Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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For about a quarter Friday, new Tucumcari football coach Doug South and his Rattlers made it interesting against Thoreau during the season-opener for both teams at Rattler Stadium. But after Tucumcari rallied to tie the game 8-8, Rattler mistakes and the Hawks' bigger size led to 30 unanswered points during a 38-8 Thoreau victory. South said the mental mistakes - such as two turnovers and penalties in short-yardage situations - proved costly. "Fundamentally, we're still breaking down," he said....
The Logan High School football team began its first season in the six-man format with a 41-0 non-district victory Friday at Magdalena. Kickoff was delayed for about 90 minutes because of lightning. Statistics weren’t available, but Logan coach Dwayne Roberts said Aydin Kotara, Stratton Schoonover, Haden Judd and Mason Wallin each scored touchdowns for the Longhorns. Roberts said another three touchdowns of over 80 yards were called back due to penalties. “We looked like a team that’s just starting six-man football, but the more the game got g...
A scrimmage last Thursday at No. 1-ranked Texico was a rough way for Tucumcari's football team to prepare for its home opener Friday against Thoreau. But new Rattlers coach Doug South liked what he saw once his team acclimated. "Texico's very physical," South said last Friday morning. "They beat us up pretty good, but then we made some adjustments and fared pretty well. At the end of the scrimmage, we scored a touchdown, which was good. "That was a tough way to start off, with the best team in...
LOGAN — The Longhorns football team have been placed in a new district and a new format as they begin the season Friday with a road game at Magdalena. The Logan Municipal Schools board voted in late 2023 to go from eight-man football to six-man for at least two years due to declining participation in the sport. Dwayne Roberts, in his sixth season of guiding the Longhorns, said 18 are participating in high school football this year, including a couple who didn’t play last season. “It’s an OK number,” he said during an interview Thursday. “It’s n...
After looking out of sorts during losses in the first two sets, Tucumcari's volleyball team rallied to win three straight during a 15-25, 22-25, 25-19, 25-20, 15-12 season-opening home victory Saturday over a stout Fort Sumner team. Sophomore outside hitter Cambree Benavidez, in her first volleyball match since reconstructive knee surgery in January, pounded down a match-high 18 kills, including six in the fifth and deciding set. The Lady Rattlers had hoped their spiking depth would prove...
Tucumcari High School boasts a full boys squad — including two top-flight runners — as it begins its cross-country season on Friday. The Rattlers begin the season at the Clovis Invitational at Ned Houk Memorial Park at 3 p.m. Friday. The boys team is led by senior Alex Bueno de la O, who qualified for the state meet last year and remains a dedicated long-distance runner, THS coach Tim Clark said. “I’m looking for big things from him if he stays healthy,” Clark said. “Now he has a running partner who pushes him.” That would be junior Fernan...
Tucumcari High School's volleyball coach expects her team to be pretty good again this year, but she acknowledged it's a squad in transition. Not only are the Lady Rattlers coping with the loss of six seniors from last season's stellar squad, but realignment has put them in a new enrollment class and a new district. Tucumcari will have its first test of the season with a home match Saturday against perennially tough Fort Sumner. Junior varsity matches will begin at 1 p.m., and the varsity clash...
Dacian Montoya, a senior at Logan High School, will compete in bull riding later this month at the 76th annual National High School Finals Rodeo after finishing second in that event in the state championships. The NHSFR on July 14-20 in Rock Springs, Wyoming, features more than 1,700 contestants from 44 states, five Canadian provinces, Australia, Mexico and New Zealand. Montoya, who lives in Tucumcari, earned a position on the New Mexico bull riding contingent after finishing second at the state...
Quay County Little League’s age 8-10 team finished an unexpected second place Sunday in the District 4 Tournament at Raton. Quay County defeated all comers in the tournament except for Taos, which notched two wins, including in the championship game. Quay County started the three-day tournament with an 18-3 victory over Mora, then conquered (Las Vegas) Robertson 13-5 in the second round. In its first tournament matchup against Taos, coach Villanueva said his team was leading 15-5 in the fourth inning, but ran out of pitchers. That enabled T...
