Four Corners Sports Magazine March 2014

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content| 4 | Straight AceEthan Nguyen picked up his tennis racket and

started bouncing a lime green ball in the air.

It hit the racket and flew in the air and the

9-year-old flipped his racket over, using it to

bounce the ball off the ground before hitting it

in a perfect arc over the net.

| 31 | Heights KnightsSlam Dunkthe Heights Knights have had a brilliant run in

boys’ football and basketball this year. While

their football team went undefeated and won

the Basin Championship, their 8th grade boys

basketball team just ran the table to complete

a perfect season of their own.

| 8 | Fish StockingI think the most accurate description

I’ve read on the essence of a river is that

it’s nature’s lifework in song.

| 12 | Fishing Report

| 15 | Letters of intent

| 13 | KingpinAaron Fuller, 17, of Farmington, is one of the

state’s best bowlers. He placed second

overall in the singles competition at the state

bowling championship in February at ten pins

and More in rio rancho.

| 14 | Kirtland loses a legendLegendary Kirtland Central High School Girls’

Basketball Coach, Don Cluff, passed away on

Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014. He was 70 years old at

the time.

| 16 | 140 Strongthe Heights Middle School track team is 140

students strong with a head coach who has

led the program for the past 10 years.

| 20 | Spring sports kicks offAlthough it has seemed like spring for most

of the winter, the spring sports season kicks

off this month with outdoor sports taking

over for the comfort of those wearing shorts

and playing inside.

| 24 | The First TeeIt seems like only yesterday when the

masses were complaining about how fast

the summer disappeared and the cold of

winter had come upon us.

| 26 | Mat DominanceAs piedra Vista began its run of wrestling

dominance four years ago, the biggest rival

in the district, and perhaps the state, was

the Bloomfield Bobcats.

| 25 | 10 Questions

| 32 | Editorial Column

Don Vaughan

puBLISHEr

Cindy Cowan thiele

EDItor

Debra Mayeux

rick Hoerner

tom Yost

CoNtrIButING WrItErS

Josh Bishop

Curtis ray Benally

CoNtrIButING pHotoGrApHEr

Suzanne thurman

DESIGNEr

Shelly Acosta

DeYan Valdez

Aimee Velasquez

SALES StAFF

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Four Corners Sports magazine is published once amonth by Majestic Media. Material herein may not bereprinted without expressed written consent of the pub-lisher. opinions expressed by the contributing writersare not necessarily those of the publisher, editor or FourCorners Sports magazine. Every effort has been madeto ensure the accuracy of this publication. However thepublisher cannot assume responsibility for errors orommissions. © 2014 Four Corners Sports magazine.

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3Four Corners SportSMarch 2014

9-year-old Ethan Nguyen has more

than 20 tournaments under his beltStory by Debra Mayeux | Photos by Josh Bishop

Ethan Nguyen picked up his tennis

racket and started bouncing a lime

green ball in the air. It hit the racket and

flew in the air and the 9-year-old flipped

his racket over, using it to bounce the

ball off the ground before hitting it in a

perfect arc over the net.

Nguyen, a fourth-grade student at

Ladera Elementary School, was the

champion in the 2014 Phoenix Junior

Masters Championship for Boys 10 Sin-

gles and Doubles, sponsored by All About

Tennis. He has competed in more than 20

tournaments and has come away with

seven trophies for first or second place,

since he began playing the sport on a

regular basis two years ago.

Ethan is the son of Linh and Kim

Nguyen, of Farmington, and the entire

family plays tennis. His older sisters have

participated in and won tournaments,

and Ethan decided he wanted to follow in

their footsteps. His father decided to

start training his son, with the help of

coaching from Pat McGrath, the girls’

tennis coach at Farmington High School.

“I WOULD LIKE TO PLAY TENNIS ALL OF THE TIME.”

— ETHAN NGUYEN

6 Four Corners SportS March 2014

7Four Corners SporTSMarch 2014

“It’s a sport you can play your whole life,” Linh

said. “He can play in high school and, hopefully,

in college. He can play until he’s old.”

Linh enjoys the sport because it teaches the

athlete a lot. “When you are playing matches,

there is a lot to deal with, even when you are 9

years old,” he said.

Ethan enjoys the time spent with his father, a

couple of hours a day, three days a week on the

court. He also has received training from Mark

Saperstein at the No Quit Tennis Academy,

founded by Mike Agessi in Las Vegas, Nev. “He

was one of the best, and he taught me,” Ethan

said of Saperstein. “He helped me improve my

shots and my serve.”

Ethan likes the sport of tennis, because he en-

joys hitting the balls and it keeps him in shape,

but there also is a competitive edge to the child.

“I like getting better at tennis, because then I

can win more,” he said with a huge smile. “I

would like to play tennis all of the time.”

Tennis has not been the only competitive

sport for Ethan. He skis competitively doing

moguls once or twice a season, and he has en-

tered several academic competitions. He was

named to the Duke Academic Talent Search as

well as the Western Academic Talent Search, and

he won the Ladera Elementary School Spelling

Bee championship three years in a row – in 2nd,

3rd, and 4th grades.

