NMJC hoops begin play this week; USW already underway

Clayton Jones/News-Sun

NMJC freshman Lorelle Waters grabs an alley-oop with

one hand for a dunk during practice.

  Hard to believe but basketball season is here for local college teams New Mexico Junior College and University of the Southwest.
  While the USW men and women got underway this past weekend at the Santa Claren Classic in Espanola (the Mustangs went 1-1 while the Lady Mustangs went 2-0), the NMJC women get underway Tuesday night when the Lady Thunderbirds host Cochise 5:45 p.m. at Caster Activity Center.
  The NMJC men's team gets its season underway Thursday during the first day of the Thunderbird Classic when the T-Birds host the University of the Southwest JV at 8 p.m. (the Lady T-Birds play Arizona Western College at 5 p.m. – check out the rest of the the T-Birds' and Lady T-Birds' schedule on their pages at go-thunderbirds.com).
  For NMJC, both teams are looking to get over tough near postseason misses in 2010-11. The T-Birds and Lady T-Birds both tied for the fourth and final spot but the NMJC men and women each lost the tiebreaker.

Jal, Tatum football both receive No. 4 seeds for state playoffs

  The Jal and Tatum football teams both received the fourth seed in their respective classes when the NMAA released the Class 1A and 8-man state playoff brackets Sunday.
  The Panthers (4-5) will play No. 5 Capitan (5-4) 1 p.m. Saturday in Jal in a Class 1A state playoff quarterfinal matchup while Tatum (7-3) will play No. 5 Logan (5-5) in Tatum on a date yet to be determined (will either by Friday night or Saturday afternoon) in an 8-man state playoff quarterfinal game.
  Here is a link to the brackets: NMAA State Football Brackets
  Jal and Capitan haven't played this season while Tatum defeated Logan 40-16 in the second week of the season.
  Read more about this in Tuesday's edition of the Hobbs News-Sun.

Eunice, Seminole, Jal cap regular seasons on solid note

News-Sun Photo

Eunice's Junior Caraza speeds down the field.

  A trio of area teams finished off their regular-season schedule Friday on a solid note as Eunice and Seminole capped stellar regular seasons with easy victories and Jal showed it can play with the big boys in Class 1A in a loss.
  Eunice capped its first perfect regular season since 1958 with a convincing 44-14 win over Dexter. The Cardinals led 30-0 at the half and cruised from there. It's the way championship-caliber teams win – come out, play hard and assert dominance from the opening whistle. Eunice's offense is now averaging 49 points a game this season while the defense has improved – allowing just 9.3 points per game in its last three contests.
  Eunice has a week off then finds out its seed for the Class 2A state playoffs on Nov. 5 (which will likely be the No. 1 seed).
  Seminole also capped its season with a convincing victory, a 52-6 beatdown of Fort Stockton at Wig Wam Stadium.

What Friday means for Lea County football teams (and Seminole)

Clayton Jones/News-Sun

A Seminole player runs on the field against Andrews.

  In the second-to-last games for Hobbs and Lovington and the last game of the regular season for Eunice, Jal, Tatum and Seminole, there is plenty of meaning to tonight's football action.

  Hobbs: The Eagles need a win Friday at home against Clovis and next week against Carlsbad to claim their first outright district title since 1974 or their postseason chances are probably squashed. A loss will drop Hobbs to 2-7, and even if the Eagles beat Carlsbad the following week, it will be tough to put the Eagles in. Though if Hobbs doesn't get in if it loses to Clovis then beats Carlsbad, that would mean Carlsbad (which is a top 10 team in the state) can't get in because Hobbs would have finished above the Cavemen in the district standings and a team can't make the playoffs if a team above it in the district standings doesn't make it. Got that? It's going to be an uphill battle at Watson on Friday for Hobbs as Clovis is big, strong, fast and has defeated the Eagles 10 straight times.
  Lovington: A win tonight over Ruidoso and the Wildcats are district champs and likely get the top seed in the Class 3A playoffs. Like I said in my last blog, it's been amazing the way this team has changed its image from an offensive juggernaut to a defensive steel curtain in just a season. With Lovington's QB David Robles getting more comfortable, the Wildcats are just going to be tougher and tougher to beat as they improve offensively.

