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Sports Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela, editor editor
Senior Spotlight: James Tupou
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BY KATRINA VILLARREAL The Prospector
James Tupou is a fullback who received his bachelors in kinesiology and is working on his master’s in leadership studies. Photo by Alberto Silva Fernandez /The Prospector
Football player chases success
UTEP fullback James Tupou has received his undergraduate degree in kinesiology and is on his way to completing his graduate degree in leadership studies.
Once he graduates, Tupou is looking to become a strength coach or a personal trainer.
Tupou is originally from Allen, Texas and has been playing football since he was eight years old; he has loved playing ever since.
Tupou explains that both his family and teammates play a big part in his love for the game of football.
“My dad put it upon (my brother and I), so we got hooked on it from him,” Tupou said.
Being able to cheer on his teammates is something that Tupou loves about playing football. Tupou explains that seeing everyone happy, whether it is him or one of his teammates making a play, is what is genuinely enjoyable.
“Football is supposed to be fun,” Tupou said. “We got to make sure it should be competitive, but at the end of day it’s still a game.”
During his career at Allen High School, Tupou originally played on the defense. Tupou was on the school’s varsity squad where he earned All-District 6-6A First Team Defense and received Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) Class 6A All-State Honorable Mention.
During the 2019 season, his sophomore year, Tupou began to see action at the fullback position.
Tupou recently recorded his fi rst touchdown as a Miner in the game against Rice University, Th ursday, Nov. 3, making this his favorite catch as a UTEP Miner.
“Big, historic mark,” Tupou said. “It took a long time, but you know (I had) patience and it was fi nally rewarded, so I appreciate that.”
Tupou’s inspiration to take the fi eld is his father and sibling, especially his brother who, he explains, has fought through adversity all along his interesting journey.
Tupou said that he and his brother have had conversations about not playing football anymore. Th ey both decided to push through.
“(Tupou’s brother) still bounced back and battled, and he’s actually played one of his, probably his best, years of college football this year,” Tupou said. “I’ve never been so proud of him as a younger brother.”
To motivate himself on the off days, Tupou takes a note from UTEP football Head Coach Dana Dimel. Tupou explains that sometimes you have to fake the hype and once you are into it, positive energy and motivation makes its way through the entire team.
“You just start to feel like ‘I’m into this now, my teammates are into it,’” Tupou said. “Positive energy starts getting spread around and you just start to get hooked on it too, it just starts bouncing off .”
Being a part of the UTEP football team has meant everything to Tupou. He explains that he and the team have been through a lot of adversity during his time at UTEP.
From going 0-12, to 1-11, to 3-5, to fi nally fi nding success last season when the program fi nished 7-6 and played in a bowl game for the fi rst time since 2014.
When he graduates, Tupou hopes to leave the legacy of being known as a hard worker by his teammates.
“Going through the hardship of all those years, I feel has built a lot of character,” Tupou said. “All the hard times has really made me the person I am today.”
One thing Tupou will miss about UTEP when he graduates with his graduate degree is going to be his teammates. Tupou explains that he has been able to build a close relationship with them.
“I probably went through a lot of, I guess people that either transferred or left , or just hung their cleats up,” Tupou said. “Th ere are also people that I’ve never met in my entire life from diff erent parts of the country and (I) end up being best friends with them.”
High school statistics for James Tupou courtesy of UTEP Athletics, and utepminers.com
Katrina Villarreal is a staff reporter and may be reached at kvillarreal1@miners.utep.edu.
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Senior Spotlight: Alianza Darley
Alianza Darley shines in academics as she received C-USA Commissioner’s academic medal Photo by Gianluca Cuevas/The Prospector
Volleyball senior thrives at UTEP
As the volleyball season comes to an end, senior outside hitter and middle blocker Alianza Darley contemplates what her next step will be. Th e Robertson High School graduate is eligible to play for the upcoming 2023 season, but that has not stopped Darley from thinking about her life outside of UTEP.
