2025-26 YEAR IN REVIEW
New Mexico prep sports year in review: Dynasties, records and more
From Volcano Vista's 5th straight hoops title to Artesia's stunning football comeback, here's a look back at a memorable prep sports year
We turn down the lights today on the 2025-26 New Mexico prep sports calendar, another fantastic nine months of electrifying highlights and lasting memories.
And away we go.
Dynastic
So many of the state鈥檚 current dynasties kept right on rolling.
But as I sit down and begin to peck away at this section of the column, there is conflict within me as to how to define the absolute No. 1 dynasty in the state. Of if it鈥檚 even possible to define.
We start with Volcano Vista boys basketball, coming off a fifth straight championship, an unprecedented run for a program in the state鈥檚 largest division. And since virtually every New Mexico high school devotes such energy to winning in basketball, this run by the Hawks 鈥� led by David Lunn, Volcano beat Cleveland 66-52 in the Class 5A final in March 鈥� gains more heft the more you chew on it.
Almost literally at the other end of the spectrum, you have the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Academy boys tennis program, which earlier this month won state for the 23rd consecutive season, the canceled 2020 pandemic season notwithstanding. Other end? This run is driven by the sheer depth of its individual talents, so it is rather dramatically different from a quintessential team sport like basketball.
The Chargers are closing in on the national record (26) and could surpass that by the end of this decade. There are scarcely any words to describe how large the gap is between Academy and everyone else.
Hope Christian girls soccer has won five 4A championships in a row, and is as dominant against its competition (including pretty much all the 5A rivals in the metro area) as any boys or girls team in a major sport. The Huskies had a 56-game winning streak 鈥� which lasted over two years 鈥� snapped late in the regular season by rival Academy.
I got to wondering, which of these three 鈥� Volcano, Academy, Hope 鈥� is the most impressive ongoing dynasty? Or is it someone else? (Readers, you are welcome and encouraged to chime in on this.)
Naturally, we don鈥檛 want to give short shrift to others in the dynasty discussion. Like the Cleveland boys track and field, which incredibly just won its 10th straight. The Academy girls swimmers are working on 10 in a row. The Academy girls and La Cueva boys tennis programs are winners of seven in a row. Loving softball, in the 1A-2A division, has five consecutive, as have the boys golfers from Mesilla Valley. St. Michael鈥檚 track and field is unstoppable of late, with the boys on a seven-peat, the girls a six-peat following the most recent 3A state meet. Roswell鈥檚 fantastically entertaining dance squad also has won six straight in 5A, as have the Taos cheerleaders in 4A. And six, too, for Academy鈥檚 girls golfers.
And there are a large number of other programs that extended smaller, multiple-year streaks, too many to mention.
On the grid
Artesia has an ongoing football dynasty that has the most staying power of anyone in New Mexico. It has lasted decades.
Down 21-3 in last November鈥檚 5A final to rival Roswell, the Bulldogs rallied for an unlikely 25-24 victory at Bulldog Bowl. Of Artesia鈥檚 33 championships, none of them, before that game, had been decided by a single point. And Artesia now ranks second all-time in the country in overall championships.
Cleveland has a football dynasty. The Storm have won five of the last six 6A blue trophies, the latest one a 35-28 triumph over Las Cruces; the Bulldawgs were the first team outside the metro area to play for a big-school title since Cruces itself in 2016.
Bloomfield went back-to-back, both against St. Pius, in 4A. Texico won its third straight in 2A.
St. Michael鈥檚 won its third straight in 3A, and the Horsemen鈥檚 current 33-game winning streak is close to being the second longest in state history. With two wins to open the 2026 season, they would become No. 2 on that list before Labor Day.
On the hardwood
Volcano鈥檚 five-peat was an amazing accomplishment. The other 5A state champion was the girls from Hobbs, who defeated Rio Rancho 66-53 in the final.
Kirtland Central鈥檚 girls, much like Artesia football, just seem to sustain excellence from decade to decade. The Broncos鈥� 22nd title was a decisive 52-33 win over rival Gallup in a 4A contest that drew about 13,000 fans to the Pit.
Highland鈥檚 boys, for the third time in five seasons, stood atop the 4A division. The Hornets knocked off defending champion Artesia 71-62 on the final day.
This and that, part I
La Cueva鈥檚 Amber Ashcraft retired from coaching, having won over 500 games with her alma mater. She ranks top 10 nationally in victories and is the only woman on that prestigious list, and won 10 state championships in a spectacular career coaching girls soccer with the Bears. 鈥� Las Cruces, powered by the potent right arm of future Kansas State athlete Addison Massey, in November won a third straight 5A state volleyball title, capping off a 27-0 season with a four-set victory over La Cueva. St. Pius was a three-peater in volleyball as well, taking the 4A crown, and in the most whimsical moment of the 2025-26 school year, the Sartans鈥� coach, Jordan Russell, got engaged on that very night inside the Rio Rancho Events Center following the victory.
Al fresco
There already were a handful of states that had staged outdoor night prep volleyball matches. New Mexico joined the party last September.
On a makeshift court located on the east end of the grass field at Richard A. Harper Memorial Stadium at sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Academy, the Chargers and La Cueva staged the state鈥檚 first night match in the great outdoors.
