Prep football season moved up
In ’18, state high schools to begin a week earlier, play for titles Turkey Day weekend
It’s now official: The high school football season will end on Thanksgiving weekend beginning in 2018.
By an overwhelming majority of 66-7, members schools in the state have voted to confirm a new calendar that will go into effect for the 2018-19 school year and beyond. It will push up by one week the season openers, and it will mean a Thanksgiving finish to the season for the upper classes, with championship games on Black Friday or the following afternoon.
This year, Dec. 2 falls on a Saturday, and that is when title contests will be played in Classes 3A through 6A. Next year, Nov. 24 is the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Championship games in the lower classes also
would move up by one week.
The 2017 football opener (Manzano vs. Atrisco Heritage) for Albuquerque Public Schools is Aug. 23, a Wednesday, as has been the APS custom since Nusenda Community Stadium opened in 2013.
Next year, if APS continues to start the season on a Wednesday, the opener would be Aug. 15.
The football scenario is only half of this overall calendar adjustment, however.
The classification and alignment committee of the New Mexico Activities Association has been trying for some time to reduce the overlap between the end of the fall sports season and the start of the winter sports. So, the new calendar will push the start of prep basketball back two weeks.
This year, practices officially begin Monday, Oct. 30. Next year, it moves back to Monday, Nov. 12. Moreover, all school districts will have to compress their regularseason schedules (generally 24 or 26 games). That’s because the dates of state tournament dates are remaining firm, ending the second week of March.
NOT A BAD AVERAGE: CBS/ MaxPreps has released a composite baseball ranking to end the 2017 season, and the Class 6A state champion La Cueva Bears finished as the No. 5 team in the country.
This particular list includes two rankings from CBS/MaxPreps (one done by computer), two from USA Today (one by computer), plus Baseball America, Perfect Game and Collegiate Baseball.
MaxPreps’ rankings had La Cueva at 8/16 (the second number is the computer ranking), USA Today had the Bears at 7/10 (the second number being the computer), Baseball America had La Cueva at No. 5, Perfect Game at No. 15 and Collegiate Baseball at No. 12.
VALLEY REPLACES HARBIN:
Valley High has named Joe Tafoya its new girls basketball coach. Tafoya, 49, replaces the successful Rich Harbin, who left in May to take over Eldorado’s program.
Tafoya was an assistant with Harbin for 12 years. He has been both the Vikings’ JV head coach and had two stints as a varsity assistant.
“I want to keep the winning, respected program we’ve had the last 12 years,” Tafoya said. “I want to keep us at that level.”
He has had three daughters play for Harbin at Valley. This is his first varsity coaching job.
“It was a chance to step in and get a shot and see what I can do,” Tafoya said. “I’m really committed to the North Valley. It’s the best place to be.”
DIRECTORS CUP: Cleveland (6A), Albuquerque Academy (5A) and Hope Christian (4A) were winners for 2016-17. The Directors Cup, through the NMAA, rates member schools based on success in athletics, activities and sportsmanship.
The remainder of the top five in 6A were Eldorado, Las Cruces, Rio Rancho and Piedra Vista. One school that would have finished in the top two was La Cueva, but it was ineligible because of a number of coaching ejections.
Cleveland was the only 6A school among the top 20 in that class that didn’t receive a point deduction for a player or coach ejection.
After Academy in 5A, it was Los Alamos, Artesia, Farmington and St. Pius. In 4A, after Hope it was St. Michael’s, Silver, Robertson and Shiprock.
Other classification winners were Pecos (3A), Lordsburg (2A) and Melrose (1A).
THIS AND THAT: After Quint Seckler left to take the head job at Adams (Colo.) State in Alamosa, Eldorado has named Maureen Abeita as the new head swimming coach. Abeita, 27, swam at St. Pius and the University of New Mexico and was an assistant for Seckler at Eldorado for four seasons. … The fifth annual NMAA Foundation Fun Run is July 29 at Albuquerque Academy, at 8 a.m. To register online find the link on the NMAA website, nmact.org. … Volcano Vista track athlete Kjia Stith is in Queensland, Australia, this week, representing the state on the New Mexico Mountain Conference Track and Field team. … State wrestling champion Loden Cain from Cibola (182 pounds) has signed with Otero (Colo.) Junior College. … Sandia Prep is seeking head coaches in cross country, swimming, golf, bowling and assistant volleyball at the varsity levels. Letters of interest and a résumé should be sent to athletic director Willie Owens at 532 Osuna Road, 87113. Deadline to apply is July 21. … Sandia High will soon have a new AD after Joe Williams left to become an assistant principal at Hoover Middle School.