Sports run deep in Darley’s family. Her father played both football and basketball at New Mexico Highlands University, her stepfather played basketball at San Diego State University and her grandfather played college basketball and played in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Darley has several academic accolades from Conference USA such as All-Conference Second Team, the Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll, and received the Commissioner’s Academic Medal in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Darley’s academic success did not just sprout in college but comes from years of academic successes.
“I mean, it’s pretty easy because I know that if I don’t do good in school, I’m not going to be able to perform on the court.” Darley said. “It’s like a healthy balance for me and it helps me.”
Th e New Mexico native was recruited to play not just volleyball, but basketball as well.
Darley mostly played basketball during high school while rapidly becoming a strong leader among her peers and teammates.
In an interview with the Albuquerque Journal, Robertson coach José Medina praised Darley’s leadership as a student athlete.
“She’s a good role model,” Medina said. “She leads by example, works hard every day, is good to her teammates and motivates and pumps her teammates up. She pushes them to work to be at the next level.”
“I wouldn’t say I was like a leader in my freshman or sophomore year,” Darley said. “But I think being able to help lead this team has been one of the reasons why the program is so successful. It is because all of us have put in a lot of time into creating a great culture here.”
Before her exemplary run with the UTEP volleyball team, Darley experienced some uncertainty about what sport to play in college.
She found herself choosing between playing basketball or volleyball, but came to a decision aft er prioritizing her collegiate success.
“It was a hard decision,” Darley said. “I knew regardless of where I went or what sport I played, I wanted to succeed. With volleyball, I’ve done that. I didn’t play volleyball as much as I played basketball, so you know, I’m just glad that I got the opportunity to play.”
With her future still in the air, Darley reminisces about her time at UTEP. She specifi cally remembers a moment during the 2021 National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) where the Miners fell to the University of Las Vegas (UNLV) in the semifi nals.
In that match, over 2,000 fans fi lled Memorial Gym to watch UTEP try and punch its ticket to the 2021 NIVC Finals.
“I remember running out aft er we changed into our jerseys,” Darley said. “Th e amount of fans and how loud (Memorial Gym) was , is a feeling that I will never forget.”
Th e Miners volleyball team lost that game 3-1 in dramatic fashion.
UNLV defeated Valparaiso University in the following round to become champions for the 2021 NVIC Championship.
Th is year, the Miners qualifi ed for the C-USA Championship as the No. 3 seed and faced the Charlotte 49ers at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18 at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Th ere, the Miners lost to the No. 22 Rice in the semifi nals in a shutout aft er beating the University of Charlotte in a shout out of its own.
Looking forward, Darley is still undecided as to what to do aft er this years fall commencement, mirroring Darley’s uncertainty when deciding what sport to play out of high school for college.
Th at is not to say the soon to be kinesiology graduate is completely clueless at the moment.
“I haven’t really thought much of it,” Darley said. “I want to become either an occupational therapist or a type of fi eld like that. Th at is the plan right now, but it might change in a couple of months.”
Statistics provided by UTEP Athletics and utepminers.com.
Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela is the sports editor and may be reached at erivas7@miners.utep.edu: @ rivasemmanuel2 on Instagram
Basketball shuts out at Jim Forbes
BY EMMANUEL RIVAS VALENZUELA The Prospector
Th e UTEP men’s basketball team tipped off the inaugural Jim Forbes Classic against Alcorn State (5-1) Tuesday Nov. 22 at the Don Haskins Center. Th e UTEP Miners hosted the Alcorn State Braves (3-3), California State UniversityBakersfi eld (CSU-Bakersfi eld) (33) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (TAMU-Corpus) (4-3). Th e Miners faced off against CSU-Bakersfi eld at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23 and against TAMU-Corpus at 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 25.
