The teams, players and story lines that defined the 2023-24 prep sports year

May 26—Right around the middle of August, we'll reconvene and begin to assemble the building blocks of the 2024-25 school year. Football kicks off on Aug. 22. Soccer, a little before that.

A prep school year is a nine-months-long ride, and this one ended about a week ago.

Let's try to put an appropriate bow on things.

STRIKE ZONE: The new "Two Strikes" initiative from the New Mexico Activities Association was consistently in the news throughout the 2023-24 school year. Belen and Valley's football teams were the first to get hit with a first strike.

There were any number of egregious offenses that got popped throughout the year as this new bylaw — even if its mandate doesn't say so explicitly — probably embarrassed some teams and fans whose behavior crossed the line.

Some strikes were focused on teams, some on fan bases, and there were instances where both got put on notice on the same day at the same school.

All of the first strikes assessed were wiped off the ledger once their season ended — except for the last one, given to the Volcano Vista baseball program AND its fans. As their strike occurred in the final game of their season, it carries over to 2025.

Did the "Two Strikes" bylaw accomplish its objective? Well, yes and no.

It did serve to remind schools that there are going to be boundaries going forward, and that no one is above the (by)law. But there were still about 20 instances of behavior that were deemed first strike-esque. And probably, that's about normal for an average school year.

I think we'll have a better idea about whether this bylaw is having the desired effect after the end of the 2024-25 school year.

But it's clear, regardless of this bylaw's existence, emotions sometimes still override all else, including decorum.

EIGHTH NOTES: This school year saw two eighth-grade athletes generate major headlines.

West Las Vegas softball player Malie Satete clubbed 24 home runs for the Dons, as the school won its first Class 3A softball title. Satate, who pitches and catches, finished among the home run leaders in the country. The New Mexico state record was 20, set just last year, so Satete has raised the bar considerably.

The other eighth-grader you certainly know already.

There's just no way to overstate the impact Gianna Rahmer had on New Mexico prep athletics during the 2023-24 school year.

She ran away, literally, from her cross country rivals near and far, broke the 17-minute barrier at the state meet (which no one in New Mexico had ever cracked before) and won spectacularly, and then she won a huge regional meet in Phoenix the following week.

And she placed sixth at the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon.

It was prominently in the discussion as the most dominant cross country season ever seen by a New Mexico girl.

By the end of the school year, and watching her break three state records at state track last weekend (800, 1,600, 3,200), it was clear that Rahmer had blossomed into a crowd favorite. The running community recognizes greatness when it sees it.

THE LAVA FLOWS: No boys basketball team in Albuquerque had ever — EVER — won three straight big-school state championships. Until this year.

Greg Brown's Volcano Vista Hawks became the first to register that elusive threepeat. Led by the duo of Kenyon Aguino and David Lunn, the Hawks — a staggering 88-2 over the last three seasons — beat Organ Mountain in the March Class 5A final at the Pit.

Highland, led by scoring machine guard Jesus Licon, was the 4A boys champion, as the Hornets overcame a seven-point deficit in the last 2 1/2 minutes to edge Valley, 45-44.

The Academy for Technology and the Classics from Santa Fe won its first-ever title, defeating Pecos in Class 2A. It had been so long (1976) since Navajo Prep played for a blue trophy, the school was known under a different name then. The 3A Eagles won state, too.

Kirtland Central's 21st girls championship is tied for fourth in the country; the Broncos downed St. Pius in the Class 4A final.

Sandia's girls, led by Sydney Benally's marvelous 35-point performance, overcame Volcano Vista, making its fifth straight appearance in a final, 49-45 in a thrilling matchup.

THIS AND THAT, PART ONE: Wayne Ferguson of Tucumcari was selected to be the 116th inductee into the NMAA Hall of Fame. ... Powerlifting became an official sport, with Cleveland's boys and Rio Rancho's girls winning the first state titles in 5A and Lovington sweeping in 4A. ... La Cueva cheer and Hope Christian dance won state championships, and the Roswell dancers continued their championship streak of enthusiastic and creative excellence. ... Cottonwood Classical Prep won blue trophies in swimming/diving for the smaller schools, while Eldorado's boys and Academy's girls (for an eighth straight time) were the big-school champions. ... Loving won its 20th state softball championship. ... Zuni's boys won their 23rd cross country title, tied for most all-time in New Mexico. ... Volcano Vista's boys successfully defended their state wrestling championship, and Volcano Vista also won state in boys golf for the first time. ... Vivica Corley of Eldorado joined sisters Ivana, Carmen and Vianca as a state singles champion, with a grueling three-and-a-half hour victory over La Cueva's Cameron King.

FOOTBALL: Cleveland was having a remarkable defensive season — until it ran square into La Cueva in the Class 6A championship game.

Snow delayed kickoff, but not the Bears, who, led by dynamic quarterback Cam Dyer and his 350 combined pass/rush yards, won 35-14 at Cleveland, erasing the memory of an 0-3 start that included a loss to Cleveland and a forfeit loss to Rio Rancho.

At the Bulldog Bowl, Artesia clinched its 32nd state championship, 35-21 over rival Roswell. The 32 is tied for second in the country. The Coyotes had surrendered just 84 points in 12 games until championship Saturday.

