Throughout the 2025-26 scholastic year, local programs remained in contention for championships while producing some of the state’s most memorable individual performances.
By Levi Gwaltney for Las Cruces Digest
Photos Courtesy [Photo credits appear with each image, when available]
Much of the attention surrounding New Mexico high school athletics last year focused elsewhere. Cleveland, La Cueva, Albuquerque Academy, Atrisco Heritage and Artesia continued to dominate statewide headlines, particularly in team sports. That does not mean, however, that schools from our broader community were absent from the conversation. Throughout the 2025-26 scholastic year, local programs remained in contention for championships while producing some of the state’s most memorable individual performances.
Although much of the spotlight traditionally falls on Friday night lights and football rivalries, student-athletes from our broader community demonstrated the ganas to compete across the full spectrum of scholastic athletics—even in sports long associated with other regions of the state.
Case in point: Centennial High School.
For the second consecutive year, the Hawks claimed the Las Cruces Digest Neighbors Cup. La Copa de Vecinos recognizes the collective athletic accomplishments of high schools within the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area, including schools from Las Cruces Public Schools, Gadsden Independent Schools, Hatch Valley High School and Mesilla Valley Christian School. Every participating school competes under the New Mexico Activities Association, although the Neighbors Cup itself is independently administered and awarded by Las Cruces Digest.
Centennial collected its second trophy plate, its second “sack of beans,” and another $1,000 award for its athletic program despite a season that did not include a single team state championship. Among the nine schools competing for the Cup, only a handful of team state championships were won, yet none belonged to the Hawks.
What Centennial did exceptionally well was something less obvious: it accumulated success almost everywhere.
The Hawks captured multiple district championships, including a matched sweep of the District 3-5A boys and girls basketball titles. The dramatic fashion in which the boys secured their district championship will likely remain part of local basketball lore for years to come.
Beyond district competition, Centennial consistently produced championship-caliber performances in individual sports.
Photo: Courtesy Thrive575 Athletics (via Facebook)
In one of the strongest swimming performances by a local athlete in recent memory, Dara Ayala captured the Class 5A Girls 50-yard Freestyle in 24.68 seconds before adding a runner-up finish in the 100-yard Freestyle with a time of 54.30.
Photo Courtesy NMAA
On the tennis courts, Centennial’s Follin/Hooten pairing justified its top seed by winning the Class 5A Boys Doubles Championship with a convincing 6-2, 6-1 victory over La Cueva’s Reznik/Sasser.
The greatest impact on the Hawks’ Neighbors Cup campaign, however, came from one of New Mexico’s newest sanctioned sports: Powerlifting.
Photo: Luke Matherly lifting in Centennial High School Invitational (Courtesy Thrive575 Athletics)
Luke Matherly won the 308-pound division with a record-setting total of 1,490 pounds, adding yet another accomplishment to an athletic résumé that has already earned him recognition as an “athlete for all seasons.” On the girls’ side, Lorena Zamora captured the 105-pound title with a record-setting 555-pound total, while Aliyah Salas matched her own state record in the 198-pound division with an 840-pound championship performance.
Lorena Zamora lifting at the 2026 State Powerlifting Championships (Courtesy Thrive575 Athletics)
If there was a single factor separating Centennial from the rest of the field, powerlifting deserves much of the credit. Individual championships and record-setting bonuses from the sport accounted for nearly 30 percent of the Hawks’ Neighbors Cup total. Even so, the breadth of Centennial’s success was such that removing every powerlifting point would still have left the Hawks atop the final standings.
Simply put, Centennial was the clear Neighbors Cup champion of 2025-26.
Las Cruces High School produced what may well have been the area’s premier team performance of the year.
Photos Courtesy LCHS Bulldawg Volleyball (via Facebook)
The Bulldawg volleyball program not only captured the 2025 Class 5A state championship, but enters the 2026 season riding a 57-match winning streak—the third longest active streak in the nation.
Football nearly matched that accomplishment, advancing to the Class 5A state championship game before falling to perennial power Cleveland.
Neither team effort, however, should overshadow the remarkable season assembled by the Bulldawgs’ wrestling program.
Image of Kolby Gonzales Courtesy NMAA
Boys and girls wrestling accounted for more than one-quarter of Las Cruces’ Neighbors Cup total through multiple podium finishes, highlighted by Kolby Gonzales’ Class 5A championship at 157 pounds after compiling a 39-2 record.
The girls added another outstanding campaign, finishing second in the state team standings behind championship performances that included Autiana Caro’s title at 115 pounds.
Senior Sofia Herrera supplied another defining championship moment by winning the Class 5A girls javelin with a throw of 129 feet, 9 inches.
The 3,065 lb. photo. Left, Luke Matherly. Right, Richard Medina. 2026 New Mexico Activities Association State Powerlifting Champions. (Courtesy Thrive575 Athletics via Facebook)
Richard Medina, the Bulldawgs’ lone state qualifier in powerlifting, delivered one of the most impressive performances of the meet. Competing in the 275-pound division, Medina totaled 1,575 pounds, a mark strong enough to effectively carry a team score on his own.
Organ Mountain‘s season was defined by championship performances from both established veterans and an emerging generation of competitors.
Photo Courtesy NMAA
The Knights captured the Class 5A Girls Golf championship while Savannah Reiman successfully defended her Class 5A Girls Tennis singles title during her senior season.
Photo: Courtesy NMAA
Beyond those championships, Organ Mountain’s future appears especially bright.