Th e Classic, named aft er UTEP hall of famer Jim Forbes, was selected to play for the 1972 United States Men’s Basketball Team during the Munich Olympics. He dedicated a large portion of his life to coaching, assisting Coach Don Haskins at UTEP while later coaching his own teams at Riverside and Andress High Schools.
At the half, the Miners were up 30-22 with Otis Frazier III leading the team with six points before leaving the game with an injury during the fi rst half. UTEP dominated the paint and dropped 20 points while completing over 44 percent in fi eld goals.
UTEP found itself tied at 53-53 aft er 40 minutes. Th e Miners did great in the paint scoring 36 points but could not get anything going from a distance recording only one of 16 three-point attempts at the end of regulation.
Th e Miners fought through two overtimes to come out victorious over the physical Braves. Th e fi nal score was 73-61, UTEP. In the second overtime, the Miners outscored the Braves 14-2. UTEP struggled at the free-point line averaging only 51.2 percent of attempts.
Th e following night, the Miners faced CSU-Bakersfi eld in another overtime match up. UTEP looked great to start the game shooting 15 of 27 in fi eld goals while shooting 18 points from the paint. CSUBakersfi eld was held to only eight of 25 fi eld goals and one of fi ve past the three-point line. UTEP lead at the end of the fi rst half 34-21.
UTEP let go of its 13-point lead during the second half. CSUBakersfi eld outscored the Miners 34-21 aft er scoring 12 points from the paint. In the second half, UTEP went nine of 22 fi eld goals and struggled at the free point line, converting only two of seven attempts. Th e score at the end of regulation was 55-55.
UTEP closed out the game aft er Givance took a trip to the free throw line. Down 67-66, Givance nailed both free throws giving the Miners the lead with three seconds left . UTEP won 68-67.
Th e Miners then faced TAMUCorpus. Another strong start by the Miners allowed the team to jump out to a 37-26 lead at halft ime. TAMU-Corpus completed only 28 percent of fi eld goals and only nine percent of three-pointers. UTEP allowed TAMU-Corpus to comeback in the second half. TAMUCorpus outscored UTEP 41-35 in the second half aft er completing 15 of 32 fi eld goals and scoring 12 points from past the three-point line. Th e Miners won this game 7267 on day three of Th e Classic.
Th e Miners will face off against New Mexico State University for the in-season rematch of the Battle of I-10 at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30 at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Aft er sweeping at the Jim Forbes Classic, the Miners have won fi vestraight and have not lost a game at the Don Haskins Center.
Statistics provided by UTEP Athletics and utepminers.com.
Women splits ‘2022 Holiday Beach Classic’
BY KATRINA VILLARREAL The Prospector
UTEP women’s basketball (51) traveled to San Luis Obispo, California for the Holiday Beach Classic series during the Th anksgiving break. Th e UTEP Miners met the San Jose State (2-4) Spartans, Nov. 25 and the Sacramento State Hornets (5-1), Nov. 26. UTEP won the game against San Jose State with a fi nal score of 67-54 but fell to Sacramento State 63-50.
In the win against San Jose State, San Jose led the Miners in an 11-0 start. Senior guard Jada Holland led the Spartans with 20 points. Nearing the end of the fi rst half, the Miners were able to take the lead for the fi rst time in the game aft er a layup by senior guard Avery Crouse. UTEP kept the momentum going with a 7-0 run. At halft ime the score was 29-26.
In the second half the Miners were able to keep the score close, 31-28, but aft er a free throw by sophomore forward Adhel Tac and a rebound by Crouse, the Miners were able to take the lead back, 42-39. San Jose regained the lead by going on a 10-0 run in the third quarter. With seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter UTEP fi nished with a 16-0 run to close out the game.
Aft er missing the last three games, sophomore forward Elina Arike recorded 13 points and fi ve rebounds. Junior guard N’Yah Boyd fi nished with 12 points, while Crouse fi nished with 10 points. Junior guard Jazion Jackson secured a season-high 18 points, with seven rebounds and three steals. Th e win against San Jose State marked the 200th win for Head Coach Kevin Baker in his collegiate career.