Lovington in Class 4A won its second blue trophy in the last three seasons, 57-21 over Portales. Just in the last few weeks, the Wildcats' coach, Anthony Gonzales, left the Wildcats to become the coach and athletic director at Snyder, Texas. Lovington's 20 blue trophies are second in New Mexico, behind Artesia. Notably, the Wildcats are due to move up into Class 5A next season, where powerhouses such as Artesia and Roswell already reside.

Off the field, the NMAA voted to begin instituting much larger football districts, which goes into effect this coming season. The number of districts in Classes 2A-6A is falling from 20 to 13, at least for the next two seasons.

GAME OF THE YEAR, PLAY OTY, PERFORMANCE OTY ... ON THE SAME NIGHT?: Of course, I have first-hand access to only a small percentage of all the high school games that are played in New Mexico.

However ... Atrisco Heritage's 70-64 football victory over Eldorado perhaps contained all three of the aforementioned bullet elements on the same night at Nusenda Community Stadium last season.

We could talk about Latavious Morris, being a starting quarterback for the first time in his life, and throwing for 482 yards and six touchdowns, and rushing for another 180 for the Jaguars.

So there was that.

Then there was the finish. In a 64-64 game, and with one tenth of one second remaining, the Jaguars won the game on a deflected, 37-yard Hail Mary into the end zone.

Truly one of those you-had-to-be-there-to-believe-it kind of nights.

EXODUS: In recent years, there have been several prominent athletes to leave New Mexico before their high school eligibility ended. That list was, sadly, impressive this year.

La Cueva's Dyer, and Atrisco Heritage's Morris, plus the Bears' Eric Jacobsen — all expected to be among the very top tier of talent next basketball season — won't be playing any more basketball. Morris and Jacobsen are moving on to prep schools; Dyer is graduating early to get a kick start on college football, though he has yet to select a school.

And then just in the last few days, Eldorado's Bella Hines also exited stage left, to ABC Prep. She earned some statistical milestones in her junior season, including getting to 2,000 career points and becoming Albuquerque Public Schools' all-time leading scorer.

A day after Hines' announcement, the state's most recruited boys basketball player, Jalin Holland of Los Lunas, said he'd be leaving the state for a prep academy in suburban Phoenix.

PITCH COUNT: State soccer yielded a pair of rare big-school state champions in the boys from Hobbs and the girls from Cleveland. Hobbs and Atrisco Heritage played a hugely enthralling final at UNM, a game the Eagles won 3-2 in penalty kicks to complete an undefeated season for its first boys soccer championship since 1997.

The Storm edged La Cueva 1-0 for Cleveland's first title in girls soccer.

Hope Christian's girls and Sandia Prep's girls both won state for the third straight season.

St. Pius' boys won state for the first time since 2008. New Mexico Military Institute was the Class 1A-3A boys winner.

THIS AND THAT, PART TWO: Keith Leupold, the longtime volleyball coach at Las Cruces High, not only achieved his 600th career victory in the fall of 2023, he led the Bulldawgs to the Class 5A championship, downing Cibola in four sets in the final for the program's first title in 22 years. ... On the running front, Rio Rancho's boys and girls swept Class 5A at state cross country. ... Los Alamos' boys and girls track and field teams reigned supreme all spring, and capped their seasons off with emphatic victories at the 4A state meet. ... Rylee Salome of Belen won her third consecutive Class 4A state golf title. ... Dynasties? There were several going strong at the end of 2023-24. Like the Academy boys tennis program (21 consecutive championships), plus Academy girls swimming and Cleveland boys track and field (each now with eight in a row). ... Baseball produced two first-time state champions in Grants (4A) and the Oak Grove Classical Academy/Menaul co-op (2A). ... Cleveland's girls won state in wrestling for the first time.

TECHNOLOGY: Prep baseball teams were allowed for the first time this year to apply electronic devices to convey pitches directly from the dugout to the catcher. Some teams used this method, others may come aboard in future years.

Softball does not yet allow for this; La Cueva softball coach Ron Romero got suspended for one game in the state tournament for attempting it.

While his Bears came up short in a bid to win state, the La Cueva baseball team did not. The Bears won a dramatic 3-2 decision over Cleveland in the 5A final, the program's 12th blue trophy.

PARTING THOUGHTS: Over the next two weeks, the Journal will present our All-Metro softball and baseball teams, our choices for individual sport athletes of the year (22 of them), and of course our selections for overall Metro Male and Female Athlete of the Year.

I'll be heavily immersed in all of that for the next two weeks, but before I exit today, I feel compelled to share an image that has stuck with me for over half a year.

It was state cross country Saturday at Albuquerque Academy, the boys Class 3A race. Three boys — Ezra Telavera of Hot Springs, Dwight Manygoats of Tohatchi and Kalen Carloye of St. Michael's — crossed the finish line in unison, hands joined.

They were the last three boys to finish that race, Nos. 90, 91 and 92. Thinking back on it now, I wish all the teams and fans who got nailed with a first strike this school year could be made to watch that finish, to remind them at its essence, high school athletics exists for.

I offer a hearty congratulations to all the graduating seniors. I extend my most sincere wishes for a happy and healthy and rewarding life.

It's been another awesome school year from this keyboard. Have a fantastic summer, everyone.

See you in August.