Tucumcari Public Schools introduced Doug South as its new high school football coach last Monday, and he said he intends to stick around for at least four years. The district's incoming superintendent, Carl Marano, introduced South during a meet-and-greet last Monday at Rattler Gymnasium. About 50 students and parents attended. Marano acknowledged the lack of stability with the high school football program, with South being the fourth Rattlers coach in four years. The Rattlers' previous coach,...
Two athletes from Mesalands Community College competed in last week’s National College Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming, but neither advanced to the championship round. Mesalands saddle bronc rider Cache L. Schellenberg, a freshman, finished 27th overall in the standings. Schellenberg logged scores of 53.5 and 54.5 in the first two days of competition and failed to score in the third day. As a result, he didn’t qualify for the championship short program. New Mesalands coach Bo Segerman said Schellenberg drew a subpar animal during the first two...
The Mesalands Community College board of trustees recently agreed to a settlement with its fired athletic director that includes a $80,000 payout. Milan Rasic was among four former Mesalands employees who filed lawsuits in May 2023 against the college after they claimed they were unjustly fired from their positions. Though former Mesalands president Gregory Busch was not named in the suits, the firings occurred during his tenure. A news release from Rasic’s attorney, Daniel Apodaca of the SaucedoChavez law firm in Albuquerque, concerning the s...
Three players from Logan’s softball team earned all-district honors after the Lady Longhorns tied for first place in their district and made the postseason for the first time in years. The Longhorns’ all-district picks were junior Marilyn Moreno, eighth-grader Zaiyana Grijalva and senior Camryn Cantrell. Moreno, a catcher and shortstop, hit .696 with a 1.140 slugging average. Grijalva hit .455. As a pitcher, she struck out 84 batters in 71 innings. Cantrell hit .514 during her final season with the Lady Longhorns. Honorable mentions were sen...
Six players from Logan's state runner-up baseball team earned all-district honors in voting announced after the state tournament. Seniors Brock Burns, Kaeden Stoner and Izaiah Kneitz, junior Diego Sanchez and sophomores Mason Wallin and Devin Kotara of the Longhorns earned the top honors in District 3, which had four teams qualify for the Class 1A tournament. Wallin, a first baseman, led the team in batting average (.547), home runs (six), hits (41), slugging average (.973), RBI (45) and tied...
A group of people is undertaking the formation of the first American Legion baseball team in Quay County in 40 years. Anthony Kent, who said he one of the region’s last Legion players as a sophomore in 1984, will be one of the coaches for the newly formed American Legion Post 20 squad. Kent said the local team will be called the Rebels — the same nickname as four decades ago. He said they have signed up 10 players so far and need a few more. Players age 13 to 19 who reside in Quay County are eligible. In addition to players from Tucumcari, Ken...
ALBUQUERQUE - The Logan baseball team wasn't going to pull off a second miracle in as many days. Dathan Yeary and his Melrose teammates made sure of that. Like he did last year, Yeary frustrated the hitters of top-seeded Logan in a complete-game 9-1 victory Friday in the Class 1A baseball championship at Santa Ana Star Field at the University of New Mexico. The Buffaloes (14-6), seeded third, captured their second state title in a row. Melrose vanquished previously unbeaten Logan in the 1A...
Ruidoso ended Tucumcari’s softball season with a 13-3 decision over the Lady Rattlers on Wednesday in the first round of Class 3A playoffs at Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho. The 12th-seeded Lady Rattlers trailed the fifth-seeded Warriors 5-3 after two innings, but Ruidoso followed with eight unanswered runs. Tucumcari senior Haisley Huffman went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and an RBI. Harley McKinney also smacked a double and drove in a run, and Caylee Benavidez tallied an RBI. Tucumcari left nine base runners stranded during the g...
