ON THE MAT
The Vivian Classic, one of the state’s top wrestling meets, starts today.
Bad news, Valley High basketball fans.
After the regular season, both the boys and girls will be on the road, or at least on a neutral floor, to close out the year.
Not just this season, but the entire calendar year.
A major construction project is getting underway at Valley next month, which will bring a handful of renovations, including a new weight room, new locker rooms, a new cheer/dance room and an expanded lobby.
But the work is going to interfere with basketball.
Valley’s boys and girls will play their home games during the district season, but any home games in the District 5-6A tournament — and, more importantly, the first round of the state tournament — will be forced elsewhere.
If both were to earn top-8 seeds for the playoffs and be awarded a home game in the first round, those games will be moved to a neutral site.
Not only that, but volleyball will play all its matches on the road next fall, and apparently neither basketball team will have home games in November or December.
The gymnasium itself, Valley athletic director Joe Coleman said, is not being altered.
“Everything around it,” Coleman said, “will be gutted.”
The project is expected to be completed by mid-December, Coleman said.
WRESTLING: With only a few weeks left before state, the Joe Vivian Classic will be the first meet of the prep wrestling season to bring most of the Class 6A contenders together. “Most” being the operative word.
This prestige event has lost some luster now that both Rio Rancho and Cleveland bypass it, and their absence dilutes the field — although, it should afford wrestlers from other schools with more opportunity to win individual titles.
All 13 programs from Albuquerque Public Schools are in the field, led by APS Invite winner Manzano, plus Volcano Vista and Rio Grande.
Piedra Vista, last year’s 5A state champ, also is not attending. Las Vegas Robertson, the 4A winner from 2015, is entered, as is last year’s 5A runner-up, Belen.
This year’s event is at Albuquerque High, starting at 12:30 p.m. today and Saturday. The finals are scheduled Saturday at about 5 p.m.
Volcano Vista will be without its coach, Ahren Griego, who is serving a two-week suspension for breaking APS and NMAA rules, APS spokesman Rigo Chavez said. His suspension ends Jan. 20, Chavez said.
METRO SWIMMING: The boys Albuquerque Metro Championships are Saturday at the West Mesa Aquatic Center.
In addition to the 13 APS teams, Rio Rancho, Cleveland and Bosque School are also in the field. The meet begins at 8 a.m. with diving, followed by swimming at 10:45 a.m.
La Cueva is the defending boys champion; Eldorado won last year’s girls meet.
LAND RUSH: Half a dozen schools from southern New Mexico are sending their boys and girls basketball teams to Albuquerque this weekend, the most prominent name among them being the defending Class 6A state boys champion from Hobbs.
The Eagles (8-4) will be at Eldorado at 7:30 tonight, and visiting Volcano Vista at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
Carlsbad, Alamogordo, Gadsden, Las Cruces and Mayfield’s boys are also in town this weekend, as are the girls from those same five schools, plus Hobbs.
Carlsbad, Las Cruces and Mayfield are all ranked in the top five in the Class 6A girls Max Preps rankings. The Cavegirls, in fact, are doing a rare three-games-inthree-days trip, which began Thursday night at Manzano.
Today’s showdown against Volcano Vista is the featured girls matchup of the weekend. The 15-1 Cavegirls are rated No. 3, the 12-1 Hawks are ranked No. 1. They meet at 5:30 this afternoon at Volcano. Carlsbad also visits No. 6 Eldorado on Saturday afternoon.
The Las Cruces-La Cueva girls, at 7 tonight, is another high-profile matchup, as is Mayfield-La Cueva on Saturday afternoon.
SIGNINGS: Five local prep baseball players will be signing with junior colleges today:
Atrisco Heritage left-handed pitcher Matt Marquez (New Mexico Military Institute);
Atrisco RHP/shortstop Luis Diego Quintana (Frank Phillips JC in Texas);
Rio Rancho catcher Chris Carr (Eastern Arizona);
Rio Rancho outfielder Wille Baez (Otero JC in La Junta, Colo.);
Albuquerque High infielder Pablo Herrera (Otero JC).
ANOTHER STORM COMMITS: Cleveland lineman Santos Taylor, a 6-foot-3, 275-pound senior guard and part of the Storm’s massive offensive front, has made a verbal commitment to play for New Mexico Highlands.