Sundevils thrive in atmosphere of constant adversity

When the world burps in your face, sometimes it’s best to burp right back. Metaphorically speaking, no one serves up the retaliatory burp quite like the Española Valley boys basketball team. No one.

The Sundevils are one of those rare teams who actually get better when the proverbial stuff hits the fan. When controversy strikes, they get stronger. When adversity offers a crevasse in the road, they find a shortcut no one knew existed.

They get better when they take on the us-versus-the-world mentality. Coaching controversy? Win state. More coaching drama? Win state again.

Coach gets run out of his job? Climb to the top of the polls.

Player involved in an off-campus incident? Injuries to key contributors? Forfeits? Board hearings? Internal investigations? Fan discord? Doesn’t matter. The Sundevils are impervious to the kind of shenanigans that derail mere mortals. Not many teams, if any, can honestly stand before the world and demonstrate proof that they get better in moments like that.

Right around the time the Oscars were making global headlines for awarding the wrong winner on Sunday night, Española Valley felt pretty much the same thing when the NMAA’s seeding and selection show on ProView Networks incorrectly announced the Sundevils as the No. 2 seed in the Class 5A state tournament.

Just as shocking was the idea that Capital, a team that has beaten Española twice in the last week, was No. 5.

The show’s host, Adam Diehl, quickly corrected the mistake by admitting ProView Networks presented the wrong graphic on their live stream. The backlash on social media was instantaneous.

A Twitter account used to deliver archival news and updates about the team lambasted ProView for the blunder.

“It did just happen & it could only happen 2Espanola,”

the account wrote within minutes of the announcement. “@ProViewTV that is terrible. @_NMAA needs to find another company 4 seeding &selection.”

It later claimed Diehl had “pulled a Steve Harvey,” a reference to the host of the Miss Universe pageant who announced the wrong winner last year.

Other outlets, including our own, chimed in as the night dragged on.

While it only took a minute to make the admission and correct the problem, the damage was already done.

Capital supporters swarmed in, with their disbelief, then Española fired back once the correct bracket was announced.

“Truth be told if that happens to any other 5A school, you don’t hear anything. Oh…but it HAD to be, HAD TO BE Española Valley. My goodness,” wrote another account.

Regardless of how it all went down, this much is certain: It was a bonehead mistake and it did warrant the kneejerk reactions that stemmed from it.

What’s more, it provided the incentive Española needs to come out swinging once the tournament starts this weekend.

What might be a distraction to most is the spark that usually ignites their rocket fuel.

Looking for a dark horse in 5A? Look no further than the experts at playing with a chip on their shoulders.