“Today we learned to play through adversity, and I’m very proud of our team for that,” said Baker in a post-game interview. “We got off to a bad start. We hit some key shots and made some big plays to get some separation late in the fourth.”
In the fi rst quarter, both teams were able to put points on the board with an 8-7 lead by Sacramento State. UTEP and Sacramento State went for a combined 0-11, UTEP was able to end the scoring drought with a two-pointer by Boyd to bring the score to 15-9. With 3:50 left in the second quarter, Sacramento State extended its lead to 27-14. Th e Miners were able to close the gap to 27-24 aft er scoring 10 straight points.
During the second half, both teams continued to exchange points with UTEP staying within fi ve points of Sacramento State. Th e fourth quarter was all Sacramento State as the Hornets outscored the Miners 20-12 aft er shooting 50 percent from the fl oor.
Th e Miners will be back home to take on New Mexico State University for the Battle of I-10 at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30 at the Don Haskins Center.
Statistics provided by UTEP Athletics and utepminers.com.
Top NFL Fantasy Football picks for the final stretch
BY KATRINA VILLARREAL The Prospector
As we enter week 13 of Fantasy Football, here are my final suggestions on who to put on your team.
Quarterback
Kicking it off for the top fantaasy options is the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen. Allen has been the number one option for the quarterback position all season. Allen continues to score points for fantasy teams by averaging 25.2 points per game. Against the Lions, Allen had 253 passing yards and 78 rushing yards. Allen is rostered at 99.9 percent and has only struggled once this season and continues to be a top option for most fantasy teams.
Running Back
The Los Angeles Chargers’ Austin Ekeler has had an amazing fantasy season so far. Ekeler has only struggled once this season and is averaging 23 points per game. In the game against the Arizona Cardinals, Ekeler had 11 receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown. Ekeler is currently rostered at 99.9 percent and is ranked number one in running backs. Although Ekeler is not leading the league in rushing yards, he does put up big points .
Wide Receiver
The Bills’ Stefon Diggs has dominated at the wide receiver position in fantasy. Diggs has struggled twice this season and is currently averaging 22.6 points per game. It was a bit of a slow start for Diggs against the Lions, but he finished the game catching eight of 15 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown. Diggs is rostered at 99.9 percent as he continues to show why he is a great pick for the wide receiver position.
Tight end
At the tight end position, we have the Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce. Kelce has not struggled this season and is currently rostered at 99.9 percent. Kelce leads the tight ends in points by averaging 22.3 points per game. Kelce recently broke a tie he had with former tight end Rob Gronkowski for the most 100-yard games in league history. As the season continues, Kelce has proven to be the number one tight end option this season.
Flex
Any player mentioned can be a flex, except Allen and Kelce, but another good option for the position is Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones who is averaging 15.7 points per game and has a roster percentage of 99.2.
Defense and Special Teams
For defense, the 49ers defense and special teams are the way to go as they continue to dominate. They are currently averaging 8.8 points per game and are rostered at 85.9 percent.
Kickers
Lastly, there is one kicker who has been consistent all season. Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker has been averaging 9.7 points per game and has a roster percentage of 99.3. Tucker has not struggled so far this season.
All stats courtesy of ESPN
Katrina Villarreal is staff reporter and may be reached at kvillarreal1@miners.utep.edu.
UTEP football season ends in dramatic fashion
BY EMMANUEL RIVAS VALENZUELA The Prospector
The UTEP Miners (5-7, 3-5 Conference USA) and the No. 25 University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) (10-2, 8-0 Conference USA) played in the final game of the regular season. For the Miners, a win would have pushed the team over into bowl eligibility for the second year in a row. A feat that has not happened since the 2004 and 2005 football seasons.
The Miners dominated in the first half, leading 24-10 at the end of the second quarter, UTEP managed to gain over 300 yards in total offense. UTSA came back early in the fourth quarter after an interception from junior quarterback Calvin Brownholtz on a 3rd and 10.
