Eric Butler
MaxPreps.com
The new prep sports season doesn't begin until the old one ends. In New Mexico, the year isn't officially over until the best seniors in several sports get their chance at being an all-star.
The North/South All-Star Series in boys basketball, football and volleyball afforded those athletes one last chance to represent their schools. They did it during the annual state high school coaches' convention in Albuquerque, just before those coaches headed back home to officially open practices in football, volleyball and soccer this week.
Volleyball: North Takes Big Schools Match, South Wins Small
They may have started the whole all-star process with only vague familiarity with their new teammates, but after a nail-biter, five-game match won by the North 22-25, 26-24, 23-25, 25-22, 16-14, the participants in the Class 3A/4A/5A volleyball contest surely had a much stronger bond with their new allies.
The South actually had the North on the ropes, with a match point at 14-12 in the fifth game. But the North stars hung in and eventually won the match, played at University of New Mexico's Johnson Gym, when Courtney Waye tracked down a shot and fortuitously sent a return shot into an open spot in the South defense.
It was the 23rd match between North and South, with the South owning victories in five of the past seven years. The South, with the hitting tandem of Catherine Clay and Katie Allen from Deming, could have closed out the match in the fourth game but, trailing 23-22, committed two straight errors to give the North the chance to win in five.
In the Class 1A/2A all-star match, the South had an even greater recent track record of success. This time, it held up as the South - with a 25-23, 25-14, 25-19 victory - won for the 15th time in the last 17 years.
Texico's Lori Richardson and Mesilla Valley's Becki Carr had eight kills a piece to lead the South. The North was paced by eight kills from Ramah's Justina George while Magdalena's Anjelina Torres added seven putaways.
Basketball: Hobbs-style Hoops Leads South to Win
Hobbs may not have had its usual success story in The Pit at the state basketball playoffs last March, but an Eagles-led South squad got some measure of vindication by knocking off the North 126-105 in Albuquerque at the Class 4A/5A All-Star Game.
The South's leading scorer was recent Hobbs' grad Austin Turner, who scored 21 points. His former Eagles' teammate, Samson Munoz, was second in the South scoring column with 17.
From the get-go, the full-court defensive pressure - instituted by South coach Russ Gilmore, from Hobbs naturally - gave the South a quick advantage. It was an early deficit the North never fully recovered from.
"Everything we did was Hobbs - me and Austin helped everybody to get to know it, because we've done it," Munoz said. "We mainly pressed. We killed 'em with the press."
The North had a stellar effort from Julio Rascon, who scored 22 points to lead his team. Last March, Santa Fe (Rascon's team) knocked Hobbs out of the Class 5A playoffs.
Rascon couldn't help but asking Turner if he got a sense of deja vu playing on The Pit floor one more time.
"We were just having a good time. That's what it's all about - win or lose," Rascon said. "When I 'picked' him, I said, 'Does this bring back memories?"
The Class 1A-2A basketball series has long been dominated by the North, winners of 20 games out of the 27 years its been played.
Add one more notch to the North belt, although an 82-81 victory was anything but easy.
Trailing throughout the first half and much of the second, the North broke away for an 81-77 lead with just over a minute to play when Rehoboth's Tim Feddes hit a fast-break bucket.
Des Moines' Ben Doherty led the North with 27 points while Tularosa's Damian Woods paced the South with 11.
The South hung around through free throws in the late stages - free throws, missed free throws, and offensive rebounds. But the final miss, by Sandia Prep's Andy Reid, was grabbed by Woods, whose last-second shot went awry at the buzzer.
Football: Roanhaus' 'Last All-Star Game' a Successful Venture
Clovis football coach Eric Roanhaus certainly has had an illustrious career. Now beginning his 29th year with the Wildcats, he's led the school to 10 state gridiron titles.
But, in two previous all-star coaching stints, the South - notoriously successful in the Class 4A-5A event - hasn't been under Roanhaus.
The South made amends at UNM's football stadium by beating the North 24-7 to cap the all-star week.
"They told me all week long that they were going to win," said Roanhaus, whose previous tries ended in a loss (in 1980) and a tie (in 1994).
Alamogordo's Terrence Lowe was the South's major offensive weapon in a 47-yard, first quarter drive that gave the South a 7-0 lead. Later in the game, Lowe - who finished with 127 yards on 17 carries - scored on a 36-yard fourth period run that iced the victory.
"We came into the game pretty confident, it was all about teamwork for this team," Lowe said.
The North's only touchdown of the game, particularly the extra point, certainly came in odd fashion. Manzano's Nicky Lawson, an incoming freshman for the University of New Mexico, caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Cibola's Clinton Carroll to cap a 73-yard North drive late in the second quarter.
That made the score 14-6, but Lawson made the extra point interesting. After his score, Lawson dunked the ball over the crossbar of the uprights and, after two ensuing unsportsmanlike penalties, the ball was moved back to the 43 yard line. Nevertheless, barefoot kicker Nico Herrera from St. Pius booted through a 50-yard extra point to trim the lead to seven.
One defensive stalwart for the South was Clovis' Chris Finch, who recorded a sack and an interception from his defensive end position.
But it was Finch's old coach that likely relished the win as much as anyone. After the game, Roanhaus acknowledged that all-star rules - which make coaches wait ten years before being a head all-star coach again - likely meant that this was his last go-around.
"It was a real pleasant experience for me," Roanhaus said. "I've coached my last all-star game. In 10 years, I need to be sipping pina coladas somewhere."