SPORTS WEEK IN REVIEW
A handful of Rio West basketball players have been chosen to compete in next summer’s North-South All-Star Games.
The senior backcourt duo of Juan Hurt and Clay Patterson were chosen from Rio Rancho, joining Cibola guard Desmond Carpenter, Cleveland forward Tyrique Weaver, Storm guard Marcus Hill and Volcano Vista forward David Cormier.
All of them will play for the Class 5A/6A squad.
Rio West-area girls selected for the 5A/6A game were Volcano Vista guard Melissa Mancha and Cibola guard Kavi Brown.
Metro softball
Cleveland came from behind to defeat Volcano Vista 6-5 in eight innings Friday afternoon in one of two semifinals of the Albuquerque Metro Championships.
The Storm faces La Cueva at 1:30 p.m. today at Lobo Field. See today’s main sports section for more information on Cleveland’s semifinal victory.
The Storm rallied to beat Eldorado in Thursday’s semifinals, while Volcano Vista shoved across three runs in the bottom of the sixth and overcame Cibola, 10-8.
Rio Rancho, with an assist from Cleveland, is hosting the Kristin Griego Memorial Tournament starting Thursday. Bernalillo and West Mesa are also in the field.
The championship game is 1 p.m. next Saturday at Eagle Ridge Middle School.
Metro baseball
Rio Rancho, the No. 2 seed, will play No. 1 La Cueva at 1 p.m. today at Santa Ana Star Field for the Metro championship.
The Rams got a walk-off single from Tariq Levesque in the bottom of the seventh inning Thursday as Rio Rancho defeated No. 3 Cleveland, 6-5. The Storm plays Volcano Vista for third place at 10 a.m. today at Santa Ana Star Field.
The Hawks lost 11-1 in six innings to La Cueva in the other semifinal Thursday.
Cibola and St. Pius both reached the quarterfinals before falling to Cleveland and Rio Rancho, respectively.
Rio Rancho’s annual Sal Puentes Invitational begins Thursday.
Cleveland faces Goddard at 11 a.m., followed by Hobbs-Albuquerque Academy at 1:30 p.m.
In the bottom half of the bracket, Rio Grande faces Artesia at 4 p.m., with the host Rams meeting Clovis at 6:30 p.m.
The semifinals are 4 and 6:30 p.m. Friday, and the final is 3 p.m. March 25.
Track and field
Cleveland’s boys beat a strong field of challengers last weekend in the Storm’s annual invitational meet.
Cleveland scored 114½ points, followed by Albuquerque Academy (93½) and Volcano Vista (79).
Event winners from Cleveland were Daniel Johnson in the long jump, 110-meter high hurdles and 300-meter intermediate hurdles, and Dylon Sandoval in the 400 and 200.
Volcano Vista’s Jericho Cleveland won the 1,600-meter final.
Some of the metro area’s top athletes competed, including Manzano’s Jordan Byrd, the 100-meter winner, Academy distance runner Jordan Lesansee (who won the 3,200) and Academy thrower Jackson Morris, who was first in the discus, javelin and shot put.
The Cleveland girls also won the meet, scoring 151½ points.
Event winners for the Storm were Liz Davis in the high jump, Caitlin Barnard in the long jump and 100, Sarah Snippen in the shot put, Aphiniti Crupper in the 200, Sarah Mackin in the 300 hurdles, and Amanda Mayoral in the 1,600 and 3,200.
Hockey
The Cibola hockey team captured the New Mexico state championship last weekend at the MAC Center in Rio Rancho, defeating Durango, Colo., 3-0, in the final.
Cibola finished the season 17-2-1.