A large crowd convened 鈥� and Mother Nature cooperated, with ideal weather making for a great setting 鈥� as La Cueva won in four sets.
Individual excellence
So many wonderful athletes put their talents on display, absolutely no way to mention everyone.
We mentioned Massey and Lunn. Some of the others:
Gianna Rahmer of Eldorado and Olivia Marquez of Oak Grove Classical Academy were three-peaters in cross country. Ketan Garg of La Cueva and Savannah Reiman of Organ Mountain went back-to-back in 5A singles tennis. Ariana Williams of Cottonwood Classical Prep had one of the most impressive showings of any boy or girl, winning the 1A-3A state golf tournament by 19 shots in Elephant Butte.
Versatile Grace Erinle of Academy scored 30 1/2 points in being the 4A high-point athlete at state track, and she broke multiple state records. Chigekwu Nwagbo of Sandia broke the overall New Mexico state record in the boys 100-meter dash, finishing in 10.47 seconds in his heat at state. Roman Luttrell of Cleveland became a five-time individual state wrestling champion for the Storm. Two girls wrestlers, Eloise Woolsey of Cleveland and Jaden Meadows of Sandia, rolled to their fourth straight, although Woolsey won two in Hawaii before moving here.
Another Cleveland athlete, quarterback Jordan Hatch, was tremendous, with a 40-TD, five-interception season in leading the Storm to another title. Ausaundra Roberto, a Mayfield sophomore, swatted 20 home runs for the Trojans. Charlie Birdwell of East Mountain baseball hit two grand slams 鈥� in a single game.
This and that, part II
Among the first-time state team champions were the Mesa Vista girls basketball team, as Aaliyah Boies鈥� 3-point game-winner for MV with 2 seconds left was one of the great moments of the entire school year, and unquestionably the loudest. Other first-timers included the Legacy Academy volleyball program, the Oak Grove Classical Academy girls cross country program, Cobre volleyball and the home-run happy Mayfield softball team, which routed rival Las Cruces 20-2 in the 5A state final (the 20 were a record for runs scored by a team in a final) and the Trojans established what is believed to be a state record for homers in a season with 98. 鈥� St. Pius unveiled plans for a new multi-purpose football/soccer/track and field stadium that is on target to open next year. 鈥� Longtime Academy athletic director Taryn Bachis retired after a marvelous quarter-century overseeing the Chargers鈥� sports department.
Diamond carats
The very last game of the 2025-26 school year was Piedra Vista鈥檚 10-0, five-inning shutout of Cleveland in the 5A baseball championship game at Lobo Field. It is the Panthers鈥� first big-school baseball crown, and it was a nice birthday present for their coach, one-time La Cueva Bear Jeff Kiraly.
Goddard downed rival Artesia in the 4A title game.
Mesilla Valley鈥檚 22 runs in its 2A baseball final against Hozho Academy were the most scored in a championship game, in any division, since Loving鈥檚 27 in the 1A-2A final of 1991. East Mountain baseball blanked St. Michael鈥檚 in the 3A final, and the Timberwolves had their first title in 14 years.
A regular season note: Among the handful of no-hitters, there was , against Rio Rancho, in the metro final on March 21.
Inside pitch
La Cueva, St. Pius (its 19th) and Santa Fe Prep 鈥� in a sensational penalty-kick shootout against Sandia Prep 鈥� won boys state soccer championships at the UNM Complex last November. The Blue Griffins鈥� victory was among the most dramatic, perhaps THE most dramatic, championship contest of the entire school year in any sport.
Eldorado, Hope and St. Michael鈥檚 were the girls soccer champs. For Eagles coach Aaron Forrester, his team鈥檚 2-0 win over Rio Rancho in the final was his last with Eldorado.
In a hugely interesting twist, he later became the head coach at La Cueva.
This and that, part III
Los Alamos won its 25th blue trophy in girls cross country. 鈥� Although Artesia fell short in baseball, the Bulldogs did win it all in softball. 鈥� Cleveland (5A) and Aztec (4A-1A) were the boys wrestling champions, with the Storm winning its third straight in girls wrestling. 鈥� The heavily recruited forward/post Harper Dunn transferred from Corona to sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Academy last summer and joined the Chargers鈥� girls basketball program. 鈥� Academy swept the 4A titles at state track and field, with Academy (girls) and Artesia (boys) taking first place in 4A golf. 鈥� Organ Mountain鈥檚 girls (coached by former Rio Rancho individual state champion Tim Madigan) and La Cueva鈥檚 boys were the 5A golf champions at the New Mexico State University course in Las Cruces. 鈥� In powerlifting, Sandia鈥檚 boys (5A) and Legacy Academy鈥檚 girls (1A-3A) from the metro area were among the team champs, with Lovington鈥檚 boys and girls sweeping in 4A. 鈥� Cottonwood Classical Prep won the small-school state swimming trophy in both genders for the fourth consecutive February.
Finally
As always, I extend to all the graduating seniors my most sincere wishes for success, whether you鈥檙e an athlete or not. Have yourselves a warm and fulfilling life, and most of all, find the happiness that works for you.
Good luck, kids.
For the rest of you, see y鈥檃ll in August.
James Yodice covers prep sports for the Journal. You can reach him at jyodice@abqjournal.com or via X at .
