Academy set to host prestigious Harper meet
Website: Rogers is 42nd top baseball prospect
The Richard Harper Memorial Track and Field meet is widely regarded by the athletes as the most popular regular-season event on their calendar.
It is also one of the most important meets of the year.
This year’s edition begins Friday morning at Albuquerque Academy with a stellar, 25-team field. All 13 schools from APS are entered, plus Rio Rancho, Cleveland and the host Chargers. Belen, Valencia, Los Lunas and Sandia Prep also are scheduled to compete.
From the metro area, the only school of note that is passing on the Harper meet is St. Pius.
Most of the field events (12 of the 14) are Friday, with start times at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The 3,200-meter (1 p.m.) and 800-meter finals (2:50 p.m.) also are Friday.
The final two field events, boys/girls javelin, are Saturday morning.
The remaining running finals begin at 9:45 a.m. Saturday at the Academy combo football/track stadium. Most of the top metro athletes who bypassed the Sepulveda event earlier this week should be in action this weekend at Academy.
NO. 42: Jeff Ellis of Scout.com, who is touted as an authority on the upcoming Major League Baseball draft, recently released his first prospect rankings list of 2017, a list that includes college and prep players.
In a draft that many people believe is loaded with top-notch college arms, Ellis has Carlsbad senior left-hander Trevor Rogers rated No. 42 overall.
Rogers is ranked 23rd among high school prospects, regardless of position, according to Ellis.
SIGNINGS: Two Volcano Vista track stars, Abram Schaap and Lauren Green, are signing with Division I programs.
Schaap, who should make his 2017 debut this weekend at the Harper meet after nursing a foot injury from football that has kept him off the track this season, will sign with BYU.
Schaap is expected to run only relays this weekend, then hopefully return to open sprints next week at the Albuquerque Metro Championships.
Green, a sprinter like Schaap, is signing with Nevada.
… Sandia Prep’s Morgan Crotta, possibly New Mexico’s premier female pole vaulter, said she has signed with Occidental College in Los Angeles.
COACHING UPDATES: Oñate football coach Brent Jaquess has retired. He was 19-16 in three seasons with the Knights. He led them to two playoff appearances. … La Cueva cross-country coach Nick Martinez has also retired after 11 seasons with the Bears. Martinez led both the boys and girls to state titles during his tenure. … Joey Trujillo, who led the Pojoaque Valley boys to a state basketball title in 2008, has resigned from the Elks.
THIS AND THAT: Just a couple of weeks after five-time state champion Jose Tapia of Capital signed with Boise State, the Broncos on Tuesday unexpectedly announced they were dropping wrestling as a sport in favor of pursuing a baseball program. This leaves Tapia to find another school — and quickly. … The Rio Rancho and Cleveland baseball teams this month raised over $3,600 for the “Best Buddies Program,” which benefits special-needs kids at both schools. Several dozen “best buddies” threw out first pitches before the game between the rivals last Friday night. … The Albuquerque Metro Tennis Championships conclude Saturday, with singles and doubles finals beginning at 8 a.m. at Academy. The quarterfinals are today, the semifinals Friday, both days at 4 p.m. at the Academy. … La Cueva softball is up to No. 13 nationally in the CBS MaxPreps Xcellent 25.