Prep football ‘bowl’ matchups are in the works
State schedules set for ‘fall’ sports also
There is some clarity, if not finality, on how the final week of this spring high school football season is going to look.
It will be, as expected, a “Bowl” game, scheduled April 1, 2 or 3.
New Mexico Activites Association associate director Dusty Young said Wednesday that the NMAA expects to announce the Week 5 matchups, and locations, in about a week or so.
“We will collaborate with schools,” Young said. “If two schools want to play each other that haven’t yet, we’ll accommodate it.”
He said a number of requests already have been made to the NMAA office. Is it possible there will be some repeat matchups?
Some of the state’s top rivalries — Las Cruces-Mayfield, Eldorado-La Cueva, Carlsbad-Artesia — already have been played, or will be played in Week 3 or Week 4.
Young said he could not rule out rematches in Week 5.
“We will definitely try to find a new game for as many schools as possible,” he said.
It is possible, maybe even probable, that some smaller schools may opt out in Week 5 in order to get athletes into their basketball seasons.
Meanwhile, Albuquerque Public Schools opens its three-week season on Thursday night with three games.
Cibola plays Sandia at Wilson Stadium, Manzano takes on Atrisco Heritage at Nusenda Community Stadium, and Valley meets Highland at Milne Stadium. All three games kick off at 7 p.m. The other seven APS teams open on Saturday afternoon.
The GoFan app already has
Week 5 games listed for 12 of the 13 APS varsity football teams, even though the contests do not yet appear on the APS athletics website. The Journal could not immediately confirm if these are firm matchups.
The games listed on the app for April 2-3 are:
■ Albuquerque High vs. Manzano, April 2, 7 p.m., Milne Stadium;
■ West Mesa vs. Sandia, April 2,
7 p.m., Wilson Stadium;
■ Atrisco Heritage vs. Rio Grande, April 2, 7 p.m., Nusenda Community Stadium;
■ Volcano Vista vs. La Cueva, April 3, 5 p.m., Wilson Stadium;
■ Eldorado vs. Cibola, April 3, 5 p.m., Community Stadium;
■ Del Norte vs. Highland, April 3, 5 p.m., Milne Stadium.
Valencia High is expected to play host to Valley on April 3 at 1 p.m.
STATE SCHEDULES: The NMAA on Wednesday announced that the Public Education Department will allow state events to be contested in cross country, volleyball and soccer. And as with regular seasons, they’ll have to follow state public health order guidelines.
There are going to be several new venues for state.
Albuquerque Academy has the state cross country meets March 26-27; Rio Rancho High has been the host site for many years. District cross country meets are scheduled Friday and Saturday as qualifiers ahead of the state meets.
In volleyball, the quarterfinals and semifinals will be played in the gyms of the higher seed, or at a neutral site. The Pit is hosting the championship matches, April 1-3, culminating with the 5A final at 4 p.m. on April 3. The Rio Rancho Events Center had been hosting for many years.
The University of New Mexico Soccer Complex is staging the high school finals April 8 and 10. The quarterfinals and semifinals, like volleyball, will be played at the higher seed or on a neutral field. The complex on the Santa Ana Pueblo for the last few years, and before that the APS Complex on the West Side, had been hosting the finals.
Volleyball state brackets will be revealed Saturday night, March 27. State soccer brackets are to be announced April 3.
OFF TO WEST POINT: Eldorado runner Laurynn Sisneros, the 2019 Class 5A state champion in the 1,600 meters, will sign with West Point in the next few days.
She received her nomination last week, and will report to West Point just days after competing in the state track and field meet in late June.