But when he had to choose between compet-

ing at the District Spelling Bee or going to a ten-

nis meet, he chose tennis.

“His goal is go to the Southwest Zonal Meet,”

Linh said. Ethan, however, would have to com-

pete against older tennis players, and only the

top 12 in the state go to the national meet. He

knows that to get there he has to keep practic-

ing, and that is Ethan’s plan.

This well-rounded youth has big plans for his

future. When he grows up he wants to attend

Harvard Medical School and be a cancer doctor,

just like his dad.

“When you are playing matches,

there is a lot to deal with, even

when you are 9 years old.”

— LINH NGUYEN

I think the most accurate descrip-tion I’ve read on the essence of a riveris that it’s nature’s lifework in song.

No matter what part of the country,or how big the river, the sound and feelof a river’s music is universal. Therhythm of the water instantly instills asense of tranquility that somehowslows down time and makes you grate-ful for that moment and sad for thosewho never get to experience it.

Standing by the San Juan River, I un-derstand the hold fly fishing has overpeople and why they consider it a pas-sionate lifelong pursuit.

I can also see how lucky we are tolive near some of the most treasuredtrout fishing waters in North America.

The San Juan River’s Quality Waters,starting just below Navajo Dam, is

world renowned and consistentlyranks as one of this country’s top-10fly fishing destinations.

Our state understands the valuelakes brings to New Mexico’s economyand consistently works to improve thehabitat of the lakes.

In early February, the New Mexico De-partment of Game and Fish stocked theSan Juan River with 1,250 2 lb, 15” to19” rainbow trout. The fish were grownat the Los Ojos Hatchery near Chama.

They were released in the bait fish-ing, or catch and keep, area of theriver by the pump house station ac-cording to Marc Wethington, San JuanRiver fisheries biologist for the Depart-ment of Game and Fish.

The location was chosen because,with the road closed due to inclement

weather, it will give the fish time to ad-just to their new surroundings andgive them time to grow and find a spoton the lake to call home.

He explained that the state usuallystocks the river around April each yearfor the larger trout; however, droughtconditions changed the schedule.

“We got some extra fish and it’s be-cause there’s a lack of places to stockfish. We had lots of water and someareas (other rivers) were just notstockable. There’s a point at the hatch-ery where you have to get rid of someof them, so we got some extra fish. Ourwater is always cold and meets the cri-teria for stocking,” Wethington said.

Annually, 260,000 small rainbowtrout are stocked in New Mexico lakesfrom November 1 through March 31each year.

NM Game and Fish adds 1,250 rainbow trout to San Juan River

Story by Cindy Cowan Thiele | Photos by Josh Bishop


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Allen Adkins, maintenance manager for Navajo Lake State Park releases rainbow trout into the San Juan River on Feb. 6.

11Four Corners SpORTSMarch 2014

The smaller trout, referred to

as catchables, are from 9” to 13”

and about 60,000 a year are put

into the water below the dam.

The first three mile of the San

Juan River below Navajo Dam is

designated as a Catch and Release

or C&R area. All fish must be re-

turned to the river regardless of

size and the single barbless hook

rule is in effect. It is also stocked

yearly.

Wethington said once the small

trout are introduced into the lake

they will grow 3” to 4” a year, and

they have plenty of food.

“From the base of the dam

down 10 to 15 miles the food base

is quite productive. It changes

over the course of those 15 miles,

but food resources are not a limit-

ing factor in the San Juan,” he

said.

In the remaining 3.5 miles of

the quality section of the river is

the bait fishing or catch and keep

area. The bag limit is 5 fish with

no size and no tackle restriction.

Another attribute of the San

Juan River is that the fishing

never stops.

“The San Juan is one of theplaces where people can actuallycatch fish year-round. The catchand release and the catch andkeep section – we have fishermenevery day, 365 days a year,”Wethington said.

T.J. Massey, owner of San JuanRiver Outfitters, said that in thewinter there are a lot of local peo-ple and fishermen from Albu-

querque and Colorado.

Massey added that area fisher-men like to fish in the winter whenthe river isn’t as crowded.

He said there aren’t many desti-nation trips in the winter becausepeople from across the countryare less likely to be interested intaking a long trip just to getstranded at an airport.

“If they’re traveling to the lake

for a three-to-five-day trip, they

want to spend that time at the

river and not delayed by bad

weather,” Massey said.

This year our mild winter also

kept the river busier than usual,

according to Massey.

“Any time you have a nice click

of weather you’ll have people from

Colorado, Albuquerque and locals

out,” Wethington said.

Both Massey and Wethington

agree that this year is stacking up

to be a very good fly fishing sea-

son.

“I do anticipate a very good sea-

son. We have been stocking fish

early this year with supplemental

fish,” Wethington said. “When peo-

ple get out there they will find

there are quite a few fish to catch

in the San Juan.”

“There’ve been some great

habitat improvements and extra

stocking, so it’s gonna be a great

year,” Massey said.

12 Four Corners SPORTS March 2014

Current flows on the San Juan River are 318cfs. Visibility is roughly

3 feet deep and improving weekly.

Fishing has been very good in the Quality Waters section. The bite

has been the best between the hours of 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. With the

recent weather changes, the midge and Baetis hatches have been

abundant in most sections of the river.

