sunday, June 12, 2016
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