St. Michael’s point guard Adam Montoya, center, wades through Crownpoint players Jan. 5 at the Horsemen Shootout. Montoya on Sunday earned first-team All-State honors for District 2-3A.
The Jaguars’ Izaya Sanchez-Valencia, right, battles Valencia’s Damian Estrada for a rebound Jan. 10 at Capital. Sanchez-Valencia will be playing in the Green/Red All-Star Basketball Series on the 5A Green team Saturday in Gallup.
St. Michael’s point guard Adam Montoya, center, wades through Crownpoint players Jan. 5 at the Horsemen Shootout. Montoya on Sunday earned first-team All-State honors for District 2-3A.
The Jaguars’ Izaya Sanchez-Valencia, right, battles Valencia’s Damian Estrada for a rebound Jan. 10 at Capital. Sanchez-Valencia will be playing in the Green/Red All-Star Basketball Series on the 5A Green team Saturday in Gallup.
Gallup has always been known as a hotbed for hoops.
That reputation will be put to the test Saturday.
Gallup High School is the site for all six games of the Green/Red All-Star Basketball Series by the New Mexico High School Coaches Association. The games feature the top boys and girls seniors from all five classes playing their final prep games.
Northern New Mexico will be well represented with 28 players — 14 boys and 14 girls — making the trip. The Class 3A/4A games will have the best representation, as seven boys and seven girls from the North will take part in the game.
The Class 1A/2A boys and girls games were Friday and the 3A/4A and 5A games will be Saturday. The 5A games are scheduled for 11 a.m. (girls) and 1 p.m. (boys), while the 3A/4A games are set for 3 p.m. (girls) and 5 p.m. (boys).
The boys Green team will feature District 2-3A rivals playing as teammates in Robertson’s Bodie Schlinger plus Adam Montoya and Josh Sanchez of St. Michael’s. Players are randomly selected for the Red and Green squads. They played in the Class 3A championship game, won by the Horsemen, 66-49. Also on Team Green is Española Valley’s Jadyn Martinez.
The Red team features Robertson’s Kenneth Montoya, Owen Pecos of Santa Fe Indian School and Pojoaque Valley’s Derek Sanchez.
Santa Fe Indian School’s Madisen Valdez and Jalen Abeyta will wear the Green uniforms in the 3A/4A girls game, along with Robertson’s Mistidawn Roybal and Jacelyn Morgan from crosstown rival West Las Vegas.
The Red team features St. Michael’s teammates Lauryn Pecos and Carmen Pacheco and Robertson’s Azlyn Padilla. Los Alamos senior Tara McDonald, who announced she will play soccer at Division I school Utah Tech University in February, will also represent the Red squad.
Class 5A, which is the only class with its own game, has Capital’s Izaya Sanchez-Valencia playing for the Green team. On the girls side, Santa Fe High’s Kiki Benavidez and Maci Macias will be teammates one final time for the Green, which will be coached by Capital’s Darren Casados. Meanwhile, Capital’s Amerie Romero is on the Red side.
After spending the last four years as teammates and celebrating a 2A boys title last week, Pecos’ Aidan Holton, Jodiah Padilla and Zach Fox were on opposite sides Friday. Holton suited up for the Green team, while Padilla and Fox donned the Reds. Joining Holton as teammates were Escalante’s Tomas Atencio and Santa Fe Waldorf’s Eno Little.
The Red team also included Mesa Vista’s Jordan Cervantes.
The 1/2A girls team had Pecos’ Kristina Ragland playing for Team Green, while the Red squad included Escalante’s Brycelyn Martinez and Mesa Vista’s Amarissa Quintana.