Some of the hot combos to try are:

Size 22 red larvae trailed by a size 22 tan Big Mac midge.

Size 18 cream colored egg trailed by a size 22 black zebra midge.

Other techniques to try are dry fly fishing and streamer fishing. The

best streamer sizes and colors are the following:

Size 10 black wooly buggers and size 10 olive wooly buggers. Also

size 10 white rabbit hair leaches.

As for the hot dry flies to try, a size 22 Parachute Adams and a size

20 Griffiths Gnat should do the job.

Fishing below the quality waters has been fair. Night crawlers and

red salmon eggs have been the most successful bait to try.

Remember to have fun and keep your line tight!

FishingFishingREPORTREPORT

FishingREPORT

T.J. Massey

San Juan River Outfitters

www.sanjuanriveroutfitters.com

505.486.5347

13Four Corners SPoRTSMarch 2014

Aaron Fuller, 17, of Farmington, is one of the state’s best bowlers. He placed

second overall in the singles competition at the state bowling championship in

February at Ten Pins and More in Rio Rancho.

Fuller beat out a fellow bowler, who has a scholarship to play for UNM, and

for his win he received a $425 scholarship to the college of his choice. He plans

to attend San Juan College and continue bowling.

Fuller began bowling with his family when he was 5 years old. He joined the Farm-

ington High School bowling team in 2012 and was the first male from this area to

win at a state championship meet.

The FHS bowling program began five years ago and has 17 members, who play

singles or on teams of five. It is a coed sport, and one that promotes teamwork.

The FHS players practice with the Piedra Vista High School team, and the two high

schools travel to meets together.

“It is one of the few sports where we all get along,” said Tyson Uselman, bowling

coach at FHS.

Uselman, who took over the program last year, has been slowly getting the word out

about the bowling program, as he tries to build the team.

“I bowled some in tournaments in college, and they were looking for someone to take

it [the coaching] over,” he said, adding the season typically begins with 40 students, but

then the numbers drop.

“Some of the kids don’t realize how competitive it is, and how many people are in the

tournaments,” Uselman said. The state tournaments have upwards of 800 people partici-

pating.

“It was pretty packed,” Fuller said.

The tournaments typically are in Albuquerque, but this year one was played at Bowlero

Lanes, where the high school teams practice and receive coaching tips from owner Chad

Franks. “He really helps us out and takes time out of his schedule to help instruct the stu-

dents,” Uselman said.

The practice and instruction helped Fuller go from an average score of 140 to 160 this year. He

also went from bowling on weekends with his family to bowling four times a week with the high

school team.

“He put a lot of effort into making himself better,” Uselman said of Fuller.

And the FHS senior has some bowling tips for anyone who might want to participate in the sport.

“Have good posture. Keep square and make sure your arms are straight and not behind your back,” he said. “I

worked to make sure I hit my mark every time.”

Fuller added that he not only enjoys the competition and the sport, he likes the fact that it can be social.

“You end up knowing a lot of people and talking to a lot of people,” he said.

Story and photo by Debra Mayeux

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Legendary Kirtland Central High School

Girls’ Basketball Coach, Don Cluff, passed away

on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014. He was 70 years old

at the time.

Coach Cluff was with the Central Consoli-

dated School District as a teacher and a coach

for 38 years – 10 years at Shiprock and 28 at

Kirtland Central High School. His passion for

the education of the community youth was ap-

parent in how successful he was both as a

teacher and as a coach.

Coach Cluff was both head basketball coach

and assistant basketball coach for the Lady

Broncos in their dynasty years. He led the Lady

Broncos as head coach in 1986 and 1987 as

part of the final two years of the famed eight

straight state championships from 1980 until

1987. Coach Cluff also led the Lady Broncos

back to the championship game in 1988, nar-

rowly missing out on a ninth straight title.

the basketball court at Kirtland Central High

School is appropriately named Don Cluff Court.

Coach Cluff was a valued member of the

Kirtland community and will be missed by so

many of those whose lives he influenced over

the years.

Story by Tom Yost

Don Cluff devoted 38 years to Shiprock, Kirtland girls’ basketball


15Four Corners SPoRTSMarch 2014

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PV athletes sign letters of intent

Zhianna Flores signs with the Univer-

sity of Memphis to run on their track

team next year. Flores was part of Piedra

Vista’s track team that finished third in

last year’s state meet and the current

champion in the 300 hurdles and the 200

meters. She goes into this season as the

favorite for high point total at any meet

in which she competes. Zhianna chose

Memphis for the opportunities the uni-

versity has given her and a chance to live

in a big city

Piedra Vista cross-country runner

Timberlin Henderson has signed a letter

of intent to compete at Western Colorado

in Gunnison. Henderson was second

overall in the district and helped in lead-

ing the Panthers to a clean sweep and

perfect score in district. Tim finished 9th

at the state meet, pacing the Panthers to

the awards podium and a third place

trophy. The Mountaineers are one of the

elite programs in Division II, finishing 4th

at Nationals after winning the Rocky

Mountain Athletic Conference.

The Heights Middle School track team is 140 students strong with a

head coach who has led the program for the past 10 years.

