Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
The San Jon school board voted last week to let its boys basketball team play only junior-varsity games during the 2022-2023 season in effort to rebuild the program.
The Coyotes amassed a 1-18 record last season, with their only victory against a junior-varsity squad in Texas.
During those losses, San Jon scored just over 10 points a game and suffered an average margin of defeat of more than 50 points.
The Coyotes’ inexperienced varsity team this past season had no seniors, three juniors, one sophomore, one freshman and four eighth-graders.
District superintendent Janet Gladu said she talked to players, their parents and coach John Wootton about the option of going JV-only next season. She said all agreed it was a good idea.
Gladu summed up the players’ responses: “We just want to win. We don’t want to get our teeth kicked in.”
She said the New Mexico Activities Association usually requires teams to go JV-only for a two- year period, but the organization shortened it to one year because of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said San Jon holds the option of going back to a varsity schedule in 2024-2025.