Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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Thursday night's volleyball match was technically a non-district and regular season matchup. But its play and atmosphere resembled more of a postseason clash: West Las Vegas, ranked No. 2 in Class 3A by MaxPreps.com, versus host Tucumcari, ranked No. 2 in Class 2A. In the end, the Lady Dons (5-1) made fewer mistakes late in the match and prevailed 20-25, 25-17, 22-25, 25-15, 16-14 over the Lady Rattlers (7-1), who suffered their first loss of the season at a raucous Rattler Gymnasium. Alexis...
Tucumcari boasted the top individual boys runner and Logan boasted the top boys team Saturday at the Raton/Maxwell Invitational cross-country meet. Official results from the meet weren’t available before deadline. THS senior Alex Bueno De La O finished the 3 miles on the Raton Golf Course in about 18 minutes, 50 seconds, according to his coach, Tim Clark. His teammate, Fernando Ureste, finished seventh overall with a time of about 19:20. Other Rattlers competing were Bryson Klinger, Patric Szaloy, Jaythen Urioste and Paxton Smith. The T...
GRADY - Logan quarterback Aydin Kotara connected with Marshall Ortega for a 16-yard touchdown pass in overtime to secure a 32-26 victory Friday night over Grady in a key district matchup in six-man football. That pass brought redemption for Kotara, who had lost three fumbles against an intense Grady pass rush. He finished with 97 yards passing and two TDs - the other a 33-yarder to Mason Wallin in the first quarter. "He ran for his life all night," Logan coach Dwayne Roberts said of Kotara. "He...
Down by three touchdowns, Tucumcari’s football team roared back in the second half and came within a two-point conversion of tying it in the fourth quarter before succumbing 50-42 Saturday at McCurdy. Rattlers receiver Luis Archuleta played a big role in Tucumcari’s near-comeback, catching six passes for 153 yards and three touchdowns. Daymion Urioste scored two touchdowns for the Rattlers. Eric Acosta and emergency backup quarterback Alijah Martinez also scored TDs. Despite the Rattlers falling to 0-3, head coach Doug South said he saw enc...
The Tucumcari girls volleyball team on Saturday captured its second tournament trophy in as many weeks, rallying from a two-set deficit to win 14-25, 20-25, 25-9, 25-22, 15-7 over Raton in the title game of the Tucumcari Invitational. Lady Rattlers named to the all-tournament team were hitters Kyla Lopez, July Lafferty, Cambree Benavidez and libber Nevaeh Montoya. Setter Caylee Benavidez, a four-year starter at THS, was named Most Valuable Player. Tucumcari, ranked No. 2 in Class 2A by...
A slow start and penalties led the Tucumcari High School team falling behind early and losing a 35-23 non-district road game Saturday afternoon to Hozho Academy. The Wolves scored two quick touchdowns in the first quarter for a 14-0 lead. Meanwhile, a slew a penalties — including three straight holding calls — hampered the Rattlers. Tucumcari got on the scoreboard later in the period with a safety when Hozho’s quarterback threw the ball away from his end zone. The referees ruled it was intentional grounding, giving two points to the Rattl...
LOGAN - The Mustangs made it interesting for about 1 1/2 quarters, trailing only 20-19. But Logan's speed and hard-hitting defense wore down Mountainair, allowing the Longhorns to score 53 unanswered points during a 73-19 home-opening victory Friday in six-man football action. The game ended midway through the fourth quarter by the mercy rule. Haden Judd totaled 247 yards receiving and rushing with four touchdowns for the Longhorns (2-0). Mason Wallin also scored four touchdowns - two receiving...
The Logan boys cross-country team finished eighth Saturday at the 15-team ATC Invitational in Santa Fe. The Longhorns finished with 263 team points. Taos won the meet with 43 points, while Pecos was runner-up with 78 points. Kale Griffiths was the top runner for the Longhorns, finishing 41st on the 3-mile course in a time of 20 minutes, 44 seconds. Other runners for Logan were Mitchell Wall (45th, 20:56), Chris Lucero (54th, 21:49), Mason Barnhart (61st, 22:05), Bill DeLuca (62nd, 22:06), Devin Kotara (63rd, 22:14) and Payson Nials (71st,...
