[ad_1]
When Albuquerque Public Schools found out it was opening the door to out-of-state trips for its spring sports programs this year, the La Cueva baseball team was among those who signed up to pack their bags.
The Bears head to the Phoenix area this week to play four games at the Coach Bob National Invitational. There are 100 teams scheduled to compete in many locations.
Excluding cheerleaders, La Cueva is the first team from a major APS team sport to take advantage of this new initiative.
“We have been invited to various national tournaments before,” said Bears head coach Gerard Pineda. “It’s something we’ve always wanted to do.”
APS district athletic director Adrian Ortega told the Journal last April that this is coming, starting with spring sports in the 2022-23 school year.
Fall sports programs — with the exception of football — and winter sports programs may make the same trip beginning in the 2023-24 school year if they choose. Albuquerque High, for example, is circling the possibility of taking its boys and girls basketball teams to Juneau, Alaska next season. According to AHS Athletic Director Chad Jones, the school is almost done.
Football will have to wait because the 2023 season is the tail end of a two-year schedule, and they can’t leave the state for a game until the 2024 season. La Cueva is expected to be the first to hold such a game outside the state.
Ortega said he consulted with 13 high school principals “and all 13 were supportive of this initiative.”
Travel is limited to one trip per season, and must not be outside the borders of New Mexico. Could be an in-state tournament/weekend.
And there’s a catch: the teams have to raise the money to pay for these trips themselves. Pineda said that a few weeks ago, La Cueva will spend in “high youth” to travel to Arizona. They leave on Wednesday. They will play one game on Thursday, two on Friday and the fourth game on Saturday.
“We want to go play other states and see how we stack up against people from all over the country,” Pineda said. “I’m very grateful to the APS administration for allowing us to do that.”
The move is one of the few changes Ortega has implemented since taking office. Allowing eighth graders to play in high school is another; It was another to bring schools from outside the metro area to the metro tournaments that began with basketball tournaments in January.
Post-Chapter Hardwood Honors: Gatorade has named Volcano Vista sophomore forward Kenyon Aguino as the Mexican Player of the Year.
The 6-foot-7 Aguino, who recently led the Hawks to the Class 5A state title, averaged 19 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists.
Meanwhile, MaxPreps.com has selected its top two players for the 2022-23 season. Del Norte senior guard Shane Duma-Sanchez and Eldorado sophomore guard Bella Hines.
What’s coming Rio Rancho is hosting baseball and softball tournaments this week.
The Sal Pontes Tournament begins Thursday, with several of the state’s top baseball teams, including 5A state champion Carlsbad.
The Cavs will face Cleveland on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. Valley plays Albuquerque Academy at 11:00 a.m. Sandia plays Artesia at 4:00 p.m. The host Rams face Goddard at 6:30 p.m. The semifinals are Friday and the championship game is Saturday at 3 p.m.
Christine Griego’s softball tournament at Eagle Ridge Middle School is arguably the most celebrated regular season event in New Mexico. 22 schools attended. Metro finalists La Cueva and Volcanic Vista are among them. Three of last year’s state champions are Carlsbad (5A), Gallup (4A) and Robertson (3A).
The championship game is Saturday night at 4 p.m.
This and that: Manny Vigil was named the girls basketball coach at Los Lunas High School on Monday. He is the former head coach at Valencia and more recently at Alamogordo. … The addition of eighth-grade athletes to high school sports paid off for Manzano’s Kiana Weirick, who recently won a golf tournament at Arroyo del Oso Golf Course. … Value senior football player Caeden Jojola has committed to the New Mexico Highlanders football team in Las Vegas.
[ad_2]
Source link
