Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Tucumcari freshman Haisley Huffman fields a spike during volleyball practice at the Snake Pit in Tucumcari. The Lady Rattlers' first match is scheduled for March 1 at Elida, with their first home match March 4 against Raton.
Tucumcari's athletic director finished revisions on the high school's volleyball schedule in anticipation the state will green-light sports resuming next week for the first time since March.
The Lady Rattlers' first match is scheduled for March 1 at Elida, with their first home match March 4 against Raton. Because of ongoing health restrictions that forbid public gatherings, spectators wouldn't be allowed at matches. Matches would be live-streamed instead.
Athletic director Wayne Ferguson has said barring drastic increases of COVID-19 in the next few days, he doesn't anticipate the New Mexico Activities Association will back away from its plan to resume sports on Feb. 22. In-person classes resumed at many of the state's middle schools and high schools on Feb. 8.
New Mexico high school volleyball teams would be allowed only 12 regular-season games in a condensed regular season, with the postseason beginning March 29.
Ferguson, who also is Tucumcari's football coach, said he'll finish schedules on football and cross country later this week. New Mexico school districts had until Monday to opt out of athletics this spring. After that, the NMAA would firm up those schedules.
He said Tucumcari's football players this week would begin the transition of wearing helmets, then pads, to acclimate the athletes.
Ferguson said he's detected enthusiasm from many athletes at the prospect of playing sports again.
Ferguson said four football games and three cross-country meets are anticipated in the condensed regular-season schedules.
He said football and volleyball games would streamed on the NFHS Network website at https://www.nfhsnetwork.com. The network offers yearly or monthly subscriptions. The high school months ago purchased video cameras for that purpose.
The tentative schedule for Tucumcari volleyball. District matches begin with the junior varsity at 5 p.m., with the varsity to follow:
• March 1, at Elida
• March 2, at Texico
• March 4, Raton at Tucumcari
• March 6, Clayton at Tucumcari
• March 9, Dexter at Tucumcari
• March 11, at New Mexico Military Institute
• March 15, Logan at Tucumcari
• March 16, at Santa Rosa
• March 18, at Dexter
• March 22, East Mountain at Tucumcari
• March 23, NMMI at Tucumcari
• March 25, Santa Rosa at Tucumcari
• Postseason begins March 29