Language arts instructor Wayne Leupold began coaching track in

2002, when former athletic director Dennis Diehl asked him to join

Sherri Archuleta in coaching the team. In their first year, the girls

won the Basin championship.

Two years later Leupold took over the program as head coach and

has worked to build participation in the sport. “I talk to a lot of kids

about doing track when I see them in the halls,” Leupold said. “Since

track has a variety of events, we normally can fit everybody into an

event.”

He decorates the school’s walls with posters encouraging students

to keep their grades up, so they can join track. The posters go up six

months before the program begins in the spring. He changes the

posters monthly, reminding students that track is approaching.

17Four Corners SporTSMarch 2014

Track program fosters

fitness, good grades

and great competitors

Story by Debra Mayeux | Photos by Josh Bishop

18 Four Corners SpoRTS March 2014

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Leupold has enjoyed coaching track, because it

gives him an opportunity to experience student suc-

cess in sports. “Track is good for everyone, even if a

kid isn’t the best athlete,” he said. “After 2 1/2

months of track practice, all of our kids are in much

better shape than when they started, so it’s good

for all of them.”

And the track program attracts a wide variety of

students, from those who don’t normally participate

in sports to those who are involved in all different

types of athletics.

Luke Stoltzfus, 14, participates in track so he can

get in shape for Farmington High School soccer. Le-

upold’s strict coaching helps the students get in

shape and stay in shape. “He pushes us hard. He

motivates us and makes things clear, very clear,”

Stoltzfus said. “He’s really competitive.”

Briana Rogers, 13, agreed that the program’s

focus is getting kids into shape. “Track puts you in a

fit place,” she said, adding there is a nutrition com-

ponent as well. “They teach us to eat more healthy

so we can have energy.”

Rogers, who was a soccer player, said she enjoys

the program and hopes to learn to pole vault. “It

looks fun. I think I’ll like it, because I’m in the air,”

19Four Corners SpORTSMarch 2014

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she said. “I will definitely continue track through high school.”

She enjoys running and is looking forward to the team’s first meet. “I

like full-on games,” Rogers said.

J.J. Tiznado, 14, has enjoyed track with Leupold’s guidance. “He’s a

good coach. If you’re not doing it right,

he tells you, and he encourages you,”

Tiznado said, of the head coach.

Leupold pointed out that while he is

the head coach, his focus in on pole

vault and long distance. He has been

joined by four other coaches this year.

They are Rick Lopez, sprint, relay and

long jump coach; Stephanie McDonald,

sprints, relay and pole vault coach;

Sandra Ramos- Aparicio, hurdles and

high jump coach; and Eric Robinson,

shot put and discus coach.

This year, the rules for long dis-

tance change. The New Mexico Activi-

ties Association decided to limit middle school runners to 1,600 meters,

instead of 3,200 meters as it had been in the past. “We hope to add an-

other distance run this year and then have the 3,200 reinstated next

year,” Leupold said.

Despite the rule change, Leupold said his team is on the right track. “I

think we’ll be in the running for Basin titles with our boys and our girls,”

he said. The boys won last year, and several of those athletes returned,

plus the school received new transfers from Mesa View Middle School.

“Our girls have been Basin champions twice in the past six years,” Le-

upold said. “With the (school) district

realignment, we now have several mem-

bers of Mesa View’s 2013 Basin cham-

pion girl’s team here at Heights to

combine with our returners from last

year.”

The Heights team has the top girl re-

turners in the Basin in the 100-, 200-,

400-, and 800-meter dashes and the

1,600-meter run. “That’s a good nucleus

to build from, and that’s not even count-

ing the seventh-graders who are in

their first year of track,” Leupold said.

The track season just began, so Le-

upold and the other coaches have been

working to build up the team of 140 students, while also trying to main-

tain that number and build some quality athletes. “One of the pluses of

having a lot of students come out for track is every year you find dia-

monds in the rough, kids who didn’t know they were good at something

until they tried it,” Leupold said.

“Track is good for everyone, even if a kid isn’t

the best athlete. After 2 1/2 months of track

practice, all of our kids are in much better

shape than when they started, so it’s good for

all of them..”

— Wayne LeupoldHead Coach

20 Four Corners SPortS March 2014

Peidra Vista

High School

Spring

SportS

kickS off

21Four Corners SPOrTSMarch 2014

Although it has seemed like spring for most

of the winter, the spring sports season kicks

off this month with outdoor sports taking over

for the comfort of those wearing shorts and

playing inside. Over the past decade District

1AAAA has been the leader of spring sports

championships in the state with state champi-

ons in softball, baseball, girls’ tennis, boys’

track, and girls’ track in the last two years

alone. This season may be no different, as the

local schools will battle it out again on the field

and on the track.

SoftballMight as well start at the top. The Piedra

Vista Panthers enter the season with the pres-

sure of eight straight state AAAA champi-

onships on their shoulders. The Panthers’

winning streak has been impressive to say the

least, but the whole district is on their heals.

Aztec has been the state runners-up in back-

to-back years and Farmington has been a

final-four contender annually. This may be the

year the Panthers step back to the pack with

no one waiting to fill Krissy Fortner’s shoes in

the circle. Both Aztec and Farmington return

starting pitching and will be right there in the

mix come May. At Kirtland Central, the Bron-

cos look to make a push in a very tough dis-

trict.

