Jan. 16—It’d appear to be a parallel transfer, however the lure of going house makes it a bit extra substantive than that, Nick Madrid mentioned.
Final week, Madrid, one of many prime soccer coaches within the metro space, left the Highland boys program to return to his alma mater, St. Pius, the place he’ll coach the women staff beginning subsequent season.
“My final dream at Highland was to win a state championship,” Madrid, 34, mentioned. “However for me, the cope with Pius was too candy to go up.”
The Hornets certified for the Class 4A state semifinals in every of the final two seasons.
The 2007 St. Pius graduate inherits a Sartans program that has been within the 4A state closing in every of the final three seasons.
“I am going into one thing that is already nice,” Madrid mentioned, “and (attempting to) make it method higher than myself or anybody else may have imagined. That is actually what I like to do.”
Highland’s boys misplaced to Hope Christian within the 4A semis final November. The Hornets developed into a real energy below Madrid’s stewardship, and the Highland job creates what needs to be a beautiful emptiness for candidates.
“It was a tremendous factor we had going at Highland,” Madrid mentioned. “And I acknowledge that. It actually needed to be one thing particular that was going to take me away from that.”
Madrid replaces Abigail Turin at St. Pius, who coached the Sartans for simply the 2022 season, making Madrid the third St. Pius head coach within the final three years.
“I could not say ‘no,’ although I had such factor at Highland,” Madrid mentioned. “One in all my duties is to determine how I can develop the … program.”
METRO SWIMMING: A chip off the previous (beginning) block?
La Cueva and Eldorado’s women went 1-2 on Saturday on the Albuquerque Metro Swimming Championships on the West Mesa Aquatic Middle, and it represented a familial triumph for Bears coach Megan Rhoades.
Why? As a result of Eldorado is coached by her father, Quint Seckler.
“I let her win,” a tongue-in-cheek Seckler mentioned.
La Cueva scored 410 factors on Saturday, with the Eagles subsequent with 373 factors. (The complete staff standings, and the highest three people in every occasion, may be seen in Tuesday’s Journal on web page B4).
There have been a pair of double champions Saturday: Hope Christian’s Reese Hinnerichs, who received the 100-yard backstroke title, after which additionally the 200-yard IM in dominant style with a 9-second win. She additionally swam the anchor leg on two successful freestyle relays (200, 400).
Eldorado’s Francesca Benavidez additionally had a pair of victories, taking first within the 200-yard freestyle closing, and likewise the 100-yard free closing. She additionally anchored the Eagles’ 200-yard medley relay staff that place first.
The boys metro meet is that this Saturday.
SOCCER HONORS: Some coaches and athletes have been acknowledged for his or her abilities through the 2022 season by the United Soccer Coaches.
No boy acquired the next accolade than Sandia Prep ahead Finn Saunders, who was an all-region and All-American alternative. Highland ahead Yahir Jimenez was an all-region choice, as was La Cueva defender John Mee.
Hope Christian midfielder Ashlyn Salas (47 objectives for the 4A state champion Huskies) was honored as a women All-American, and she or he additionally was all-region, as had been Albuquerque Academy ahead Anna Babinski and Hope ahead Savanah Sanchez.
Regional Coaches of the 12 months within the Far West area included Cleveland Excessive boys coach Shaun Gill and Storm women coach Greg Rusk within the large-school class, and Sandia Prep boys coach Tommy Smith within the Non-public/Parochial college division.
The coaches, plus Salas and Saunders (who scored 44 objectives for the 3A state champion Sundevils), had been formally acknowledged final weekend in Philadelphia on the USC nationwide convention.
THIS AND THAT: Albuquerque Academy senior Kellan Gehres has change into the most recent participant within the metropolis to succeed in the 1,000-point mark for his basketball profession. Gehres reached that quantity final Saturday evening towards Gallup. … Centennial volleyball’s high-powered Tess Fuqua is New Mexico’s Gatorade Participant of the 12 months for the second time in a row. The 6-foot hitter registered over 600 kills final season for the Hawks.