LOGAN - After losing the first game, Tucumcari's volleyball team won the next three against Elida by a 16-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-21 score Saturday in the championship match of the Logan Lady Longhorns Volleyball Tournament. The Lady Rattlers (4-0), seeded second after a so-so performance in Thursday's pool play, knocked off the tournament's two top seeds - Elida and longtime rival Logan. It was the second time in three years Tucumcari won the Logan tournament. Logan (2-1) finished third in its...
Tucumcari’s Alex Bueno De La O finished runner-up Saturday in the Clovis Invitational boys cross-country meet at Ned Houk Park. The Rattlers finished third overall in the team standings. Bueno De La O, a senior, finished the 5-kilometer course in 18 minutes, 59.96 seconds — only about 30 seconds behind his state-meet time last year. That was well behind, however, overall winner Sammy Fuentes, a senior from Clovis, who finished almost 90 seconds faster. Tucumcari coach Tim Clark said Bueno De La O actually finished third, but a Lovington runner...
For about a quarter Friday, new Tucumcari football coach Doug South and his Rattlers made it interesting against Thoreau during the season-opener for both teams at Rattler Stadium. But after Tucumcari rallied to tie the game 8-8, Rattler mistakes and the Hawks' bigger size led to 30 unanswered points during a 38-8 Thoreau victory. South said the mental mistakes - such as two turnovers and penalties in short-yardage situations - proved costly. "Fundamentally, we're still breaking down," he said....
The Logan High School football team began its first season in the six-man format with a 41-0 non-district victory Friday at Magdalena. Kickoff was delayed for about 90 minutes because of lightning. Statistics weren’t available, but Logan coach Dwayne Roberts said Aydin Kotara, Stratton Schoonover, Haden Judd and Mason Wallin each scored touchdowns for the Longhorns. Roberts said another three touchdowns of over 80 yards were called back due to penalties. “We looked like a team that’s just starting six-man football, but the more the game got g...
A scrimmage last Thursday at No. 1-ranked Texico was a rough way for Tucumcari's football team to prepare for its home opener Friday against Thoreau. But new Rattlers coach Doug South liked what he saw once his team acclimated. "Texico's very physical," South said last Friday morning. "They beat us up pretty good, but then we made some adjustments and fared pretty well. At the end of the scrimmage, we scored a touchdown, which was good. "That was a tough way to start off, with the best team in...
LOGAN — The Longhorns football team have been placed in a new district and a new format as they begin the season Friday with a road game at Magdalena. The Logan Municipal Schools board voted in late 2023 to go from eight-man football to six-man for at least two years due to declining participation in the sport. Dwayne Roberts, in his sixth season of guiding the Longhorns, said 18 are participating in high school football this year, including a couple who didn’t play last season. “It’s an OK number,” he said during an interview Thursday. “It’s n...
After looking out of sorts during losses in the first two sets, Tucumcari's volleyball team rallied to win three straight during a 15-25, 22-25, 25-19, 25-20, 15-12 season-opening home victory Saturday over a stout Fort Sumner team. Sophomore outside hitter Cambree Benavidez, in her first volleyball match since reconstructive knee surgery in January, pounded down a match-high 18 kills, including six in the fifth and deciding set. The Lady Rattlers had hoped their spiking depth would prove...
Tucumcari High School boasts a full boys squad — including two top-flight runners — as it begins its cross-country season on Friday. The Rattlers begin the season at the Clovis Invitational at Ned Houk Memorial Park at 3 p.m. Friday. The boys team is led by senior Alex Bueno de la O, who qualified for the state meet last year and remains a dedicated long-distance runner, THS coach Tim Clark said. “I’m looking for big things from him if he stays healthy,” Clark said. “Now he has a running partner who pushes him.” That would be junior Fernan...
