◆ A look back at the fall state champs.

A look back at the state champions from Northern New Mexico for the fall season of the 2019-20 school year.

TEAMS BOYS SOCCER St. Michael’s Horsemen (13-9-1 overall)

Nothing about their regular-season record indicated the Horsemen were bound for championship glory, but a deeper look showed they were capable of it. They lost District 2-1A/3A matches in overtime to the top seed (Albuquerque Bosque School) and the No. 3 team (Albuquerque Sandia Prep) in the Class 1A/3A State Tournament, and No. 4 Monte del Sol beat St. Michael’s in the final moments of regulation.

So there should have been no surprises when the eighth-seeded Horsemen beat the Bosque 2-0 in the quarterfinals, then went to double overtime to down the Dragons in the semifinals. The championship match against No. 2 New Mexico Military Institute went to a shootout, and senior Esteban Rigales slotted his kick into the upper left of the goal to secure the program’s first state championship.

VOLLEYBALL Las Vegas Robertson (21-5 overall)

The Lady Cardinals showed mental toughness amid the never-ending controversy surrounding their head coach, Stacy Fulgenzi. She was placed on leave Oct. 21 for what was later revealed to be issues over her fundraising practices, but Robertson rallied around her absence to win the program’s first state championship.

The road wasn’t completely smooth, as District 2-3A foe St. Michael’s tied the Lady Cardinals for the regular-season title and won the ensuing playoff. The Lady Horsemen were the perfect foil in the 3A championship match, and Fulgenzi was perfectly positioned as Robertson’s motivation as she sat on the floor for what turned into a classic five-game slugfest in the Santa Ana Star Center. It wasn’t until Tessa Ortiz’s kill to the middle of court that Robertson could finally celebrate a 20-25, 25-18, 25-23, 21-25, 15-8 win with their coach.

BOYS CROSS-COUNTRY Los Alamos

In the never-ending battle between Class 4A’s premier programs, the Hilltoppers needed a remarkable rally during the second half of the race at Rio Rancho High School to beat Albuquerque Academy and repeat as state champions. Leave it to sophomore Wakei Hettinga to lead the charge, as he moved from the mid-teens to fifth place. He was one of four Hilltoppers to finish in the top 10 and outscore the Chargers in a 40-43 lowest-score-wins format.

GIRLS CROSS-COUNTRY Los Alamos

Four years is a long time between state titles for a program as venerated as Los Alamos, but the Lady Hilltoppers put an end to Albuquerque Academy’s threeyear reign with a convincing 30-53 win at Rio Rancho High School. Los Alamos went 1-2 in the individual race and had its scoring five finish in the top 11 to end its longest gap between blue titles since the 1992 squad ended an 11-year drought.

Academy for Technology and the Classics (24 points) The Phoenix evened the score with Pecos, as the two teams flip-flopped their finishes from 2018 and ATC won by a 24-35 count in the 1A/2A meet in 2019. The key to victory was placing four runners in the top five, with only Pecos’ Vanessa Dominguez interrupting the burgundy-and-gold parade. It was the second state championship for the Phoenix, which won the program’s first championship in 2015.

INDIVIDUALS GIRLS CROSS-COUNTRY, CLASS 4A Norissa Valdez, Los Alamos

There was little doubt about Los Alamos pulling off the sweep of the team and individual titles in 4A. The only thing hanging in the balance was who would win the individual crown between Sophie Chadwick and Valdez. It took a spirited sprint by Valdez over the final 100 yards to beat her fast-fading teammate by .03 seconds to win her first state title.

GIRLS CROSS-COUNTRY, CLASS 1A/2A Maggie Rittmeyer, ATC

Once again, the script flipped in the Phoenix’s favor, as Rittmeyer switched places with Vanessa Dominguez to win the 1A/2A individual title in convincing fashion. She shook off Dominguez just past the halfway point on the course, and her finishing time of 19 minutes, 41.70 seconds was more than a minute faster than Dominguez. The two, hopefully, will continue their duel in the fall — coronavirus permitting.

NEW MEXICAN FILE PHOTOS BELOW: St. Michael’s soccer players celebrate winning the Class 1A/3A state title over the New Mexico Military Institute. The Horsemen’s improbable run to the championship extended to four overtimes and a shootout.

ABOVE: Robertson players celebrate winning the state volleyball title as St. Michael’s players walk off the court in Rio Rancho. Robertson won the five-set match at the Santa Ana Star Center.

LEFT: Academy for Technology and the Classics’ Maggie Rittmeyer, right, celebrates with some of her state championship-winning teammates after their Class 1A/2A girls race at Rio Rancho High School.