Predictions:

1. Piedra Vista

2. Aztec

3. Farmington

4. Kirtland Central

Story by Rick Hoerner | Photos by Josh Bishop

local teams have dominated

state for a decade

AngelAMINJAREZAztec High School

Spring

SportS

kickS off

22 Four Corners SPorTS March 2014

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BaseballSince PV joined Farmington in district 1aaaa in 2000, the district

championship has run through ricketts Park. Both Farmington and PV

have multiple state championships since the merger, playing each other

for the championship several times. nothing should change in the dis-

trict this year, as two games at ricketts Park should determine a dis-

trict champion and a higher seed at the state championships. Both

teams will throw out a little less experience on the mound this year, but

both squads reload well. aztec will continue to battle with an under-

manned squad compared to the two favorites. Kirtland Central wel-

comes a new coach this year, with hopes of improvement, but it would

take a massive leap for the Broncos to compete in the district this year.

Predictions:

1. Piedra Vista

2. Farmington

3. aztec

4. Kirtland Central

Boys’ TrackBoth the state champs and the state runner up reside here in San

Juan County as PV took its first state title in May with Farmington

closely behind. gone from both squads are their leading point men in

PV’s Zach Johnson and Farmington’s Jeremy Klepac, but both should re-

main strong. PV will have to count on defending state javelin champion

Beau Clafton and a strong showing from their distant runners to get

back on the platform this year. For Jeff Dalton’s Scorpion squad, they

will need strong performances from the same guys that brought a

speedy Scorpion football team a state title.

Predictions:

1. Farmington

2. Piedra Vista

3. aztec

4. Kirtland Central

girls’ Trackaztec completed the clean 4a sweep for San Juan County at last

year’s state championships, with PV finishing in third. Both will return

strong squads this year, with Piedra Vista having the best individual per-

former in Memphis University signee Zhianna Flores who again should

dominate the sprints. aztec has great depth and is dominant in field

events. This means it could come down to distance runners and throw-

ers who may make the difference.

Predictions:

1. aztec

2. Piedra Vista

3. Kirtland Central

4. Farmington

MorganSMITHaztec High School

23Four Corners SPOrTSMarch 2014

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TennisThe tennis district, which loses aztec and Kirtland Central but adds Miyamura,

Grants, Gallup and Belen, has been led by the Farmington boys and girls with everyone

else trying to play catch-up. PV’s girls have narrowed the gap with Farmington, but it’s

still the Scorpions’ district to lose. On the boys’ side, Farmington is still the team to

beat and PV is young and inexperienced. Once again the Scorpion tennis teams should

contend at state, trying to overtake academy.

Predictions:

1. Farmington

2. Piedra Vista

3. Grants

4. Belen

GolfThe split golf season already has yielded positive results for a couple of local teams.

Piedra Vista’s boys and Kirtland Central’s girls have already scored their qualifying

legs for state. The district championships will be hosted at Piñon Hills in May.

Boys’ Predictions:

1. Piedra Vista

2. Kirtland Central

3. Farmington

4. aztec

Girls’ Predictions:

1. Kirtland Central

2. aztec

3. Piedra Vista

BeauCLAFTONPiedra Vista High School

24 March 2014

It seems like only yesterday when the

masses were complaining about how fast the

summer disappeared and the cold of winter

had come upon us. Well, I might just be get-

ting older, but it seemed the winter months

flew by just as fast. Is it 2015 yet? Just kid-

ding.

march is upon us and the weather for

most of the winter has been spectacular. Un-

fortunately, when that happens, the area

usually pays for it in a big way come the mid-

dle to end of the summer. With that being

said, most of you have blown the dust off the

sticks and have made your way out to enjoy

the mild temperatures of February.

In hopes of getting an early start to the

season, let me offer some advice to get you

in a good spot for your best golfing season,

ever.

1) take a good look at your equipment and

do a bit of self-analysis. this might involve re-

placing your worn out grips, changing the

spikes that have become part of the sole of

your golf shoe or purchasing some new golf

balls. the major component of the equipment

check is to make sure that you are getting

the most out of your set. Do you still have a 2-

, 3- or 4-iron in the bag? If so, it is time to

purchase a hybrid or

two to replace

those an-

tiques.

Do

you have enough wedges in your bag? most

amateurs only carry a pitching wedge and a

sand wedge, while most professionals carry

3 to 4 wedges in their golf bags. the idea is

to maximize your enjoyment by having clubs

that will work for you and not against you.

2) Schedule a golf lesson or two to shake

off the rust and get you in the proper mode

to perform at your best. many players either

head to the driving range or head to the

course in an attempt to self-analyze their

short-comings. Spend your money wisely this

year and get some professional help to set

you on the proper path. many times it is a

fundamental adjustment that will get you

back hitting it at your best. the problem is

that when players try to fix things them-

selves, they usually compound the error and

take something they were doing correctly

and ingrain an incorrect motion – thus caus-

ing further damage.