Brownholtz’s second interception changed the trajectory of the game allowing UTSA to box out the Miners. UTSA would go on to kick a 28-yard field goal to put the Roadrunners up 34-31.
Brownholtz, who has been starting in place of junior quarterback Gavin Hardison, threw 11 of 24 for 189 yards for two touchdowns and two interceptions, while rushing for 51 yards and one touchdown.
In a season full of ups and downs, UTEP managed to complete several accomplishments.
The Miners delivered a muchneeded win to the community of El Paso after defeating the New Mexico State Aggies 20-13 Saturday, Sept. 10 at the Sun Bowl. There, senior running back Ronald Awatt rushed for 120 yards delivering UTEP one touchdown.
In a game where the Miners were heavy underdogs, head coach Dana Dimel rallied his team to a 27-10 upset at home against Boise State. In a very diverse game plan, four different UTEP players rushed for a total of 199 yards. Most notably, sophomore punt returner Marcus Bellon returned a punt 47 yards for a touchdown. The punt return iced the game for the Broncos and secured the Miner victory.
The Miners had to beat the FIU Panthers to reach bowl eligibility. UTEP dropped 40 points to FIU’s six points. The Miners’ defense held the FIU offense to 76 yards. Meanwhile, UTEP combined for 525 total yards. Sophomore wide receiver Kelly Akharaiyi scored his first touchdown as a Miner.
Hardison threw for 2,044 yards this season and 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Hardison did not finish the season after an injury in the 37-30 loss to Rice. Brownholtz finished the season with 512 yards and four touchdowns and four interceptions over six games.
Both Awatt and sophomore running back Deion Hankins finished the season with over 700 yards. Senior wide receiver and running back Reynaldo Flores noted 276 yards and five touchdowns along with 534 yards and a single receiving touchdown over the air.
Sophomore wide receiver Tyrin Smith ended the season with 1,039 yards. This is following former UTEP wide receiver Jacob Cowing’s 1,354-yard season in 2021. This is the first time in UTEP history that the Miners had wide receivers go over 1,000 plus yards in back-to-back seasons.
On defense, senior defensive end Jadrian Taylor led the Miners with 9.5 sacks this season. Junior linebacker Cal Wallerstedt and junior linebacker Tyrice Knight tied for the team lead with 95 tackles this season. The defense allowed a total of 4,230 all purpose yards.
Senior kicker Gavin Baechle completed 22 of 24 field goal attempts. Baechle did not miss a single point after attempt allowing him to score 97 points for the Miners in 2021.
Statistics provided by UTEP Athletics and utepminers.com.
Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela is the sports editor and may be reached at erivas7@miners.utep.edu: @ rivasemmanuel2 on Instagram
TOP: The Miners football team defeated Boise State University 27-10, Sept. 23 at the Sun Bowl.
BOTTOM: Kicker Gavin Baechle celebrates with his team after kicking the game-winning field goal against FAU on Oct. 22.
Photos by Alberto Silva Fernandez/The Prospector
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COMMENTARY Paving out the playoff picture after week 12
BY EMILY AUTUMN VELASQUEZ The Prospector
The National Football League season consists of 18 weeks of tough football, upsets and intense games. We are officially two thirds of the way through the season and the playoff picture is starting to become clearer with each passing day. Let us discuss who is shaping up to make waves this postseason.
Sitting at No. 1 in the American Football Conference (AFC) are the Kansas City Chiefs at 9-2. It should be no surprise that the Chiefs are playoff contenders yet again with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce putting up record breaking numbers. While the Chiefs have a powerhouse offense, their defense can struggle at times and it leaves fans to wonder what will happen once playoffs come.
Sitting at no. 2 are the Miami Dolphins at 8-3. The Dolphins faced some struggles early in the season due to injuries, but they have gotten back into their groove as of late and are on a five-game winning streak. Since acquiring Head Coach Mike McDaniels, the Dolphins have found a spark they lacked in recent years.