Led by Daxton Coombs and Ashley Galaz, the Knights swept their district cross-country championships before carrying that momentum into the spring track season. The boys finished third as a team at the state championships, highlighted by Coombs’ Class 5A title in the 3,200 meters.
Daxton Coombs (right) battles for lead during event at 2026 State Championships. (Courtesy NMAA)
The results suggest that Organ Mountain’s success may be only beginning.
Mayfield High School turned spring Trojan green.
Image Courtesy New Mexico Activities Association
The Trojans captured their first state softball championship in dominant fashion, reigniting one of the area’s most successful overall athletic traditions.
Miles Odom photo courtesy Thrive575 Athletics (via Facebook)
Individually, however, no area athlete reached greater heights than Mayfield senior Miles Odom. Clearing 16 feet, 7 inches in the pole vault, Odom not only secured a Class 5A state championship but also established a new state record in one of the finest individual performances produced anywhere in New Mexico during the 2025-26 scholastic year. Gatorade announced Miles Odom of Mayfield High School is the 2025-26 Gatorade New Mexico Boys Track and Field Player of the Year.
Mesilla Valley Christian accomplished something no other school in the area could during the 2025-26 scholastic year: the SonBlazers captured two team state championships.
The boys golf program secured its fifth consecutive state championship, continuing a dynasty rarely seen in New Mexico high school athletics. Sustained excellence of that kind speaks not only to talent, but to a culture capable of producing championship-caliber golfers year after year.
Mesilla Valley Christian School, 2026 Boys Class A-3A Golf State Champions (Photo: Courtesy NMAA)
The SonBlazer baseball team offered a different kind of statement.
Mesilla Valley Christian state champion baseball team (Photo Courtesy NMAA)
Mesilla Valley Christian spent the spring overwhelming opponents with one of the classification’s most dangerous lineups, recording a string of lopsided victories before entering the postseason as a clear championship contender. Even so, few expected the SonBlazers’ most dominant performance to come in the Class 2A state championship itself. By the final out, Mesilla Valley Christian had scored 22 runs against a very capable Hozho Academy squad, punctuating one of the most commanding championship performances of the year.
Hatch Valley may have found district victories difficult to come by, but the Bears demonstrated something equally important: participation remains the foundation upon which successful athletic programs are built.
The Bears qualified 14 boys and 12 girls for the State Track & Field Championships while also sending three boys and seven girls to compete in the State Powerlifting Championships. Those numbers reflect a program that continues to provide opportunities for student-athletes to compete on New Mexico’s biggest stages while laying the groundwork for future success.
Santa Teresa continued to strengthen its reputation as one of southern New Mexico’s premier soccer programs by sweeping district championships in both boys and girls soccer.
The Desert Warriors also claimed a district baseball championship while adding state qualifiers in track and field along with boys and girls tennis. Success across multiple sports is starting to become a defining characteristic of Santa Teresa athletics, illustrating the depth of talent developing throughout the program.
Chaparral quietly asserted its presence as one of the area’s more balanced athletic programs.
The Lobos earned representation at the state tennis championships, qualified athletes for the State Track & Field Championships, the Boys Wrestling Championships, and the Boys Cross Country Championships, demonstrating a growing athletic presence across multiple sports.
Perhaps the most understated accomplishment, however, came on the football field.
After finishing as district runner-up, Chaparral advanced to the semifinals of the Class 4A State Football Championships, continuing the steady rise of a program that has increasingly established itself among the state’s respected competitors. Emerging from the shadows of larger and more established programs, the Lobos have shown that consistency, determination and teamwork can build a tradition capable of standing alongside any in the broader community.
Few schools face the logistical challenges encountered by Gadsden High School.
Drawing student-athletes from communities spread across a vast geographic area requires commitments that often extend well beyond practices and game days. Even with those challenges, the Panthers continued to compete at a high level.
Gadsden captured a district championship in boys soccer while its football program authored one of the year’s more impressive postseason runs. Despite finishing outside the top three in district play, the Panthers advanced to the Class 5A state semifinals, reinforcing the growing belief that Gadsden football remains one of the area’s programs to watch as enthusiasm continues to build around Sal Gonzalez Stadium.
The Neighbors Cup has never been intended to crown the “best” school in our broader community. New Mexico already awards state championships, district championships and individual titles for that purpose. Instead, the Cup exists to recognize something different: the collective accomplishments of the student-athletes who represent our communities throughout an entire scholastic year.
Centennial earned the bragging rights that accompany a second consecutive Neighbors Cup championship, and the Hawks deserve every bit of that recognition. Their consistency across an entire athletic calendar set them apart from the field.
At the same time, the 2025-26 season demonstrated that championships are measured in more than one way.
Las Cruces produced one of the nation’s premier volleyball programs. Organ Mountain continued to establish itself as a destination for championship golf, tennis, distance running and track. Mayfield reminded the state that Trojan green remains synonymous with championship success. Mesilla Valley Christian added two more trophies to an already remarkable athletic tradition. Hatch Valley, Santa Teresa, Chaparral and Gadsden each continued building programs that reflect the determination and resilience of the communities they represent.
When viewed together, those accomplishments tell a larger story than any standings table ever could. They reveal an athletic community that continues to broaden its reach, challenge traditional powers and produce performances worthy of statewide recognition.
The 2025-26 trophy plate reads “Centennial”, and the sack of beans has found a home once again.
Next year’s plate remains blank, and everything else begins again this fall.
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