3) Strengthen your weaknesses outside of

your short game. Wait just a minute – every-

one says to practice the short game and put-

ting to lower your scores. the short game is

a very important component of the game of

golf, but usually mid-to-higher handicap play-

ers will benefit from hitting their driver and

longer hybrids/irons better than they will by

trying to improve their short game. When

players hit their woods short and sideways,

the number of strokes lost tends to be higher

than those lost by bad chips or missed 10-

foot putts. Keeping the golf ball in play off the

tee and getting the ball on the green (or

around it) in regulation will lower your

scores much faster than if you spend all your

time on the practice green.

4) Keep a log for your practice sessions. I

would recommend keeping a small notebook

in your vehicle and taking about five minutes

after a round or practice session to journal.

this journal can be brief thoughts about how

you hit the ball, what you need to work on,

statistics you kept during the round, etc. the

point of the journal is to write things down

when they are fresh in your mind so that you

don’t forget about them when you go practice

the next time out. these journal sessions are

great for identifying strengths and weak-

nesses as well as for allowing you to formu-

late a plan for your game going forward.

5) Finally, work on your golf swing at the

driving range and play golf on the course.

Nothing good comes of players that have 12

swing thoughts in their head when they step

to the first tee. Forget about your swing while

you are playing golf and focus instead on

where you want the golf ball to go. Work on

your swing mechanics and thoughts when

you are practicing.

I hope you are already taking the time to

enjoy this beautiful winter weather. Use it to

get ready for when the courses are lush

green and the temps are constantly above 60

degrees!

Great weather gives you a chance

get a head start on golf season

tomYOSTthe First tee

THE FIRST TEE

Four Corners SportS

LArrYLARSON

this is season 38 with the boys’ tennis team. Earlier, I coached 10 years of junior high football and bas-

ketball.

During my early years I kept thinking that each yearwould be my last, but I kept having good student-athletesand it’s been fun!!

there is a long tradition of excellence in the FarmingtonHigh tennis program.

I am very proud of the success FHS tennis has had. High-lights have included the singles state championship and theseveral state doubles titles. However, since we have startedplaying for a real state team title, our successes there alsohave been very satisfying.

A person must have good eye-hand coordination and bewilling to hit lots and lots of balls.

our players at FHS believe in fair play. We try to take re-sponsibility for our actions. It is tough, since they always calltheir own lines and have to get along with rivals. Line callingcan be very difficult.

the UStA has tournaments for people up into their 80s. Itis something you can enjoy as long as your body holds out.

My son Darryl is a tennis pro in Fort Worth, texas. Hewas on the FHS team for five years and our top player fromthe time he was a freshman. Alyssa is working part time attanoan Country Club in Albuquerque as a tennis pro. Shealso was a five-year letter person on our girls’ team. Sheplayed number one sophomore year through senior year.they both played junior college tennis at Seward CountyCountry Club in Liberal, Kan. Alyssa got to play in the JuniorCollege National tournament for two years.

As soon as a child can control the racket and hit the ballthey can start. It depends so much on the development ofeach child. My son could hit the ball well at the age of 4.

our program has enjoyed very positive parent involve-ment and I think that has been a big plus in keeping it going.

Just find a friend who will start with you. It helps to havesomeone to do things with. Hit lots of balls, and have fun. Ifit’s not fun, don’t do it.

How long have you been the Farmington High School Boystennis coach?

1

Why have you dedicated so many years of your life to thissport?

2

Would you share some of your most memorable moments? 3

What makes for a good tennis player? 4

What types of values, outside of the game, do you instill inthe players?

5

You and Coach pat McGrath provide summercamps for future tennis players. At what ageshould a child start playing tennis?

8

How important is parent involvement for thesuccess of the players?

9

Do you have any advice for someone whowould like to begin playing tennis?

10

Your children were involved in high schooltennis and have gone on to have careers intennis. Could you tell us about them?

7

tennis is often considered to be a lifelong sport. Could youtell us why?

6

Boys’ tennis coach at Farmington High School.


As Piedra Vista began its run of wrestling

dominance four years ago, the biggest rival

in the district, and perhaps the state, was

the Bloomfield Bobcats. this year they both

stand as state champions, Bloomfield the 3A

state champions and Piedra Vista the 4A

state champions for the fourth consecutive

year.

For Bloomfield, it has been a long time

coming for a state championship in

wrestling, with the last title coming nearly

three decades ago. the Bobcats used a

strong overall team effort where all 14

wrestlers contributed to that effort with a

203 points total, edging out Cobre at 191.5.

Bloomfield was led by Levi Whitely at 113 lbs.

and troy rightmire at 145, who claimed indi-

vidual championships.

Whitely, who is only a freshman, set the

tone for the championship day defeating

Cobre’s 113 head to head before defeating

taos wrestler Christoval Valerio. rightmire

saw a familiar face in Shiprock’s raygen

Charley in the 145 finals and won a close de-

cision 2-1. Jacob Spencer, JD robinson, Paul

Jaramillo and Lorenzo LaMere finished sec-

ond in the championship round for Bloom-

field. the Bobcat’s depth was the key, as

Cobre and Las Vegas’ robertson finished

with more individual champions, but could

not overtake Bloomfield.