Sitting at No. 3 are the Tennessee Titans at 7-4. The Titans are back in action after starting the season 0-2. Since then, they have won seven of their last nine games. Running back Derrick Henry continues to be a threat to defenses across the league and quarterback Ryan Tannehill is starting to build chemistry with his receivers.
Sitting at No. 4 are the Baltimore Ravens at 7-4. While they are a solid team to watch out for with players like Lamar Jackson and Justin Tucker.
It is a tight division race as the Bengals are currently second in the division at 7-4, so the playoff picture might shift as the season wraps up.
Sitting at No. 5 are the Buffalo Bills at 8-3. They are currently taking up one of the wild card spots. However, they maintain the same record as the Dolphins so things could possibly shift as the season wraps up. Sitting at No. 6 are the Cincinnati Bengals at 7-4, who are finding the rhythm they had last year as they made a Super Bowl run, however, injuries are proving to be a problem for them. Lastly, at No. 7 are the New York Jets at 7-4. The Jets’ success is a shock to most, but they are playing well week in and week out. This has allowed them to win games and beat some of the best teams currently playing.
Teams that are looking into securing a last minute Wild Card spot in the AFC are the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Chargers at 6-5. Both teams have lost some close games, which resulted in them falling down the list.
The National Football Conference (NFC) is full of tough teams who are finding a rhythm in the second half of the season, leading fans to wonder which of these teams can stay healthy and powerful enough to make a Super Bowl run.
Sitting at No. 1 in the NFC are the Philadelphia Eagles at 10-1. The Eagles have been a dominant team all season as quarterback Jalen Hurts has found a rhythm with his receivers and running backs and is putting up record breaking numbers, while also having a solid defense that is forcing takeaways and making key plays in crucial moments throughout the season.
Sitting in the No. 2 seed are the Minnesota Vikings at 9-2. Quarterback Kirk Cousins and wide receiver Justin Jefferson have established a real connection this season and it has allowed them to find success. They have a massive lead in their division as the team in second, the Detroit Lions, are currently sitting at 4-7. Due to how poorly the rest of their division is performing, they are basically guaranteed a playoff spot, the only thing that can change is their seeding. However, after a brutal 40-3 loss to the Cowboys in week 11, many are wondering if there are holes to be discovered in this “stellar” team.
Sitting in the No. 3 seed are the San Francisco 49ers at 7-4. The 49ers are one of the hottest teams in the NFC right now as they found their rhythm both offensively and defensively in the last four games, all leading to victories. Since acquiring running back Christian McCaffrey, the 49ers have gotten a real rhythm going on the offensive side of the ball. The defense has allowed zero points in the second half for the past four games, something that only seven other teams have done since the merger.
Sitting in the No. 4 seed are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 5-6. While they are currently the division leader, it is still a tight division race as the Atlanta Falcons are sitting at 5-7. The New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers also have the division title in reach sitting at 4-8.
Sitting in the No. 5 seed are the Dallas Cowboys at 8-3. The Cowboys seem to have found their rhythm again after the return of quarterback Dak Prescott, however their division is a tight one as the New York Giants sit in the No. 6 seed at 7-4 and the Washington Commanders sit in the No. 7 seed at 7-5. It is a tough division, which is obvious with the way the entire division is currently in playoffs.
Teams that are looking into securing a last minute Wild Card spot in the NFC are the Seattle Seahawks at 6-5 and the Atlanta Falcons.
I am going to stick with my initial preseason prediction for Super Bowl LVII and say it will be between the Buffalo Bills and the San Francisco 49ers facing off in Glendale, Arizona.
Emily Autumn Velasquez is the editor-in-chief and may be reached at eavelasquez@miners.utep.edu; @ byemilyautumn on Instagram; @emilyautumn20 on Twitter.