The Logan softball team’s first postseason trip in six years was short in duration, with an 18-8 first-round loss to eventual state runner-up Mesilla Valley Christian on Wednesday. The Lady Longhorns lost despite the heroics of Marilyn Moreno, who went 3-for-3 with a triple and two home runs. She drove in four runs. “Marilyn is a phenomenal player,” Logan coach Dustin Robertson said. “She’s first-team all-state in my opinion, and no one will convince me otherwise.” Also for Logan, Jadyn Garcia hit a three-run triple and scored two runs. Presl...
Antonio Gonzales and Haisley Huffman were named the Senior Male and Female Athletes of the Year during the Rattler Athletic Banquet last Monday organized by the Tucumcari Diamondback Booster Club. About 350 people attended the annual gathering at the Tucumcari Convention Center, where Tucumcari High School athletes in cross country, football, cheer, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, powerlifting, softball, baseball, golf and track are honored. Gonzales participated in football, powerlifting...
ALBUQUERQUE - Tucumcari senior Haisley Huffman added two Class 3A track championships to her resume last weekend, including her third straight in the long jump. Huffman ended her storied THS career with a total of five individual state championships - three in the long jump and two in the triple jump. In her last two previous championships in the long jump, Huffman either barely won or needed a strong final jump to win it. This time, there was little drama. Huffman's first effort in the...
The Logan girls softball team on Sunday landed its first postseason bid since 2019 by earning a 12th-seed in this week’s Class 1A/2A tournament. The Lady Longhorns (8-7) will play fifth-seeded Mesilla Valley Christian (18-4) in a play-in game at 9 a.m. Wednesday at Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho. “I’m so excited!” Logan coach Dustin Robertson stated in a text. “I’m just so excited for the girls. They have worked so hard. I just can’t explain how proud of them I am.” Tularosa (20-4) is the top seed in the double-elimination tournament. The...
Tucumcari’s softball team earned a No. 12 seed in this week’s Class 3A tournament and will face district rival Ruidoso in a first-round game Wednesday. Playoffs pairings were announced by the New Mexico Activities Association on Sunday. The Lady Rattlers (12-12) lost all three games this season to the fifth-seeded Warriors (17-9) by a combined score of 46-5. Ruidoso finished second in its district with a 7-2 record, behind only third-seeded Dexter’s 8-1 mark. Dexter earned a first-round bye in the Class 3A tournament. Tucumcari plays Ruido...
ALBUQUERQUE - With a Class 1A team championship on the line, Logan's 1,600-meter boys relay squad came through. The Longhorns edged district rival Melrose by a two points for the state title Saturday after Hayden Bruhn, Diego Sanchez, Devin Kotara and Kaeden Stoner won the race - the final event of the meet - in a time of 3 minutes, 38.50 seconds. Logan led almost wire-to-wire, prevailing by 2.4 seconds. Melrose and Logan had been tied at 90 points apiece going into the race. The relay win gave...
The Tucumcari girls track team breezed to a district title during the Class 3A-4 meet Friday at Ruidoso High School. The Lady Rattlers amassed 121 1/2 points, well ahead of runner-up Dexter’s 100 points in the team standings. Ruidoso was third with 86 points, and New Mexico Military Institute finished with 61 1/2. Haisley Huffman, a senior, captured two district titles for the Lady Rattlers. Her 17 feet, 4 1/2 inch effort in the long jump won the event by well over a foot, and her 35-10 distance in the triple jump won it by more than three f...
LOGAN - The Longhorns baseball team nabbed another district title Friday in dramatic fashion - a walk-off, three-run home run in extra innings by sophomore Mason Wallin, capping a 6-3 comeback victory over defending Class 1A champion Melrose in the first game of a doubleheader. Wallin also scored the tying run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning, when the Buffaloes were one strike from securing the win. That run forced extra innings. Logan finished the day at 16-4 overall and...