Peerman's Power Rankings: 10 best things in New Mexico sports this week (Dec. 24)

Dec. 24—Welcome to Peerman's Power Rankings (PPR), the 10 athletes, teams and story lines that have Journal sports editor Lucas Peerman's attention. Look for a new power rankings list every Sunday. (Next Sunday will be the 10 best things in New Mexico sports this year).

Have a suggestion, complaint or compliment? Email lpeerman@abqjournal.com or contact me on X @LucasPeerman.

10. Sydney Benally

This standout guard is averaging more than 20 points a game in leading Sandia to a 9-0 start and the MaxPreps No. 1 ranking among girls teams in New Mexico. This week, Benally joined prep sports editor James Yodice on the weekly Fast Break high school basketball show to talk not only hoops, but also academics. Benally is also a star in the classroom and among the myriad schools recruiting her are Ivy League institutions Cornell and Penn. Way to go, Sydney!

9. Cam Dyer

PPR hopes the Dyer family has plenty of shelf space for all the postseason awards La Cueva's star quarterback is winning, including MaxPreps New Mexico Player of the Year. This week, Dyer picked up his first Power 5 offer, from Texas Tech.

8. Tony Sanchez

It's a new era for college football along the Rio Grande. NMSU, UNM and UTEP all hired new coaches to guide their programs into 2024 and beyond. Following Jerry Kill's resignation (see below), the Aggies acted quick in promoting wide receivers coach Tony Sanchez to the head spot. He was a star receiver for the Aggies in the 1990s and returned to Las Cruces in 2021, coming with Kill from TCU. Sanchez knows the NMSU program and players. First on the to-do list? Convincing boosters to use some of that $1.1 million that Kill turned down to lure quarterback Diego Pavia out of the transfer portal.

7. Harper Dunn

This 6-foot-5 freshman post has garnered early interest from three of last year's Women's Final Four in LSU, Iowa and Virginia Tech. And a slew of other prominent national programs have also spoken to her, about 20 in all. She holds two offers, including from New Mexico State. So why are you just now hearing about Harper Dunn? Likely because she plays prep ball for Corona, one of the smallest schools in the state. If you haven't yet, read James Yodice's profile of the loquacious 14-year-old, who's at home on the court and on the ranch.

6. Lou Henson

The coaching legend who led New Mexico State (and later, Illinois) to the Final Four still isn't in the Basketball Hall of Fame. He's among a slew of Class of 2024 Hall nominees with New Mexico connections (Michael Cooper, Reggie Theus and John Williamson are among the others). Former NMSU coach and current Aggies broadcaster Rus Bradburd recently noted that Henson has more total wins than 20 coaches already in the Hall. Everyone who visits the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame should come away knowing Henson's contributions to game.

5. UNM men's basketball

The Lobos, now 11-1 after winning 10 straight, are rightfully receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and some prognosticators are even mentioning them as having Final Four potential. With star guards Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr. each having been injured for half the season, who knows how high of a ceiling they have when at full strength. The Lobos have one more nonconference game, against Division II Eastern New Mexico, before beginning the gauntlet that is Mountain West hoops, but don't put the Dec. 29 game vs. the Greyhounds in the W column just yet ...

4. ENMU men's basketball

The Greyhounds are not only off to their best start (8-2) in nearly 30 years, the fans around Portales are starting to take notice. More than 3,100 showed up to their last home game, a 104-69 win over Navajo Tech, which ENMU says is the seventh largest crowd at a Division II game this year. The Greyhounds are also getting attention outside of New Mexico, this week getting votes in the DII Top 25 poll, landing just six spots out. This week, expect the Gritty Greyhounds to give the Lobos their biggest test from a NM team inside the Pit this season.

3. Albuquerque Isotopes

No doubt, the best Triple-A baseball franchise is right here in Albuquerque. The Isotopes were honored this week as the 2023 Bob Freitas award winner for best overall Triple-A organization in Minor League Baseball. Congrats and well deserved!

See more: Why readers say they are fans of the club — A Sick's Pack of memorable 'Topes

2. Bella Hines

On Saturday, the Eldorado girls basketball star scored a school record 53 points, outscoring the opposition by herself, and hit nine 3-pointers in leading the Eagles to a 59-46 victory over Rio Rancho. The 53 points were a school record. Cool, cool. But you you know why Hines is No. 2 on PPR this week? This move, caught on video a week earlier against Sandia, which was shared far and wide on social media, including by ESPNW and SportsCenter and to their nearly 40 million followers on Instagram.

1. Jerry Kill

Jerry Kill was born in August 1961, a few months after the New Mexico State football team went 11-0, including a win in the Sun Bowl for its second consecutive bowl appearance. It fair to say the Aggies would struggle a bit the next decade or six. In fact, over the next 60 years, the team would appear in a total of one (1!) bowl game. Enter Kill in 2021, who took over the moribund program (moribund for the entirety of Kill's life to that point) and in his first year guided the Aggies to a winning record and a Quick Lane Bowl victory. What did he do for an encore? The team's first 10-plus-win season and back-to-back bowl appearances since 1960. NMSU supporters emptied their pocketbooks to entice Kill to stay around with Athletic Director Mario Moccia saying he offered Kill a package worth $1.1 million to coach in 2024. The 62-year-old head coach said no, opting to resign, saying in part: "This year has been tremendously difficult for me, and I gave it everything I had physically, mentally and emotionally." Coach deserves a break. And for accomplishing the unthinkable — turning NMSU into a football school — in just two years, he deserves the top spot on this week's PPR.

Honorable mention

UNM women's basketball: The Lobos played inspired ball at No. 20 Gonzaga, giving the Bulldogs all they could handle this week in a 67-56 loss. The UNM squad is 9-4 heading into Mountain West play and should challenge for a top three spot in conference.

Volcano Vista wrestling: Both the Volcano Vista's boys and girls won team championships at the Albuquerque Metro Wrestling Championships. Way to soar, Hawks!

New Mexico Ice Wolves: Last weekend, fans of Albuquerque's minor league hockey team threw teddy bears on the ice. The stuffed animals would be donated to organizations that provide gifts to underprivileged children. Thank you to the Ice Wolves and other teams around the state who work with nonprofits to take care of everyone in our community.

End of the bench: No coal in stockings to award this week. Happy holidays to all!

Previous Peerman's Power Rankings:

Dec. 17Dec. 3Nov. 26