Hurne, Montoya lead the way for this week's top prep sports performers in Pueblo
The fall sports season is trucking along and many of Pueblo’s prep teams are in the heart of their season.
This week's top performers include some impressive outings on the football field, a shutout on the soccer pitch, some big performances in volleyball, as well as softball, tennis and golf.
Each week, the Chieftain recognizes the top student-athletes from area schools to highlight those who have performed at a high level. The Chieftain sports staff selects them. Coaches can nominate players by emailing cabdelmalek@gannett.com before Thursday night.
Football
Jose Rubio, Dolores Huerta Prep
Rubio stepped up in a big way for the Scorpions this past week. When starting QB Bryan Mendoza went down, he helped fill the gaps at quarterback and running back. He finished the game with 104 passing yards and a touchdown through the air, and 103 rushing yards on the ground and scored as well to help the Scorpions earn their first victory of the season, 26-14 over Justice.
Dylan Hurne, Rye High School
Hurne had another breakout game for the Thunderbolts on Thursday night, claiming the rushing lead in the entire state of Colorado. Hurne rushed the ball 25 times for a staggering 403 yards and six, count it, six touchdowns in a 42-14 victory over Center. His current rushing total is 791 yards, and he is tied for second overall in the state with 12 touchdowns.
Johnathan Gonzales, Pueblo County
Gonzales was impressive on the defensive side of the ball this past week as he helped the Hornets come away with the 35-21 victory over Fort Morgan this past week. Gonzales intercepted the ball twice and had 104 yards in returns for the game. He also hauled in two catches for 35 yards, rushed the ball for 10 yards, and had a total of five tackles. He is in the top 15 of Class 3A in interceptions.
More: Pueblo Centennial football drops fifth straight, loses to Discovery Canyon
Michael Montoya, Pueblo Central
With starting running back Amari Brown out, Montoya has stepped up in a huge way for the Wildcats. In their recent 54-14 victory over Coronado, Montoya had 30 carries for 201 yards and five touchdowns. It was the second straight game for Montoya with 25 or more carries since Brown has been out. Montoya is currently fourth in Class 3A in rushing and third in touchdowns with nine on the season.
Volleyball
Isabella Bond, Rye High School
In the last two games for the Thunderbolts, Bond has had 11 kills, two aces, eight total blocks and six digs helping her team earn two more victories and move to 11-1 on the season. The Thunderbolts are a perfect 7-0 in league play.
Kyla Ruzich, Pueblo County
Ruzich had eight aces and 10 digs in the Hornets' recent 3-0 victory over Pueblo Centennial. She currently leads the Hornets with 22 aces and her 125 digs this season puts her in the top 20 in all of Class 4A. The Hornets are currently 8-3 on the season and 1-0 in South Central League play.
Soccer
Michael Ceyrolles, Pueblo Centennial
Ceyrolles had two goals and two assists in the Bulldog's recent 6-0 victory over Pueblo East. Ceyrolles now leads the team with 11 goals on the season and is tied for the team lead with seven assists. The Bulldogs are 7-1-1 for the season and 4-0-1 in South-Central League play. He is currently in the top 25 in the state in goals scored and top 10 in assists.
Kevin Barrios, Pueblo South
Barrios helped the Colts earn their third win of the season with a 1-0 shutout over the Pueblo County Hornets this past week. It was Barrios’ second straight shutout and third overall this season. All three wins for the Colts have been against league opponents. They currently sit with a 3-2 record overall in the South-Central League.
Softball
Bradie Poteet-Herrera, Pueblo West
Poteet-Herrera had a great stretch this past week for the Cyclones. In their last three games, Poteet-Herrera had six hits, 10 RBIs, and one home run to help the Cyclones earn three more victories over Pueblo East, Corando, and Pueblo Centennial. Pueblo West is now 13-4 on the season with a 6-0 record in the South-Central League.
Albanie Cordova, Pueblo County
Cordova was on a tear for the Hornets this past week. In her past three games, Cordova tallied seven hits and seven RBIs including two doubles, a triple and a home run. The Hornets have now won eight straight and now sit at 15-3 on the season and 4-2 in the South-Central League.
More: Pueblo West and Pueblo County battle it out on the tennis courts; Hornets sweep singles
Tennis
Ian Alcala, Pueblo County
Alcala has won two straight matches this past week en route to a 1-1 record overall for the Hornets. He took his matches against Pueblo West’s Jett Johnson, (3-6, 7-5, 6-1) and Pueblo South’s Cameron Johnson (6-0, 6-0). Alcala is now 7-0 on the season.
Golf
Preston Allen, Pueblo West
Allen finished fourth overall in the Class 4A Boys' Region 1 regional match-up at Walking Stick Golf Course this past week. His score of 75 overall helped the Cyclones finish third overall as a team.
Christopher Abdelmalek is a sports reporter for the Pueblo Chieftain and can be reached at cabdelmalek@gannett.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @chowebacca. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Here are Pueblo's top prep sports performers for the week of Sept. 18
