Los Lunas claims 4A crown
St. Michael’s takes down three-time defending champion Sandia Prep in Class 3A final
RIO RANCHO — That Los Lunas High started the volleyball playoffs as a No. 9 seed might have been unusual enough. The Tigers changed head coaches during this season. That was extremely unusual.
And on Saturday afternoon, Los Lunas was one precarious set from losing the state championship match.
But the Tigers (18-9) steadied themselves, overcame Goddard’s intimidating front line and won the Class 4A championship at the Santa Ana Star Center, beating the fourth-seeded Rockets in five sets. The scores were 16-25, 25-13, 12-25, 25-16, 15-13.
“Oh my God. I’m over the moon,” said Los Lunas coach Tanya Sanchez. “We love each other, and we love volleyball.”
Sanchez was the second of two coaches for the Tigers, following Veronika Baric. Sanchez, previously the JV coach, was promoted and assumed full-time control at the start of Los Lunas’ district season six weeks ago.
None of the first four sets Saturday was especially competitive — Goddard’s size imposed itself on the Tigers, particularly in the third set —but the Tigers and Rockets (15-9) atoned with a thrilling final set.
Goddard led 13-12, but Los Lunas scored the final three points. Senior Samantha Lente had a kill, followed by a Goddard hitting error, and then an ace from Anna Cieremans.
“We definitely knew we had some bad games and a rough start (to the season),” said Lente. “But we knew we could do it, from the beginning.”
The Rockets’ size was largely negated in the final two sets.
“We told them that when those three girls are in the back (row), we had to attack them in that rotation,” Sanchez said.
Class 3A
Three streaks ended in the 3A final. Sandia Prep’s run of three consecutive state championships was stopped, as was its 16-match winning streak.
Far more importantly, St. Michael’s put a halt to a 16-year title drought.
The top-seeded Lady Horsemen (232) — toughened by a difficult first-half nondistrict schedule — took down the third-seeded Sundevils (20-5) in four sets, 25-21, 19-25, 25-14, 25-17, for their first blue trophy since 2002.
“We definitely had to rise to the occasion of being the No. 1 seed,” said senior hitter Miquela Martinez, whose tip on match point sealed the win. “This game was much more tough mentally for us, but when we have energy and confidence, that’s the real game-winner.”
Mikayla Bohlman, one of eight seniors on the Lady Horsemen for second-year head coach Valerie Sandoval, provided the kill from the middle to clinch the first set for St. Mike’s.
The Sundevils regrouped in set No. 2, but the Lady Horsemen started fast in the third set, scoring six of the first seven points. Their versatility eventually wore down Sandia Prep.
“We have a lot of weapons,” Sandoval said. “It’s not so much centered around one person.”
Class 1A
Logan, last year’s 2A champion, beat reigning 1A champ and district rival Melrose. The scores were 23-25, 25-20, 25-13, 21-25, 16-14.
Top-seeded Logan (21-3) went 4-1 against the second-seeded Lady Buffaloes (21-4) this season, with three of those victories being five-setters.
The Lady Longhorns twice overcame three-point deficits in the final tense set in the first of Saturday’s five state championship matches.
“They seem to get more focused when we’re down,” Logan coach Robert Young said. “I like how well they always can get themselves together on the court.”
Class 2A
Second-seeded Texico (19-5) swept No. 5 Dulce (21-4), as the Wolverines won a state title for the fifth consecutive season. The scores were 25-18, 25-22, 25-12.
Dulce, coming off a memorable fiveset upset of No. 1 Mesilla Valley Christian in the semifinals, was a first-time finalist.
Class 5A
LOS LUNAS, 21, BELEN 17: Host Los Lunas (8-2) overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to beat Belen (7-5) and advance to the semifinals to face Goddard (9-1), which shut out Deming 34-0 in a Saturday quarterfinal as well.
Los Lunas junior Kade Benavidez threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Cody Vocu, giving the Tigers a 21-17 lead with 2:29 left in the game, and the Tigers held on.
Belen’s Luke Aragon hit senior wide receiver Raymond Stirling for a 22-yard touchdown in the first quarter and kicked a 36-yard field goal late in the first half.
Los Lunas senior lineman Garrett Lucero picked up a bad snap and capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run on his team’s first second-half drive
Michael Montoya’s interception set up the Tigers for a drive which culminated in a 1-yard touchdown from Los Lunas’s Diego Sanchez and a 13-10 lead.
Belen senior running back Diego Casillas scored on a 1-yard touchdown to put the Eagles back on top, 17-13, midway through the fourth quarter.