Tucumcari High School's volleyball coach expects her team to be pretty good again this year, but she acknowledged it's a squad in transition. Not only are the Lady Rattlers coping with the loss of six seniors from last season's stellar squad, but realignment has put them in a new enrollment class and a new district. Tucumcari will have its first test of the season with a home match Saturday against perennially tough Fort Sumner. Junior varsity matches will begin at 1 p.m., and the varsity clash...
Dacian Montoya, a senior at Logan High School, will compete in bull riding later this month at the 76th annual National High School Finals Rodeo after finishing second in that event in the state championships. The NHSFR on July 14-20 in Rock Springs, Wyoming, features more than 1,700 contestants from 44 states, five Canadian provinces, Australia, Mexico and New Zealand. Montoya, who lives in Tucumcari, earned a position on the New Mexico bull riding contingent after finishing second at the state...
Quay County Little League’s age 8-10 team finished an unexpected second place Sunday in the District 4 Tournament at Raton. Quay County defeated all comers in the tournament except for Taos, which notched two wins, including in the championship game. Quay County started the three-day tournament with an 18-3 victory over Mora, then conquered (Las Vegas) Robertson 13-5 in the second round. In its first tournament matchup against Taos, coach Villanueva said his team was leading 15-5 in the fourth inning, but ran out of pitchers. That enabled T...
Tucumcari Public Schools introduced Doug South as its new high school football coach last Monday, and he said he intends to stick around for at least four years. The district's incoming superintendent, Carl Marano, introduced South during a meet-and-greet last Monday at Rattler Gymnasium. About 50 students and parents attended. Marano acknowledged the lack of stability with the high school football program, with South being the fourth Rattlers coach in four years. The Rattlers' previous coach,...
Two athletes from Mesalands Community College competed in last week’s National College Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming, but neither advanced to the championship round. Mesalands saddle bronc rider Cache L. Schellenberg, a freshman, finished 27th overall in the standings. Schellenberg logged scores of 53.5 and 54.5 in the first two days of competition and failed to score in the third day. As a result, he didn’t qualify for the championship short program. New Mesalands coach Bo Segerman said Schellenberg drew a subpar animal during the first two...
The Mesalands Community College board of trustees recently agreed to a settlement with its fired athletic director that includes a $80,000 payout. Milan Rasic was among four former Mesalands employees who filed lawsuits in May 2023 against the college after they claimed they were unjustly fired from their positions. Though former Mesalands president Gregory Busch was not named in the suits, the firings occurred during his tenure. A news release from Rasic’s attorney, Daniel Apodaca of the SaucedoChavez law firm in Albuquerque, concerning the s...
Three players from Logan’s softball team earned all-district honors after the Lady Longhorns tied for first place in their district and made the postseason for the first time in years. The Longhorns’ all-district picks were junior Marilyn Moreno, eighth-grader Zaiyana Grijalva and senior Camryn Cantrell. Moreno, a catcher and shortstop, hit .696 with a 1.140 slugging average. Grijalva hit .455. As a pitcher, she struck out 84 batters in 71 innings. Cantrell hit .514 during her final season with the Lady Longhorns. Honorable mentions were sen...
Six players from Logan's state runner-up baseball team earned all-district honors in voting announced after the state tournament. Seniors Brock Burns, Kaeden Stoner and Izaiah Kneitz, junior Diego Sanchez and sophomores Mason Wallin and Devin Kotara of the Longhorns earned the top honors in District 3, which had four teams qualify for the Class 1A tournament. Wallin, a first baseman, led the team in batting average (.547), home runs (six), hits (41), slugging average (.973), RBI (45) and tied...
A group of people is undertaking the formation of the first American Legion baseball team in Quay County in 40 years. Anthony Kent, who said he one of the region’s last Legion players as a sophomore in 1984, will be one of the coaches for the newly formed American Legion Post 20 squad. Kent said the local team will be called the Rebels — the same nickname as four decades ago. He said they have signed up 10 players so far and need a few more. Players age 13 to 19 who reside in Quay County are eligible. In addition to players from Tucumcari, Ken...