27Four Corners SPortSMarch 2014

Story by Rick Hoerner | Photos by Curtis Ray Benally

Piedra Vista, Bloomfield

state 4A and 3A state wrestling champs

28 Four Corners SPorTS March 2014

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For Piedra vista, the state tournament

was the end to another year of high ex-

pectations for what has become the pre-

mier program in New Mexico within any

class. By Saturday morning there was lit-

tle doubt that the Panthers had wrapped

up the team title. The Panthers continued

their run on Saturday placing 10

wrestlers in the finals out of a possible 14

positions in the finals. By the end of the

day the Panthers blew out the competition

on their way to a fourth straight title, put-

ting up a total of 323.5 points with their

nearest competitor, Belen, at 178.5

LeviWHITLEYBloomfield High School

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Individually, five of the ten wrestlers in

the finals won championships, beginning

with Philip Archuleta at 120 lbs. followed

by Sam Sandoval at 126. Ryan Rino re-

turned to the winner’s circle at 138 lbs.

after winning at 145 last year. Anthony

Jukes won his fourth title – in four years,

in four different weight classes – taking

the win at 145. Zach Ahlgrim finished up

the individual titles for the Panthers tak-

ing the title at 220 lbs. Farmington’s tier-

ney Staley took individual honors as well

as winning the 182 lb. class.

Runner ups for the Panthers included

Jacob Palmgren, who lost his first match

in the state of new Mexico in the finals,

Wes Rayburn at 113, Dillon Strunk at 152,

Wyatt Weaver at 160 and Aaron Rino at

170. Scorpion wrestler Cesar haro placedAnthonyJUCKESPiedra Vista high School

* Wrestling 34

the Heights Knights have had a brilliant run in boys’ football and bas-

ketball this year. While their football team went undefeated and won the

Basin Championship, their 8th grade boys’ basketball team just ran the

table to complete a perfect season of their own.

“It’s been a blessing to be able to coach this team,” explained Assis-

tant Coach Jeff Graham. “As a coach, you couldn’t ask for a better group

of boys. they know what it takes to achieve their goals and they are will-

ing to put in the extra time and work to become the best they can. the

sky is the limit for these guys and I am just lucky to be a part of it.”

Head Coach Lee Marret, assisted by Jeff Graham and Donnie Pigford,

led a team that has not lost a game in the past two years. As 7th

graders, this team went 17-0 – only to complete a perfect 17-0 season

as 8th graders.

Executing a relentless full court trapping press, the Knights assem-

bled an impressive line of statistics throughout the season: their closest

game was a 15-point win, their largest margin of victory was a 56 point

win, their highest point total was 77, and their highest points allowed

game was 44.

“We were very big and fast so it made it hard to pass over the top of

us,” said Graham. “We were all over the court forcing turnovers, steals,

and causing havoc … it was fun to watch. Most teams struggled to get

the ball past half court.”

the Knights 8th grade boys’ basketball team completed their season

with a 57-22 win against Shiprock to win the Basin Championship.

“our focus wasn’t on any other team, it was on taking care of our-

selves,” explained Graham. We knew if we could keep our mental side of

the game together that we would be oK. I think that showed during our

performance in the Basin tourney where we scored 192 points and only

gave up 66 points.”

In fact, of their 34 wins in the past two seasons, 31 of those were by

more than 20 points.

“Most of the boys have been playing basketball together since the

third or fourth grade,” said Graham. “You could tell these guys were

going to be good at a young age – not only with their physical ability but

with their competitiveness with each other at practice. they push each

other to get better.”

And the push to get better is a credit that goes entirely to the young

men on this team. the coaching staff asked a lot of them, with intense

workouts and preparation to become more mentally tough.

“Some mornings it would be below freezing and we would ask the

boys to go on jogs through the neighborhoods, up hills and sand washes

– as a team,” said Graham. “Not too many teenage boys do that kind of

stuff on Saturday mornings. And that’s why we were able to do what we

did game in and game out.”

31Four Corners SPortSMarch 2014

Boys’ basketball team

puts up perfect 17-0 seasonstory by Tom Yost | photos by Josh Bishop

PLAYERS ON THE TEAM:No. 3 Brendan Anderson • No. 4 Christian Chavez

No. 5 Alex Kuhn • No. 10 Adrian Stevens

No. 11 Grant Bessey • No. 13 Cobi Haston

No. 14 Brady Brown • No. 22 Deylan Pigford

No. 23 Cody McGaha • No. 24 Jacob Brown

No. 32 Isreal Murray • No. 44 Jarrett Graham

32 Four Corners SPORTS March 2014

Oh Arizona, will you

ever learn?

Last month the state

legislature of Arizona

passed Senate Bill

1062, a proposal that

Arizona businesses

could refuse service

based on religious or moral objections.

Or as the center for Arizona Policy, the group that wrote the bill, calls

it The Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Apparently Arizona politicians

learned nothing from the Martin Luther king holiday debacle in 1989.

in 1983, Republican icon Ronald Reagan signed the bill creating the

Martin Luther king Jr. holiday and democratic governor Bruce Babbitt

RickHOERNEREditorial columnist

Once again

Arizona misses

the point

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33Four Corners SPORTSMarch 2014

issued an executive order creating the national holiday in Arizona, but

the legislature voted the order down.

