Preview of the first round of the state soccer tournament
Rio Rancho girls play champion Cibola
While the top seeds lean back and kick up their proverbial heels, everyone else this weekend is angling for a trip to the soccer complex on the Santa Ana Pueblo.
The first round of the high school state tournaments open with a flood of games today, and a few more on Saturday. Winners move into the quarterfinals next Thursday at the complex just west of Bernalillo.
BOYS: Only two teams in the Class 6A field — Albuquerque High and Mayfield — won more regularseason games than did Rio Rancho (14-4-2), which has a chance on Saturday afternoon (2 p.m.) to give No. 12 seed Las Cruces some closure on an unwanted circle.
The Bulldawgs and fifth-seeded Rams also opened the year against one another, at the Field of Dreams on Aug. 18, with Rio Rancho winning 3-2.
Rio Rancho proved to be one of the pleasant surprises of the season, a year after the Rams felt the sting of being left out of the playoffs altogether. Junior Payton Sandoval’s 12 goals led Rio Rancho.
Two district rivals, Highland (11-6-1) and Atrisco Heritage (8-82), square off tonight at 6 on the Hornets’ pitch. Highland, the 4-6A runner-up to No. 1 seed AHS, is in the playoffs for the first time in four years.
The Hive and Jags split a pair of district games, and the winner gets the Bulldogs in the quarterfinals.
No. 7 seed Volcano Vista (11-7) has had a rollercoaster of a season that included two forfeited games, but also a handful of excellent victories and a potent scoring trio in Larsen Rogers, Zach Lemasters and Skylor Rose who combined for 27 goals.
The Hawks play host to No. 10 Gadsden at 3 this afternoon. Two other members of Gadsden’s district, Hobbs and Oñate — two of the five teams from 3-6A to be included in the postseason — meet in the fourth first-round matchup.
Los Lunas and Valencia have first-round games in 5A. The ninthseeded Jaguars (8-10-1) are in Santa Fe to face Capital today, while the 10th-seeded Tigers (11-9) visit No. 7 Chaparral on Saturday afternoon.
Bernalillo and Bosque School both are on the road in Class 1A-4A. The 11th-seeded Spartans (11-8-1) — and forward Emiliano Leal with his team-best 21 goals — visit Hatch Valley, while the No. 10 Bobcats (6-11-3 following a rugged schedule) are at Socorro.
GIRLS: Cibola’s playoff road begins with a potentially tricky matchup against District 1-6A rival Rio Rancho at 6:30 tonight at the APS Complex. The Cougars (14-4), winners of the last two 6A blue trophies, beat the Rams (6-11-3) twice in the regular season — including once in double overtime — and that has Cibola coach Gary Zink more than slightly concerned about this third meeting.
It’s been over three weeks (Oct. 5) since Rio Rancho last won a game. That, in fact, was the team’s only victory between Sept. 7 and tonight’s clash with Cibola. The Rams at one point this season were 5-2-1.
The first of the four 6A first-round contests is 4 p.m. today, with No. 10 Eldorado (8-9-1) visiting No. 7 Albuquerque High (15-3). AHS, led by senior forward and future UNM Lobo MacKenna Havenor (21 goals) and freshman Zaria Katesigwa (who led the team with 33 goals), has won 11 in a row.
Sandia (11-6-1), the 9 seed, visits Carlsbad on Saturday afternoon. Standout Matador juniors Sydney Groth and Hannah Gallegos combined for 37 goals this year, more than half the team’s total for the season.
No. 7 seed Los Lunas (13-6-1) and No. 12 Valencia represent the metro in the 5A bracket.
The Jaguars benefited from Santa Teresa’s removal from the state tournament, and Valencia (9-9-2) steps in to travel to No. 5 Alamogordo on Saturday afternoon.
Los Lunas is home this afternoon at 4 to face Bloomfield. The Tigers have one of the most dynamic scoring punches in the state in Kylie Spangler (40 goals, 109 points) and Ariana Romero (33 goals, 33 assists). Those two are responsible for more than 70 percent of their team’s goals.
In the 1A-4A bracket, No. 5 Hope Christian (10-10) and No. 8 Moriarty (13-7) have home games this afternoon, both at 3 p.m. The Huskies play host to Navajo Prep, while the Pintos welcome district rival Portales four hours before the same two schools play a football game in Moriarty.
The soccer teams split a pair of games in the regular season. Ashley Strader has 31 goals for Moriarty, teammate Chloe Rector an additional 25. Both are juniors.
State finals in all six division are Nov. 4 on the Santa Ana Pueblo. The top four seeds in each bracket had first-round byes.