By Eric Butler
MaxPreps.com
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Volleyball: Time to look at Rockets Again
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It's been five years since Roswell Goddard won a state volleyball championship, but perhaps the Rockets are closer to getting back to the top than many have imagined.
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Through its first 12 matches, Goddard is undefeated. In fact, the Rockets became the only perfect team in New Mexico (in Classes 3A, 4A, and 5A) through that opening stretch.
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While coach Bobby Bates isn't quite ready to say this team is on a par with his three-straight state championship squads (from 1999 to 2001), he believes that the current Rockets are capable of contending for a state crown this year.
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"I think we have to be one of the teams playing for it. I think there's five or six, right now, going for it. It's wide open for everybody," Bates said, after beating Clovis (7-6) by a 21-25, 25-18, 25-21, 25-17 score to go to 12-0.
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Goddard's three-straight titles were all in Class 4A, although the first (1999) came when there were only four classes in the state. Bates was also the coach in 2002 when his Rockets were runner-up to St. Pius. After that, Bates went to Artesia - where he lives - and coached the Bulldogs for two seasons. In 2005, Bates returned to coach the girls in the sky blue uniforms.
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"Last year, we didn't play what I consider Rocket volleyball. This year, the kids finally got to the point where they start believing in what's going on. Now, you get back to the point where you think, 'Hey, our program's heading in the right direction,'" said Bates, whose current contingent includes a powerful middle hitter in senior Laura Fry.
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"We know she (Fry) is one of our go-to players and she does a great job with blocking and hitting," the Goddard coach said. "It's unusual to have a middle back that big that can do such a great job passing the ball too, digging the ball. She's a great player."
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While not undefeated, Rio Rancho (8-1) can certainly lay claim to being the top team in the state. Class 5A's top-ranked Rams continued to show dominance last week by knocking off Eldorado (7-4) in a 25-21, 25-19, 25-14 sweep last Thursday.
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The Eagles were led by Jordan White, whose 13 kills paced all players. But the winning Rams had five different players collect at least five kills, with Colleen Connelly and Ashley Rhoades getting eight apiece to lead Rio Rancho.
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Football: Baseball-like Final Score, Big Gridiron Win
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Saturday's game between Mayfield and La Cueva may not have been a pretty sight to many observers, but a 6-2 victory sure looked good to the victorious Trojans.
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Mayfield (5-0), top-ranked in Class 5A, stayed unbeaten by beating the Bears at Wilson Stadium in Albuquerque. La Cueva (1-3) has suffered six losses the last two seasons - including three to Mayfield and two to Clovis.
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The winning touchdown came in the second quarter when Trojans' running back John-Yanni Suter ran into the end zone from 18 yards out. La Cueva, which had only one offensive play traverse more than ten yards, only scored by tackling Mayfield quarterback Matthew Sandoval in the end zone for a safety in the third quarter.
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Cibola (5-0) also stayed perfect with a 24-7 victory over Onate (3-2) Friday (Sept. 22) in Albuquerque. Cougars' quarterback Jonathan Mader started the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. By halftime, Cibola had registered 10 more points - a Chase Bennison one-yard plunge and a 25-yard field goal by Cameron Cannady - en route to the victory.
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Just a week after upending La Cueva, Eldorado hit the road with some confidence last Friday. The Eagles came back with a lot less, after being thumped by Las Cruces High, 35-6.
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Las Cruces (3-2) got on the board first when Ryan Honeycutt hit Evan Burns with a 22-yard touchdown pass in the opening quarter and got another tally when James Hall opened the second period with a two-yard run for a 14-0 lead. Eldorado (1-3) had its only touchdown, a William Elliot two-yard rush, set up by a 93-yard kickoff return by the Eagles' A.J. Ortiz.
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Some Class 5A runners put up some big numbers over the weekend, including Sandia's Derris Jackson with 229 yards on the ground in a 14-7 victory by the Matadors (3-1) over Los Lunas (1-3).
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Manzano (2-3) got 159 yards rushing from C.J. Carlisle in a 42-10 victory over 4A St. Pius (1-4) - a game that also saw Monarchs' quarterback Adam Jaramillo rip the Sartans' defense for 249 yards passing.
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Clovis (3-2), meanwhile, upended visiting Rio Rancho (2-3) largely behind the legs of Brian Mead, who rushed for 220 yards on a whopping 37 carries.
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In Class 4A, the undefeated ranks were reduced by one when Piedra Vista (4-1) fell to Montrose (Co.) 24-0. But Artesia, Moriarty, Silver and Los Alamos all went to 5-0 with victories. Los Alamos shut out Belen 21-0 and Silver squeaked by Kirtland Central 28-27 to remain perfect.
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Moriarty continued to impress with a 41-14 triumph over Robertson to end the Cardinals' 17-game winning streak. The Pintos went to 5-0 for the first time since 1992 with the win.
Artesia (5-0) followed suit in a big way. Traditional rival Carlsbad (2-3) came to Artesia and were thumped by the Bulldogs, 39-0. Junior quarterback Landry Jones paced the offensive effort for Artesia by connecting on 21 of his 25 attempts and hit receivers for three touchdown passes.
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Soccer: Teams gear up for District Foes
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District play began for New Mexico soccer teams and St. Pius got a big jump on rival Academy in both boys and girls soccer during the past week.
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The Sartans girls beat Academy 1-0 behind a strong defensive effort. The Chargers' defense wasn't too bad either, and St. Pius (11-1, 2-0 in 5-4A) didn't get the winning goal until Courtney Tinnin slipped a shot into the Academy (8-3, 1-1) net in the last minute of regulation play.
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In boys action, St. Pius (9-3, 2-0) wasn't nearly in as much trouble as the Sartans scored three times in the first half and cruised to a 3-0 victory over Academy (7-3, 1-1). St. Pius got scoring strikes from Stephen Bergin, Sergio Cordova, and Nick Madrid in the first 40 minutes to give the Sartans a big cushion over the Chargers.
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La Cueva's soccer squads had similar success over Rio Rancho on successive days, although it preceded the Bears' district schedule.
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La Cueva (7-4) knocked off the Rams 1-0 after winning a shootout in Rio Rancho in a girls match on Thursday (Sept. 21st).
In yet another 1-0 game, this one a boys contest Friday, the Bears slipped by Rio Rancho (3-5) when Lawrence Robledo scored in the last minue of the first overtime period. La Cueva (9-4, 2-0 in 2-5A) then won a district contest, also in overtime, by beating Albuquerque High (10-2, 0-1) by a 3-2 score. In that victory, a goal by Brett Gilbert - likewise late in the first overtime - was the winning score.