In 1990 the NFL owners awarded the Super Bowl to Tempe under the

guidelines that Arizona vote for the ballot initiative to create the holiday.

Arizona didn’t and the NFL responded pulling the game from Tempe and

awarding it to Pasadena. Amazingly, after seeing the economic damage

that losing the Super Bowl – as well as a musicians’ boycott led by Ste-

vie Wonder – would cause, Arizona relented and was given Super Bowl

XXX.

Now Arizona is up again for Super Bowl XLIX – 49 for those of you that

have not had Roman numerals since grade school. Once again the NFL

threatened to remove the game on their objection to SB 1062 and again

Arizona gives in.

Here is my problem with the whole situation. Everyone talks about the

economic consequences instead of the fact that this discriminatory bill

is absolutely wrong. IN vetoing the bill, Governor Brewer stated she

would do what’s best for Arizona, Senator John McCain lobbied for the

veto based solely on economics and job growth, as did business organi-

zations throughout the state. But where is the cry from our public ser-

vants and business leaders that this is not just financially wrong, but

morally wrong?

One can hide this any way they choose, but this bill is absolutely dis-

criminatory. Period.

If the Center for Arizona Policy is so worried about their moral values,

where is the bill allowing for businesses to stop service on other viola-

tions of the Holy Book? Where is the law that allows businesses not to

serve people who commit adultery or use the Lord’s name in vain?

After all, those are in the Ten Commandments and there seems to be

no outcry from Chick-fil-A or Hobby Lobby, simply because enforcement

of all the laws in the Bible would mean no customers. So it is pure dis-

crimination on one group, with which you disagree, over another.

Also, there must be a consideration of where this ends. Can a teacher

decide not teach a gay student?

Can a bus driver block access based solely on a moral code?

Would Michael Sam or Jason Collins not be allowed to visit certain

businesses in Arizona while their teams are playing there?

As a former season ticket holder to the Arizona Cardinals and some-

one who loves spring training baseball and the Phoenix Suns, it is be-

coming increasingly more difficult to spend my money in Arizona. In my

professional life they have blocked a holiday celebrating the civil rights

leader of a generation, have asked people of my hue to carry identifica-

tion proving who they are, and now are trying to ban services to friends

and family.

Simply providing a service to individuals or groups with whom one

does not morally agree is not a violation of religious self-determination.

Serving others in no way violates your freedom to worship as you

choose. These arguments of a forced change of values were the same

that were made against Jackie Robinson in 1947 or against the Little

Rock Nine in 1957. They were on the wrong side of history then as they

are now.

Now I am no expert in religious matters, but I did hear somewhere to

love your neighbors as yourself and something about judging lest ye be

judged. If Arizona is looking to stand on moral high ground, this may be

a good place to start.

As bad as things can get here in New Mexico, at least we are not Ari-

zona.

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34 Four Corners SPOrTS March 2014

second at 190 while Kirtland’s Keishaun As-

paas also placed second, losing to district rival

Sam Sandoval at 126.

Senior Jacob Palmgren credits the team’s

closeness and commitment as the driving

force behind the Panthers’ success. “Our

wrestling partners push each other. We see ex-

ceptional competition every day.”

State champ Philip Archuleta agrees with

Palmgren. “Iron sharpens iron,” says

Archuleta, “We practice against the best every

day from top to bottom in our program.”

PV’s drive for next five seasons seems to be

off and running already. The Panthers will re-

turn six of the ten wrestlers who wrestled for

a state championship, including state champi-

ons Anthony Juckes, Sam Sandoval, Zach

Ahlgrim and Archuleta. For Juniors Sandoval

and Ahlgrim, coaching is the key to the Pan-

thers’ success, “Our coaches are committed to

making us better every day,” said Sandoval.

Ahlgrim added, “The expectations to win are

high. We’ve beaten the best two teams in 5A

over the past two seasons. I believe we are the

best team in any class.”

The Panthers’ confidence and work ethic will

make them a favorite again next year when

wrestling rolls around. “The formula is simple,”

says Palmgren. “As long as you’re in the winner’s

bracket you wrestle for yourself. Once you lose,

you wrestle for the team. The team succeeds

when individual goals are achieved.”

Wrestling continued from 29

The Piedra Vista Wrestling Team members were honored by a Farmington School Board for their accomplishments.

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June 6 - 8, 2014 June 27 - 29, 2014 July 11 - 13, 2014

KATHY ROUSETOURNAMENT

NORTH SOUTHTOURNAMENT

SUMMER BLASTTOURNAMENT

USSSA STATETOURNAMENT

��

�� April 26 • 10 a.m.

Ricketts Softball Fields

FOUR CORNERS FASTPITCH ASSOCIATION

GIRLS SOFTBALL REGISTRATIONwww.FourCornersFastPitch.com

Register online:

USSSA Four Corners Fastpitch Association ��

OOPPEENNIINNGG CCEERREEMMOONNIIEESS

FCFA SOFTBALL TOURNAMENTSMay 23 - 25, 2014

Four Corners Sports Magazine March 2014

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