At the End of Fall Sports Season, Centennial Sits Atop the Field; Bulldawgs and Knights in Hot Pursuit

The Centennial Hawks captured the District 3/6A Championship for the fourth consecutive year. The Hawks were the only team in our broader community to win a district title.

A Las Cruces Digest Report

Round Three: Football

The weekend before Thanksgiving, four of the nine high schools in our broader community played in a semifinal game that would have put them in a state championship. None would make it to Sunday. In the end, it was Cleveland High School defeating La Cueva for the 6A title, and Roswell High over Artesia for the 5A title.

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Echoing volleyball, the SonBlazers of Mesilla Valley Christian played in the 8-Man championship that same weekend. They, too, fell short of the title; however, they did earn state runner-up honors. Unfortunately, again, the Neighbors Cup does not award bonus points for runner-up finishes. This is something that will need to be taken into consideration for next year’s competition.

The points awarded do not reflect the brilliant seasons of all teams in our broader community. Centennial, Gadsden and Mesilla Valley Christian all played remarkably well despite the lack of hoopla surrounding their programs. Las Cruces and Mayfield both stood as reminders of power of tradition. Even Chaparral won an early playoff game against a team that had beaten them handily only a week prior. This only goes to show what “strength of schedule” algorithms cannot take into account–football in southern New Mexico is unpredictable, and any team can win on any given day.

Only three teams of the seven playoff contenders earned points: Centennial, Las Cruces and Mesilla Valley Christian. The New Mexico Activities Association’s realignment of districts this season really tinkered with the value of in-district play altogether. How else can you explain Hatch Valley, Chaparral, Gadsden and Mayfield playing so well in their tournaments without having placed top-three in their respective districts? It will be interesting to see how the NMAA responds, if at all.

Regardless, history has shown that the student athletes in our broader community overcome any systemic obstacles placed in their way. There is no reason to doubt they will continue to do so. Sportsmanship means winning and losing by the rules set forth. This year, our broader community ultimately lost in football… but there will always be a next year.

Here are the standings for the Copa de vecinos at the end of Fall Sports:

Centennial Hawks

19 points

• Boys Soccer State Champions (5 pts.)
• Boys Soccer District 3/5A Champion (3 pts.)
• Girls Cross Country, 7 qualifying runners (3 pts.)
• Boys Cross Country, 6 qualifying runners (3 pts.)
• Volleyball, 2nd Place District 3/5A (2 pts.)
• Football District 3/6A Champions (3 pts.)

Organ Mountain Knights

14 points

• Corbin Coombs, Boys Cross Country State Champion (5pts.)
• Boys Soccer, 3rd Place District 3/5A (1 pt.)
• Girls Soccer, 3rd Place District 3/5A (1 pt.)
• Boys Cross Country, 7 qualifying runners (3 pts.)
• Girls Cross Country, 6 qualifying runners (3 pts.)
• Volleyball, 3rd Place District 3/5A (1 pt.)

Santa Teresa Desert Warriors

11 points

• Boys Soccer District 3/4A Champions (3 pts.)
• Girls Soccer District 3/4A Champions (3 pts.)
• Boys Cross Country, 2 qualifying runners (1 pt.)
• Girls Cross Country, 2 qualifying runners (1 pt.)
• Volleyball, District 3/4A Champions (3 pts.)

Mayfield Trojans

6 points

• Girls Soccer, 2nd Place District 3/5A (2 pts.)
• Boys Cross Country, 2 qualifying runners (1 pt.)
• Girls Cross Country, 7 qualifying runners (3 pts.)

Chaparral Lobos

2½ points

• Boys Soccer, 2nd Place District 3/4A (2 pts.)
• Boys Cross Country, 1 qualifying runner (½ pt.)

Gadsden Panthers

2 points

• Boys Soccer, 2nd Place District 3/5A (2 pts.)

Upcoming Winter Sports Updates

• Swimming & Boys and Girls Wrestling (February 22)
• Boys and Girls Basketball (March 15)
• Spirit (March 22)
• Powerlifting (April 5)

Article posted by:

Levi Gwaltney

Levi Gwaltney is the Editor In Chief of Las Cruces Digest. The Editor makes editorial and posting decisions regarding content published on this site. In most cases, the Editor makes little if any contribution to content published, and takes no credit for the content of republished posts. If available, the source or author of posts is provided at the top of the article.

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