La Cueva’s Brooke Novak aims to score a header against Eldorado’s Reece Gudelj-Cox on Saturday. La Cueva is the No. 3 seed in class 5A. (Mike Sandoval for the journal)
There’s an unfamiliar face at the head of the boys’ Class 5A state soccer group.
Santa Fe High School on Sunday was selected as the number 1 for the upcoming playoffs as the postseason brackets in six divisions were announced by the New Mexico Activities Association.
The Demons (19-1), champions of District 5-5A, have a bye in the first round, as does No. 2 La Cueva, No. 3 Sandia and No. 4 hobbs.
“We were ranked pretty high all season, so we had some time to deal with it, come to terms with it and accept it,” said Santa Fe coach Chris Eadie.
Santa Fe has one of the most explosive attacking players in New Mexico in junior striker Alex Wagoner, a transfer from Taos who scored a whopping 65 regular-season goals for the Demons.
“I had a feel for what we were getting, but I never knew he was that gifted,” said Eadie. “He has an unreal vision and an explosive speed, and he does the kind of runs a professional player would do to open up the space.”
The top four players have byes in the first round and will host quarter-finals on Friday or Saturday.
Perhaps the most intriguing pairing among the first-round games to be played in the higher seed locations on Tuesday is No. 12 Atrisco Heritage that visits No. 5 Rio Rancho, the spring season champion. The Jaguars won the District 1-5A title on Saturday by beating the Rams 3-2 in overtime.
# 9 Volcano Vista has a tough job and plays at Centennial, which is ranked 8th but is ranked 4th.
Rio Grande makes it into the playoffs for the second year in a row as the 11th-seeded Ravens visit district rivals No. 6 Albuquerque High.
Later in the week, La Cueva gets Deming or Gadsden in the quarterfinals and Sandia plays AHS or Rio Grande.
n In 4A, the two teams that met in the spring finals are the two best seeders, with the Albuquerque Academy champion finishing second behind No. 1 Lovington finished.
Seeds 5-7 are Metro programs: Hope Christian, Highland, and St. Pius. The Sartans, if they pissed off No. 7 Artesia in the first round, would face Academy in the quarterfinals.
n The defending champion Sandia Prep is number 1 in class 3A-1A. Oak Grove Classical Academy / Menaul is in the playoffs for the first time. The owls are both a co-op and co-ed team with a handful of girls on the list. You play in the quarter against No. 4 Bosque School, a district rival.
GIRLS: Despite a 2-1 loss to Volcano Vista on Saturday at the end of the regular season, Cibola (14-2-1) is number 1 in 5A. Defending champion Carlsbad is second, followed by La Cueva and Hobbs.
That means the Bears who missed the Spring State tournament – as well as Cibola – will have to travel to Karlovy Vary for the semifinals if both make it that far.
“The only problem is getting to the semi-finals,” said La Cueva coach Amber Ashcraft. “What I do not like.”
Tuesday’s first round will be highlighted by a meeting between No. 9 Eldorado and No. 8 Rio Rancho, and the winner will face Cibola in the quarter-finals later that week.
AHS, a spring finalist, was ranked 11th. Volcano Vista is a dangerous seed in slot 7 as the Hawks (ranked # 4 on MaxPreps.com) host Clovis.
The Santa Fe girls, like the boys, finished 19-1 and the Demonettes were seeded fifth.
n St. Pius, Hope and Academy are the top 3 of the 4A, Los Alamos in 4th place. The Huskies and Chargers are seeded for the semifinals and have already met three times this season.
Sandia Prep got the top seed in 3A-1A. This division only starts in the quarter-finals on Friday or Saturday. Bosque School (5) is also in this upper half of the bracket.
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