Copa de Vecinos is a competition designed to recapture the community-defining nature of local scholastic sports.
A Las Cruces Digest Report
[Note: “La Copa de Vecinos (Neighbors Cup)” is not endorsed, affiliated or sanctioned by the New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA) nor any school(s) or district(s) represented in the competition.]
La Copa de Vecinos ( or “Neigbors Cup“) is a competition among our local scholastic sports teams. For the purposes of this competition, and the editorial scope of Las Cruces Digest, “local” means within Doña Ana County–the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Each local high school team is a member of (and competes in leagues organized and administered by) the New Mexico Activities Association. The schools included in the competition comprise high schools in Las Cruces Public Schools, Gadsden Independent Schools, Hatch Valley High School and Mesilla Valley Christian School.
A Local History
In living memory, high school sports in our broader community involved only three schools. Las Cruces Union High School, Gadsden High School (formerly Valley High School) and Hatch Valley High School. In the 1950s and 1960s, the biggest local rivalry was between Gadsden and Las Cruces. (Hatch was rarely considered because of its small size, but occasionally competed against the bigger schools.) In the 1970s, rivalry in local scholastic sports shifted to Mayfield and Las Cruces High School, and that was where the spotlight remained for what many regard as the “Golden Era” of high school rivalry in our broader community.
For almost the entirety of a generation, our broader community was defined by the Mayfield/Cruces rivalry. As the world around us changed and grew in unexpected ways, there was always “the Game” to keep us grounded. A “mixed marriage” in Las Cruces was not defined by couples of different races, but by couples from different high schools. Even with the addition of Oñate High School in the 1990s, our broader community remained essentially a two high school community. This “Golden Era” could not last. Time has a funny way of marching onward, despite our best efforts to cling to familiar ways.
Add to the mix four more area high schools, and the “Golden Era” of high school rivalry becomes more an artifact of history, and less an experience accessible right now. Santa Teresa High School, Chaparral High School, Centennial High School and Mesilla Valley Christian School have all come to represent different aspects of our broader community, joining Las Cruces High School, Mayfield High School, Organ Mountain High School (formerly Oñate), Gadsden High School and Hatch Valley High School.
Looking at the growing list, it would seem there are more reasons for our broader community to feel divided than ever. Proudly taking ownership in one’s alma mater has become a sign of separation more than inclusion in a larger, community-defining competition.
As our community has grown, this sense of inclusion has been lost. In the “Golden Era”, if one proclaimed their support for Mayfield or Las Cruces High, it was not to signify how they were to be set apart from our broader community; it defined how they were a part of it, part of something bigger–part of Las Cruces.
What is the point?
When discussing the Copa de Vecinos with one area athletic director, the question was asked: “What’s the point? Why is this competition relevant?” It is a great question, and one that is very “Las Cruces” in nature.
The answer is simple: Copa de Vecinos is a competition designed to recapture the community-defining nature of local scholastic sports. In this competition, no local school is overlooked because of its size. No local school is ignored because it doesn’t fit into our ideas of what a traditional rivalry is supposed to look like. Small schools, public schools, private schools, newer schools, older schools, schools steeped in tradition, schools building tradition, schools forgotten or disregarded altogether–these are the schools that make up our broader community. These are the schools our student athletes represent, and all of our student athletes deserve recognition for their commitment to competition. Moreso, our student athletes deserve the opportunity to compete in a system that welcomes them into something bigger as neighbor competitors–not one that defines them by how their school is above or below or apart from our broader community.
Whether student athletes identify as Hawks or Bears, Lobos or Knights, Bulldawgs or Panthers, Desert Warriors or Trojans, even if they proudly proclaim to be SonBlazers–they all represent our broader community–and have since the moment the first uniform was donned and the first time a student athlete stepped onto the field or court to compete for their school. Our community has simply done a poor job recognizing this fact… until now.
The Copa de Vecinos (Neighbors Cup) puts all area schools on the same stage, and recognizes them all as equally worthy of our admiration and attention. The scoring of this competition takes into account the inherent challenges smaller schools have when placed into direct competition with their larger counterparts. Steps have been taken to minimize these challenges; however, it is not the intent of Las Cruces Digest to create a perfectly balanced and fair competition–even if such a mathematical model could be devised.
The goal of Copa de Vecinos (Neighbors Cup) is to create a platform, however unbalanced, accommodating all local teams, regardless of enrollment or budgetary constraints. Some schools may not emphasize scholastic sports to the same degree as others, for whatever reason. Still, all of our student athletes deserve to have a place to be recognized in the broader competition.
Smaller schools will be disadvantaged, but we have tried to minimize this by how certain sports are scored.
Scoring
Points are awarded to schools based on the team or individual performance with substantial bonuses for winning state championships and setting state records.
Team Sport Scoring
Since our local schools compete in different NMAA Classes and Divisions, teams earn points for finishing in the top three (3) in their respective Districts (regardless of Class). 1st in District earns 3 pts, 2nd in District earns 2 pts, and 3rd in District earns 1 pt.
Individual/Tournament Sport Scoring
Individual and match/meet/tournament sports (such as cross country, wrestling, golf, tennis, swimming and track & field) earn points when a student athlete qualifies and competes at a State Championship event. One-half (½) point is awarded per competitor, regardless the number of events a competitor may have qualified for. Except for smaller schools (Hatch and MVCS), the total points awarded for qualifying student athletes will be capped at 3 points (equal to the points available to a team winning District). Tallies for Boys and Girls are counted separately, so the 3-point cap applies each to Boys and Girls, separately.
Cheer Scoring
No “season performance” points are available for Cheer; however, Cheer is eligible for Team Bonus Points (see below).
Team Sport Bonus Points
A 5pt. bonus will be awarded for any team winning a State Championship.
Individual Sport Bonus Points
A 5 pt. bonus will be awarded to a school’s first individual State Championship (medal or trophy), with each subsequent State Championship being awarded an additional 1 point. As with “season performance” scores, tallies for Boys and Girls are counted separately, so the 5-point cap applies each to Boys and Girls, separately. [Note: Should there be a team component in the State Championship, the Team Sport Bonus would be applied to the school’s total should a team championship be achieved.)
State Record Bonus
A 7 pt. bonus will be awarded for any and all State Records set, individual or team, in any sport or event so long as it is officially recognized and recorded by the New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA).
How does scoring look?
Las Cruces Digest ran the scoring for the 2023-2024 by calculating completed scores and tracking Winter and Spring sports. Several modifications have been made to scoring, limiting the upper bounds of the larger schools; however, this chart provides some idea about how the competition looks on paper. The results of last year’s Copa de Vecinos (Neighbors Cup) were:
2023-2024 Copa de Vecinos (Neighbors Cup) Beta Test
| Organ Mountain | 79½ |
| Centennial | 69 |
| Las Cruces High | 67½ |
| Hatch Valley High | 41 |
| Santa Teresa | 36½ |
| Chaparral | 27 |
| Mayfield | 25 |
| Mesilla Valley Christian | 21 |
| Gadsden | 12½ |
Will there be a prize awarded this year?
Yes. Beginning this year, there will be a $1,000 prize as well as a trophy presented to winning school. [No prize was awarded last year because Las Cruces Digest did not exist until the school year was halfway over.]
