Former foes aiming to win a title together
Martinez, Branch have EV in 5A final
Richard Martinez has left the Pit floor a champion before — with more than one school, in fact.
He hopes to do so again Saturday, when his Española Valley Sundevils play in the Class 5A boys title game.
But Martinez isn’t the only member of his staff to leave the floor with a title. First-year Española assistant James Branch not only did so — but watched Martinez do so a couple of decades ago at the Class 2A level.
In 1994, Branch led Questa to the state crown, and the next year Martinez kept the title in northern New Mexico by leading Mora to the title.
Now, they are on the same bench trying to pick up a 5A championship.
“A lot of coaches are afraid to bring people behind them with great experience, but I have a great staff, and I love coach Branch is now part of it,” Martinez said.
Said Branch: “I didn’t get rehired there at Mora, and that’s all in the past now. We don’t really talk about those old titles — we’re talking about getting one this year in Española. But those were really great days.”
Branch and Martinez faced off a number of times over the years, and said each of their Class 2A titles came after beating the other in the state tournament.
“We had some battles against each other,” said Martinez, who won a state title at Española in 2011. “But the time is now. We want to walk up that ramp as winners together on Saturday.”
TOAST: Tohatchi sophomore Kalian Mitchell impressed pretty much everyone at the Santa Ana Star Center in Thursday’s Class 3A girls semifinals.
Mitchell amassed 26 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals in the Cougars’ 74-57 overtime loss to Tularosa.
She also stepped to the foul line and calmly swished three straight free throws with 0.2 seconds left in regulation to tie the score.
“It was just like shooting regular free throws,” Mitchell said.
Cougar fans expected nothing less, especially the numerous supporters wearing Mitchell’s No. 5 on T-shirts emblazoned with her nickname, “Toast.” Toast? “When I was little I watched a show called ‘ The Brave Little Toaster,’ ” Mitchell said with a grin. “I watched it all the time, so people started calling me Toast. They still do.”
Tohatchi fans were unable to toast a victory Thursday as starting guards Mitchell and Cheyenne Begay fouled out after combining for 45 points.
ON THE BOARD: Gateway Christian senior post Johnny Worrall turned in a noteworthy performance Wednesday in the Warriors quarterfinal win over Escalante, yanking down 31 rebounds, which is tied for the fourth-best in New Mexico Activities Association history. Nobody in the state had exceeded 30 rebounds since 1976. Worrall, who is committed to play at Washington University in St. Louis, didn’t fare so well Thursday, grabbing 11 rebounds as Gateway lost to top-seeded Melrose 70-53.