Lea County football teams' Week 9 state playoff projections

News-Sun Photo

Lovington's Justin Bromley

  With just two weeks left until the end of the New Mexico prep football season (one for Class 2A and below), it's time to see where the football teams from Lea County will likely be seeded for the state playoffs – if at all.

  Hobbs
  Record: 2-6 (0-0 district)
  Projection: Missing the cut in 5A (12 teams make playoffs)
  Outlook: The Eagles are in trouble unless they can win their two district games against Clovis (home this Friday) and Carlsbad (on the road next Friday) to claim their first outright district title since 1974 (Hobbs last shared the district title in 1982). Losses to Alamogordo and Lovington have squashed Hobbs' chances at an at-large berth. While anything is possible, Hobbs hasn't put together a strong game for four quarters all season and it's going to have to in each of the next two games if it wants to beat Clovis and Carlsbad.
  Lovington
  Record: 5-3 (1-0 district)
  Projection: Top seed in Class 3A (12 teams make playoffs)
  Outlook: Despite losing so much talent from a season ago, the Lovington football team just keeps on rolling behind defense and key special teams plays. Spanking Portales 37-7 in their district opener gives the top-ranked Wildcats a leg up on the top seed if they can take care of business Friday against Ruidoso. If Lovington wins there, they'll be the top seed no matter what happens in the final week of the season against Class 4A top-ranked Goddard. The two-time defending champ Wildcats have the look of a team that can possibly bring home its third straight title despite most people not being able to name one person on the team.

Special moment for Eunice student, Cardinals highlights

  It was senior night for the top-ranked Eunice football team last Friday and the Cardinals thumped NMMI 48-8.
  While the seniors who've helped the Cardinals to a perfect 8-0 start were honored, Eunice gave a student who would never get to sprint through the tunnel, through the smoke and down the victory line with pads and a Cardinals helmet on a chance to have that feeling.
  Michael Lanvost, a Eunice junior and dedicated supporter of his Cardinals, was helped out the tunnel by the Eunice captains and Eunice special education teacher Anita Owings down the victory line. While I wasn't at the game, just looking at the photos (which are in the opening minute of the video I've attached) it's hard not to get goose bumps and feel your heart swell as Michael beams from ear to ear as he walks through the tunnel and down the victory line in front of the Eunice faithful at Cardinal Stadium this warm October evening.
  Sometimes we all can lose perspective when it comes to our sports. This gesture by Eunice to one of its students reminds all of us just reaching out and doing something like this can make a memory forever for someone and their family – much more than any victory or defeat can.
  I applaud you, Eunice. Well played.

Hobbs boys, girls soccer seeded for state tournament

  While the Hobbs boys soccer team already had clinched a spot by winning district and the Hobbs girls had to wait to see if it was in, both the Eagles and the Lady Eagles were seeded in their respective Class 5A state tournaments when the NMAA released the brackets today.
  The District 4-5A champion Eagles were seeded No. 8 and will host Rio Rancho (likely Saturday) at Watson Stadium in the first round. The winner will face top-seeded Eldorado on Nov. 3.
  Here is a link to the Class 5A boys state tournament bracket: Class 5A Bracket
  As for the Lady Eagles, they had to patiently wait for the seedings to be released as Hobbs took second in the district to Carlsbad (who got a No. 6 seed and will host No. 11 Mayfield). After the wait, Hobbs got the No. 9 seed and will travel to play No. 8 Cibola (again, likely Saturday) in Albuquerque. The winner of this game will then face No. 1 Sandia.
  Here is a link to the girls state tournament brackets: NMAA State Girls Tournament Bracket
  Read more in Tuesday's sports section of the News-Sun on reaction from each coach on their state seeding.